Becoming a business owner means wearing many hats. A typical owner may wear one for strategic planning, and others for financing, account or client management, customer service, data analysis, and more.
When your business begins to grow, your hats seem to grow hats, and then those hats turn into more hats… until all your hats become, well, unmanageable.
That is the moment in which outsourcing to third-party service providers becomes a key driver of success.
Over the years, MSPs, or Managed Service Providers, have taken on many nicknames. They have been called IT partners, support specialists, talent strategists, and more.
MSPs focus on the technical aspects of the business, allowing you to focus on your business as a whole.
Why do I need an MSP?
If you’re considering an MSP, then you’ve already reached a pivotal point in your business. COVID seemed to push us all to this point, yet unfortunately, some feel more forced to adapt than others.
COVID changed our mindsets from short-term to long-term; it changed our mindsets from spending freely to spending strategically; it changed our environment from public to private. It has permanently altered the way we do business.
However, it has urged us closer to automation, Artificial Technology, and greater efficiency. We are all now part of a flexible workforce with data at the forefront of all decisions.
“How much should we spend on marketing in 2022?”
“What does our talent attraction strategy look like?”
“How should we pivot our brand message to better attract customers?”
“What was our ROI last year, and how can we learn?”
While all these questions have always been asked, the difference now is that every answer is (or should be) backed by data. We can no longer assume, hope, or estimate our futures in business. After a discouraging number of years managing through COVID, business owners are not only afraid, but cautious about decision making, especially when it involves decisions that will impact the future of their businesses.
Data helps to eliminate fear, and MSPs help you understand data from a bird’s eye view through full IT coverage.
What is the main difference between a regular technical support specialist and a Managed Service Provider?
Technical support specialists are excellent at pinpointing issues. A technical support specialist’s job is to respond to technology-related questions, help with troubleshooting, and fix hardware issues, whereas an MSP takes on full responsibility for a company’s day-to-day IT management.
While in-house personnel may be appealing because it means having a human in the office at all times, nothing can compare to the peace of mind of the full coverage IT that an MSP can provide.
MSPs do more than just fix the problem. They fix it, determine why it occurred, implement changes, make suggestions, and improve the function overall.
It comes down to one question: do you want to be reactive (technical support) or proactive (MSP)? When put simply, the answer is obvious.
How is the workforce changing due to COVID?
COVID sprouted an extreme, sudden need to quickly adapt business processes in everything from customer acquisition to talent attraction to IT management.
For much of the time throughout COVID, businesses were focused on day-to-day operations because of a constant need to “stay afloat.” Now, we are searching for ways and implementing tactics to enable us to not only stay afloat in the current year, but also to grow and become more successful for all years ahead.
MSPs can help automate that growth, while preparing and equipping businesses for future disruptions in the industry.
Businesses were forced to downsize and are now in need of talent management with no time to spare. Companies are still working to meet certain deadlines, but do not have the resources or workforce to get the job done. Technology continues to advance whether we learn and implement it, or not, and if the latter, it is limiting the business’s performance. Efficiency has slowed due to a lack of automation and consistency, and companies are now struggling to catch up.
If you cannot make a data-backed decision quickly and efficiently, then you are behind.
MSPs are not the magic fix-all solution, but they most certainly help businesses overcome these challenges and quickly adapt to the changing workforce.
Is your business prepared for the next 5 years and beyond?
Becoming aware of upcoming changes in IT is only part of the battle. The second half, and the toughest half, is implementing a plan to overcome and adapt to these changes. With flexibility comes patience, and there is nothing more contradicting than rushing through or poorly planning an IT strategy.
After COVID, many business owners’ first thought was to regain sales momentum at a fast rate.
What most were not prepared for, is that the process of increasing sales goes beyond an evaluation of the market and advertising; in fact, it goes as deep as internal processes and technological capabilities.
How can you use technology to support this, and why should you use an IT strategy to accomplish this?
The answer can be found in three more questions:
- Can you really manage your technology better? Can you outperform an MSP to get the data you need to make better decisions?
- Do you have the ability, whether this means tools and resources or employees, to consistently monitor and manage all practices and goals?
- Is there room for flexibility and improvement in your current operations?
If you find hesitancy in answering any of the above questions, your decision to not implement an MSP could hinder your success, as an MSP partner would:
- Consistently improve the company’s ability to meet long-term goals
- Strengthen and manage supplier relationships and performance
- Make more informed decisions using data
- Cut costs
- Improve communication for a more efficient talent acquisition strategy
- Help you stay up to date with all rules and regulations in your industry
It is not the services that an MSP partner can provide, but the outcome and results of those services.
There will always be something: a reason to change and adapt, a disruption in the industry, a new wave of technology, a difficulty faced in your market. Whatever the “something,” we can help you prepare for it. Contact our team today.