Channel

Use Data to Grow Your MSP Business, Grow Your Customer Relationships

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A data explosion is happening all around us, providing businesses with powerful insights into their customers that, in turn, enable them to generate stronger sales and a better customer experience. So why aren’t more MSPs putting data to work to build a more successful managed services practice?

MSPs have an arsenal of tools and technologies at their disposal, from RMM, to PSA and more – each one containing valuable customer insights. By uncovering, aggregating and analyzing this data, MSPs have the ability to build a 360-degree view into their customers’ most important business needs.

With better insight into customer histories and technical challenges, it becomes easier to identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities along with key trends impacting clients. Accurate data insights can also lead to more profitability: with an understanding of the most common challenges across their customer base, and the most common approaches to solving them, MSPs can clearly see where it makes sense to replace time-consuming manual steps with automated processes.

Using data, MSPs can also predict the IT services their clients will need next, or even warn them of impending threats to the network. The bottom line is that data intelligence allows MSPs to get to know their customers better, and find more ways to help them optimize their success and grow their businesses.

Get Started

Far too many service providers aren’t taking the time and making the effort to drill down into their data. Whether it’s due to lack of data science skills, a shortage of technical resources or poor planning, many MSPs may learn the hard way that data is the future of the managed services business.

Our MSP Elite are tapping into the power of data, and many are using the insights they already have on hand – by way of simply doing business with their clients – to exceed customer expectations. For those MSPs who want to follow in their path, it’s important to know that creating a “data intelligence dashboard” doesn’t have to be rocket science.

To get started, identify an individual on your team who has an interest in data analytics and let them dive into your MSP tools. As you realize more value out of the insights that are uncovered, you may wish to build your analytics team or make a bigger investment in analytics tools. In fact, a new wave of data intelligence solutions, built specifically for MSPs and the IT channel, is beginning to emerge, including a machine learning offering from LOGICnow that simplifies the process of assembling actionable data insights.

Customers Expect Exceptional Service

It’s never been easier to get to know your customers and that simple truth is not lost on them.

Expectations are high and getting higher. Businesses are demanding more and doing more with their IT service providers. IT’s importance is spreading throughout organizations of all sizes and creating more opportunity for MSPs, not less.

By implementing simple CRM tools or investing in more detailed data analytics technologies, you can uncover powerful information and connect in ways that will help create more business value. Nor ready to make the leap? At a minimum, MSPs should get to know their customers and prospects socially – as in social media. See what makes them tick, how they speak and what they share. Again, there’s never been a better time or more ways to get closer to their business than right now.


David Weeks, N-able
David Weeks is global channel manager at SolarWinds N-able, part of SolarWinds MSP. Read more SolarWinds N-able blogs here.