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How Can MSP Help Desks Regain Time? TimeZest CEO Gerwai Todd Offers This Answer…

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Gerwai Todd, CEO, TimeZest
Gerwai Todd, CEO, TimeZest

Poke around the MSP software market, and multiple business automation startups are gaining traction with managed IT service providers. Among those gaining momentum: TimeZest, a software tool that eliminates meeting scheduling ping pong -- thereby helping MSPs to more rapidly resolve help desk tickets across internal teams and external customers.

TimeZest's software -- which integrates with major PSA (professional services automation) tools, allows MSPs to coordinate remote virtual support and onsite visits. Demand for the software appears strong. Founded in 2019, TimeZest now serves more than 1,000 MSPs, and much of that momentum accelerated in 2022.

Look inside the physical and virtual halls of TimeZest, and you'll see some familiar names. CEO Gerwai Todd previously held key posts at MSP-centric companies such as CharTec and ConnectWise. Chairman Jamison West has launched, built and sold multiple MSP-centric businesses. And CTO Jason Langenauer previously was CTO of ChartMogul.

But how exactly is TimeZest assisting MSPs with their businesses? For more details, we reached out to CEO Gerwai Todd. Here's a recap of the conversation.

ChannelE2E Interview: TimeZest CEO Gerwai Todd

ChannelE2E: When did you join TimeZest and what attracted you to the business? 

Jamison West, chairman, TimeZest

Jason Langenauer, CTO, TimeZest

Todd: Jason Langenauer, Jamison West and I partnered together on the business in early 2020. The age-old problem of scheduling support sessions with clients has been due for reinvention. That presented a really interesting problem to solve, which was enough to dedicate myself to the mission.

ChannelE2E: Boil it down for our readers. What problem does TimeZest solve for MSPs? 

Todd: TimeZest eliminates the scheduling ping pong that happens when needing to schedule time with a client on a support ticket or setup a meeting with a new prospective client.  MSPs have unique calendar best practices, which are dependent on the role of a team member.

Service team members need to operate out of their PSA calendar and non-service team members can operate faster out of their business calendar, such as Outlook. There are a lot of meeting scheduling tools (e.g., Calendly or Bookings) that support scheduling with Outlook, but that doesn’t work for service team members that need to operate out of the PSA calendar. We have integrated to PSA calendars and Office 365, which makes us the only scheduling tool designed specifically for MSPs.

ChannelE2E: Can MSPs leverage their existing IT management and automation software, or is TimeZest a replacement for existing systems?

Todd: TimeZest integrates to common IT management systems in areas where an MSP could need to initiate a meeting scheduling request.  Such as directly within an Autotask or ConnectWise service ticket.  To support the needs of a scheduled meeting, we have also integrated to Office 365, Teams, and Zoom.

ChannelE2E: What have been your key business priorities for 2022?

Todd: Integrating to the systems that MSPs use to operate their businesses has been a key focus for us.  We have also released new workflow functionality this year that makes it easier to customize TimeZest to each MSP’s specific scheduling needs.  Jason designed it so that anyone can configure automated scheduling workflows that meet their unique scheduling use cases.

ChannelE2E: Has TimeZest achieved any key business milestones in 2022?

Todd: The milestone that I’m the most proud of us achieving this year is reaching 1,000 customers.  It’s a testament to our team, but also a statement of how painful back and forth scheduling in emails and voicemails can be for a help desk or a salesperson.  It’s a massive waste of time that can be automated.

ChannelE2E: What are TimeZest key business priorities for 2023? 

Todd: Our focus for 2023 is to continue to listen to the needs of our customers and continue our march toward being an industry standard.  That has us driving deeper into the scheduling workflow needs of specific roles, such as owners, sales, and account managers.  Our team has a lot of unique MSP domain experience that gives us confidence to solve all the meeting scheduling needs that exist.  With 1,000+ customers, we also have a tremendous group of advisory companies to ensure we are not missing any details.

While the economic climate may become more challenging for all of us, there is always a need for MSPs to improve operating efficiency and get better at service delivery to retain customers.  If a recession happens, we can’t escape it, but we can go in with a plan to operate more efficiently.  TimeZest will be here and ready to help MSPs solve the efficiency equation.


Disclosure: Gerwai Todd and ChannelE2E Editorial Director Joe Panettieri both are members of such angel investor groups as Florida Funders and Channel Angels. Panettieri has no financial interest in TimeZest.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.