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There’s a classic scene in Seinfeld where Jerry shows up at a rental car counter to pick up a vehicle he reserved. The agent smiles and tells him they don’t actually have any cars available. Jerry, confused, explains that the entire purpose of a reservation is that the company holds a car for him. Anyone can make a reservation — the real magic is in keeping it.
It’s simple. It’s hilarious.
And it’s the perfect metaphor for modern IT support.
The MSP Version of “We Have Your Reservation… But Not Your Car”
Most businesses today sign a Managed Services Agreement because they want predictable support, quick responses, and someone to call when something breaks.
In other words, they think they’re making a reservation for IT help.
But here’s the problem…
Many MSPs are fantastic at “taking the reservation” — signing you up, onboarding you, collecting monthly fees — yet when your team actually needs assistance, you find out the truth:
They didn’t hold any support capacity for you.
You get:
- “We’ll have someone call you back in 4 hours.”
- “We can get to that tomorrow.”
- “We’re short-staffed today.”
- “That’s not covered under this plan.”
Which is the IT equivalent of:
“Yes, you reserved the car… we just don’t have one.”
And like Jerry, you’re standing there thinking:
“Then what was the point of the reservation?”
Why IT Support Capacity Matters More Than the Contract
When you hire an MSP, you’re not buying a piece of paper.
You’re buying access — access to:
- trained engineers
- local technicians
- real-time troubleshooting
- someone who picks up the phone
- someone who logs in right away
- someone who isn’t juggling 200 other clients simultaneously
An MSP’s true value is not the promise of support.
It’s the ability to deliver support immediately when you need it.
Just like a reservation, the commitment isn’t the paperwork —
the commitment is the held resource.
If an MSP sells you a 24/7 support plan but doesn’t staff for 24/7…
If they promise fast response times but outsource tickets to next-day contractors…
If they take on more clients than their team can handle…
Then they’re no different than that rental counter clerk trying to explain why your reservation doesn’t actually guarantee anything.
The Companies Who Excel at IT Support Do One Thing Differently
They hold the support.
Meaning:
- They schedule staffing around client load
- They cap the number of clients per tech
- They refuse to overpromise
- They keep engineers local
- They guarantee actual response times — and meet them
- They build their business model around client happiness, not sales quotas
In other words, they don’t just take the reservation.
They protect your support capacity in San Antonio as if it’s the last car on the lot.
