Why Integrations Are Key to MSPs’ Success
Automation, Innovation and Efficiency Empower IT Services Businesses
Connections drive success. Some people actively support aspiring young professionals, including parents, teachers, coaches, and friends. Career advisors, trainers and mentors ease the way for those starting new jobs or transitioning to increasingly more challenging roles at work or in the community. Those integrated support networks boost morale and resolve and help novices expand their capabilities.
A similar thing happens with technology solutions. Most MSPs rely on a variety of resources and tools to run their businesses and gather tremendous amounts of data from all their clients’ networks, devices and cloud/software applications. Providers who properly route, automate and leverage all that information have a distinct advantage over those who don’t.
MSP-specific tool integrations make that possible. For example, enabling vendor-designed connections between remote monitoring solutions and PSA platforms makes life a lot simpler for techs and IT business owners. Both can receive real-time notifications of potential network and device issues as the systems create service tickets and alert the proper team members. Remedial measures − remote or onsite − can commence quickly to limit, if not completely prevent, costly and disruptive downtime.
Imagine a BDR (backup and disaster recovery) solution not notifying the MSP of a client’s impending system failure until 30 minutes after it goes down. Those types of communications delays with cybersecurity applications are similarly unacceptable. The potential damage to clients’ operations and IT services providers’ reputations from either scenario could be substantial.
Integrations are lifelines that help prevent those situations or at least minimize the harm. These links create the most direct route for sharing critical information between applications and platforms when properly implemented and maintained. In today’s highly competitive IT services environment, integrations have become essential lines of communication between clients and MSPs and vendors and distributors. APIs and other connections have become an industry standard “requirement” for virtually every tool in an MSP’s arsenal today.
Automate to Innovate
An IT business owner who fails to understand the value of integrations is doomed to mediocrity. With so many great tools at an IT MSPs disposal, from RMMs and PSAs to cybersecurity and UCaaS management platforms, those not pursuing all the available options could be at a competitive disadvantage. Integrations enable automation, which boosts efficiency, productivity, and profitability.
What are some of the other client-facing tools that MSPs typically link into their management systems?
- CRM applications
- Cybersecurity/phishing awareness training programs
- VoIP/UCaaS programs
- Collaboration tools (i.e., MS Teams, Slack, Zoho, Asana)
- File-sharing applications
- Project planning/ management/ scheduling programs
- Reporting/ analytics tools
- Accounting packages
- Time & expense trackers
- Managed print services
- Surveillance/ physical security systems
These investments drive major returns for MSPs. Linking different systems from the client and provider-sides into one easily managed network saves time and money and reduces anxiety levels across the board. Integrations allow MSPs to scale their businesses using fewer resources, a real benefit with the current shortage of skilled labor and a growing remote workforce.
Synchronize to Grow
IT services companies need all their systems to speak the same language; to share information in real-time while synchronizing the work. Managed services integrations reduce task duplication and, in many cases, practically eliminate the need for manual data entry or other types of human intervention.
For example, a client’s communications systems should sync with ticketing systems and send alerts about potential issues using texts, instant messages, and emails. Integrations make it possible to add new devices and configuration details in PSA tools automatically and link invoicing applications to MSP’s payment systems. Many benefits come from eliminating or minimizing the number of manual tasks in an IT services business. The fewer employees need to do in each process, the more time they’ll have to design and deliver new services, close sales, and support even more clients.
Successful MSPs adopt platform-agnostic cloud-based tools with many integration options and make automation a pillar in their strategic business plans. They learn how to leverage APIs to get the most from their own disparate systems and collect support-related information from clients. ConnectMeVoice’s new Clarity™ UCaaS Platform and Management Portal is a great example. An open platform allows both IT services providers and third-party software vendors to integrate UCaaS capabilities easily into their proprietary solutions. Clarity permits integration on a micro-functional level, offering MSPs the reliability and service delivery levels needed to support today’s businesses.
Implementing innovative new tools and integrations lowers service delivery costs, improves customer service capabilities, and simplifies life for busy IT services entrepreneurs. Are you bringing these types of capabilities to your support teams and clients?
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