What Are Some of the Key Challenges for Today’s MSPs?
Changes in customer buying behavior will affect how managed service providers (MSPs) and other service providers and resellers sell their solutions, according to Gartner Research Director Mark Paine.
He also noted that traditional inbound sales techniques such as telesales are giving way to better customer communications, resulting in a better informed customer.
Paine and several other industry experts shared their thoughts on the managed services industry, along with the key challenges MSPs may face over the next few years, at last week’s Managed Services and Hosting Summit in London.
What are some of the other key challenges MSPs may face in the near future? Here’s what three industry experts had to say:
- Possible commoditization — Commoditization remains an ongoing fear for many MSPs. ConnectWise President David Bellini, however, said he does not expect commoditization to be a major issue, and MSPs that can respond to customers’ needs quickly and efficiently are likely to stay in high demand.
- Consistently providing quality service — Providing quality service, on time and on budget, can challenge MSPs, and maintaining a strong working relationship with customers is essential. “Getting customers to ask you for advice, through a single point of contact (is important),” Autotask Vice President of International Mark Banfield said.
- Demand for new technologies — New technologies impact customers’ connectivity and productivity trends, QLogic Sales Director Bob Aitchison said.
A recent CompTIA study also indicated there could be an uptick in the demand for managed services as well.
CompTIA’s Fourth Annual Trends in Managed Services Study showed that more than two-thirds of companies surveyed said they had utilized outside IT services within the past 12 months. In addition, more than half of respondents said they were “very familiar” with the concept of managed services.
What are your thoughts on the key challenges in the managed services sector? Share your thoughts about this story in the Comments section below, via Twitter @dkobialka or email me at dan.kobialka@penton.com.
