It's easy to say something like that, but it glosses over one of the real challenges that small and medium MSP (managed service provider) business owners must face every day. Be it the clever use of crude tools back in the stone age or the modern apps and software we use today, they all serve a singular purpose — to make our lives better — to enable us to deliver more and better with less.
The tools we use aren't necessarily an indicator of whether we are good at what we do. But they surely influence how better we can get at what we do. With so many MSP tools to choose from, how do you know which ones are worth your while?
Shopping for MSP software today isn't as easy as picking up a rock and beating it into shape. It's complicated. You make a checklist of features you want, talk to peers in the industry, discuss it on forums, calculate the ROI of the tool... well, you know the drill.
To make things worse, there are plenty of vendors out there trying to sell their software by 'becoming the experts' in your business processes, people, systems, and data. But hey, you need to get your house in order first, and it's quite simple, really. The next time you think about adding to your tool stack, ask yourself the following questions:
- Will this MSP software help me provide more revenue-generating services?
- Will this MSP software improve my or my team's efficiency and productivity?
- Will this MSP software help me accomplish more tasks with the least effort?
If your answer to one or more of these questions is 'yes', then you have a clear winner.
That said, there are few other pointers that you need to keep in mind when deciding on which MSP software you need to choose — does it have strong integration capabilities, does the vendor have a good reputation for customer support, is it scalable, is it easy to use, and whether or not the tool was purpose-built for MSPs.
Now, the specifics of your tech stack entirely depend on the managed services you provide and their affordability. But generally, professional services automation (PSA) and remote monitoring and management (RMM) are the mission-critical tools that MSPs use.
