The technology your MSP business needs to scale for success

It’s easy to think of IT services as a volume business, and for many MSP entrepreneurs that’s the case. The more customers you sign up, the more revenue and profits your company earns. But running an MSP can also be a knowledge-intensive process where too much work for one person or team may yield poor results. If you want to create a scalable IT services machine, you need the proper mix of tools and processes in place to support all your customers and provide great service along the way. The goal is not only to build an efficient and effective staff, but also to help them gain a deep understanding of the customer, their technology and how to solve problems efficiently.

Here are nine types of MSP technology your business needs in place to scale successfully.

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1. IT Service Management (ITSM) Software

When it comes to managing a large number of customers, a dedicated ticketing system or help desk solution is an absolute must-have for MSPs. You can get by with a simple system or even a spreadsheet when you’re starting out, but for optimum results you’ll need a powerful service management platform that will scale as your business grows.

An ITSM serves as a central location to store all the information about each customer and their networked assets. You can then use that data for actionable intelligence on what’s going on with your customers’ IT environments so you can provide better support to them. It’s also where your team can submit tickets, receive alerts and collaborate with one another.

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2. Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) Software

Remote monitoring and management software is an essential tool in the support arsenal of any MSP or MSSP. RMM platforms allow your team to detect and fix certain computer problems automatically, saving time and reducing the number of support tickets that come in. This in turn will lead to better customer service.

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3. Network Monitoring Software

While RMM tools help manage the devices and servers on your clients’ networks, you also need something to oversee your clients’ networks themselves too.

Network monitoring is an important part of keeping IT services customers happy. The right network monitoring solution will ship any critical alerts straight to your inbox, ensuring faster resolution times and happier customers. You can even use this MSP technology as a diagnostic tool, tracking down the root cause of a problem that might not be flagged up by other tools.

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4. Communication platforms

It’s typical for employees within an MSP business to work across multiple accounts and with time being limited, they can’t always afford to hold face-to-face meetings to keep on top of everything that is going on. That’s why it’s helpful to invest in a communication platform that your entire company can use. Popular examples include common messaging apps like Slack, Facebook Workplace or Microsoft Teams.

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5. Time & Billing Software

Another key MSP software to have in place is one that can help automate how they bill customers for services performed. The best platforms combine time tracking with billing tools to make it easy for employees to submit hours worked, receive alerts when deadlines approach, and create invoices in batches.

You should be able to easily manage all the accounting aspects of your business, including expenses and time spent on various projects. You should also look for features that allow you to delegate tasks to team members when necessary while keeping an eye on how much money they’re making throughout their day.

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6. Automation technology

Automation software is designed to make it easier for companies to scale their business, as it automates time-consuming tasks. That means managers can focus on the things that matter most, like selling new services or improving customer relationships.

When you have a large number of clients with a variety of different needs, it doesn’t make sense to have employees performing repetitive tasks, particularly when a platform could do it just as well, if not better.

For example, a crucial area of vulnerability management is prioritisation of scan data to ensure that your remediation teams are using their precious time to tackle vulnerabilities in order of criticality to clients. Many teams can spend an average of four hours sorting through the vulnerability data associated with just 250 assets so imagine how long it’s taking your MSP business to address this area for your clients!

RankedRight automates this process, prioritising the data from every scan according to rules you’ve set and the most up to date vulnerability intelligence. The platform then delegates it to the most appropriate person to resolve.

This means your teams can provide a better service to clients (as you remediate a larger volume or critical vulnerabilities in record time) and they have time to spare which can be used to add value elsewhere. Risk-based vulnerability management at its best.

7. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

A customer relationship management platform is essential if you want to provide your MSP business with the data it needs to scale for success.

For example, this software can help you track everything about each client in one place, including their contact information, how they prefer to be communicated with, and anything else that has been happening with them recently.

It’s also a hugely valuable sales tool as it can help you develop a lead tracking system, send out targeted emails with personalised messages and keep track of everything that happens when sales pitches are made.

In the end, your MSP business will be defined by how it manages customer relationships and a good CRM is an important part of that process.

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8. Data Backup Software

You’d be surprised how many IT services companies don’t have a data backup solution in place to protect their customers’ most important assets. The key word here is “protect,” because you can’t simply back up everything and expect it to be safe from a ransomware attack or a physical disaster.

Take the time to find a data backup platform that suits your needs and can be implemented across all of your customers. If you do this, you can sleep well at night knowing that your business is protected from ransomware attacks due to its ability to quickly recover lost or damaged data.

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9. Freelancer Management System

This is a system that’s designed to manage the remote workforce members who help you grow your managed services platform. This includes everything from hiring freelancers, assigning them work, and paying them on time—and it gives you the peace of mind needed to expand without worrying about legal or compliance issues.

MSP Technology can help your business scale in a number of ways, but it’s important to find the right tools for you and to introduce them one by one so as not to overwhelm your teams. If you want to start by freeing up your team’s time with automation, why not get in touch with RankedRight today?