Change often creates new revenue generating options for MSPs. When companies shift priorities or disrupt practices and workspaces, the process interruptions can have a ripple-effect across the organization and increase the need for additional support and solutions. Many businesses will pay a premium for IT services that can minimize their pain and shorten the transition timeframe.
MSPs savor those roles. There is value and margin in the “mysteries” that IT services professionals address each day—even more so for firms with high demand specializations in cybersecurity and certain vertical markets. The more you know about the business processes that technologies drive, the greater your worth to the clients who rely on those solutions. That value proposition keeps managed services contracts growing and generates tremendous revenue for highly skilled providers.
Focusing on the right things at the right time helps drive MSP success. Clients may expect your team to be clairvoyant and predict which problem may occur and determine the optimal solutions before the dust can settle. Working from similar mindsets and vantage points is the ultimate objective.
Sounds easy, right? The problem for MSPs and other business owners is that the world is full of uncertainties. Who could have predicted the events of the past two and a half years? While managed services providers emphasize data backups and disaster recover plans to help clients survive unforeseen situations, few develop contingencies for a global pandemic. The ongoing supply chain and inflationary concerns add more complexity to the situation, leaving many business owners wondering how to prepare for whatever might come next.
The Transitioning Work Environment
With strong signs that the pandemic is waning, organizations are hedging their bets on a return to normal. Many companies adopted work from home (WFH) or hybrid environments over the past two years to maximize employee safety and keep most, if not all of their operations running.
Those arrangements will continue for many organizations. Some businesses saw increases in productivity and employee satisfaction after moving to the WFH model. Making that transition permanent, even on a part-time basis, allows organizations to reconfigure or eliminate office space and significantly trim expenses.
On the other hand, there are many companies that still need (or at least prefer) employees to spend some, if not all their working hours in a corporately controlled space. Whether their workers interact directly with clients or require constant oversight, or managers want all their team members in one place, those who have not transitioned back will soon make the move.
Back to the Office Refresh
Change often spells opportunity for MSPs. That’s why it’s a great time for reassessing clients’ systems, solutions, and support programs, including more recent investments for enabling remote work teams. During the pandemic, many managed services providers spent more one-on-one time with clients, formed tighter relationships and gained more intimate knowledge of their operations and workflows. That level of insight, combined with greater trust and business value gives MSPs the leverage they need to pitch more comprehensive strategic plans to help boost those companies’ future success.
Building more robust and secure solutions to support today’s workforce should be a top priority. That means providing businesses with the best of all worlds—the ability to work securely from a central office, home environment, or other locations. With clients’ employees returning to the office, now is the perfect time for MSPs to add solutions that boost efficiency and productivity—and overhaul clients’ existing infrastructure and systems.
- PC/laptop refreshes. If your clients have not invested in computers since before the pandemic, now is the perfect time to pitch a replacement plan. Systems that are secure and free from issues (i.e., missing or sticky keys, glitchy monitors) help boost productivity concerns and employee satisfaction. While continuing supply chain issues may limit availability of some devices, it’s good idea to begin the planning and ordering processes sooner rather than later.
- Phone systems. Your clients need the latest communications solutions to remain competitive today. If relying on traditional phones or a self-hosted VoIP application, it’s time to upgrade them to Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), providing their employees with video and text, as well as mobile device options. Even if everyone works from a central office, these applications save valuable time and empower collaboration among team members.
- Printing apparatus. MSPs often overlook the devices that create the most stress in an office—printers and copiers. However, upgrading your clients’ printers and copiers and adding management solutions that reduce ink and paper costs are invaluable services.
- Routers/network upgrades. Advances in technology can provide major benefits to your business clients. Organizations that are returning to the office should jump at the chance to have an MSP assess and improve the strength of its backbone (networks and internet providers). These are core channel skills that can bring new project revenue to IT services firms.
- Physical security. From video and access controls to entry and lighting management applications, MSPs can better protect their clients’ employees, businesses, and data. Most of these systems are IP- or app-based and provide the perfect complement to an IT services firm’s portfolio of network offerings.
Strengthen Your Bottom Line
The options above are just a few of the many solutions you can provide your business clients. Those upgrade opportunities can also generate higher revenue and margins for MSPs and drive a variety of additional consulting and support services. Enhancing your cashflow is a nice bonus for your team’s extra work.
Which options would help the transition back to the office for your clients? Now is not the time for business as usual. MSPs should consider pitching solution that boosts customers’ efficiencies and drive down costs to offset rising expenses. With so much uncertainty, including skyrocketing inflation and hiring challenges, providers can deliver new applications and support options to ease some of the anxiety.
As you provide solutions for your customers, don’t neglect optimizing your own business with efficiencies that can lead to cost savings. ConnectBooster is proven to save MSPs 8-20 hours each month formerly spent on manual accounts receivable tasks. Request pricing and see how ConnectBooster can save you time and money while helping you get paid faster.
