How reporting needs to stimulate the customer rather than confirm situations A continuing problem for MSPs is explaining what they are doing, especially, ironically, when IT systems seem to be running well and this is the issue increasingly confronting suppliers. Coupled with rising user expectations and the need for real security, this is also behind a new drive from Autotask, talking to MSPs about how they can engage with their customers. Fresh from a successful Infosec talking to customers and potential customers, Christian Nagele (below), GM RMM global sales at Autotask, tells IT Europa that he sees two major changes in the way that managed services is being delivered.
The first is the all-pervading nature of security. Where once it used to be a check-list item and no-one expected to be under serious threat, security is now something that cannot be ignored. Traditional anti-virus vendors now admit that cannot stop 100% of the challenges, he says. On top of this, SMBs are under threat even though most never expect it.
The other big change that MSPs have to consider is that way that end user expectations gave changed up a gear – the consumerisation of the process means that everyone now expects a better experience. Hence the Autotask focus on how the MSP is selling to the end users, with security and a better, and a more measurable relationship with the user. “One of the problem is that the systems used by managed services just work – unless there is a problem, the user does not notice. And this is an issue – reporting is a vital part of the provision. Users are perhaps more vocal than they used to be, and so the MSP needs to be active and control the process by having an active conversation.”
But a lot of MSPs don't have the basics in place to do this, which is a vital step in reaching the wider market, he says.
MSPs have to learn to use this information in order to differentiate themselves. There is a real challenge on how to report their value to the customer beyond reporting scheduled maintenance, updates and alerts. Autotask's new unified platform, merging their RMM and PSA capabilities, launched earlier this year addresses this challenge, and will continue to focus on bringing even more reporting sophistication to the MSP looking for that differentiation.