Strategies: QR&P and Security
Draft SLAs that comprehend the likelihood of performance fluctuations. Protect both yourself and the customer by setting concrete expectations.
Educate your customers with regard to the implication of Internet based networking, e.g. compare and contrast with leased line performance.
Gather metrics on device utilization, available bandwidth, etc... This allows for data driven discussions of performance issues.
Gather Internet performance metrics when possible, and leverage internet communities such as NANOG to keep abreast of Internet “events”.