“
TRENDING
nimble providers that have a greater grasp
of what customers want and need.
As demand for managed services continues
to surge, 87% of MSPs surveyed for the
ConnectWise report, Managed Services:
The Winners and Losers in 2018, admit
their organisation is at risk of missing out
to competitors should they fail to get their
service portfolio right or deliver new services
better and faster.
The research, conducted among decision-
makers at MSP firms based in the UK,
reveals that while over half (53%) had
experienced increased customer demand
for managed services in the past 12
months, over two-fifths (43%) say fast-
paced growth is already proving too much
for their organisation which, they concede,
is having to take short cuts to keep up with
the pace of demand.
“The race to the top of the MSP sector
is already underway and MSPs will have
to develop, innovate and adapt to ever-
changing technological and business
conditions as fast as they can, if they want
to keep up,” said Greg Lalle, VP, International
Sales and Strategy, ConnectWise.
“But in the rush to scale up service delivery,
organisations must not lose sight of the fact
that building a sustainable and profitable
business is also dependent on identifying
the right solution strategy and maintaining
a strong customer focus.”
The report findings indicate how the current
pace of growth is already putting a strain
on the operations and customer-facing
interfaces of many MSPs:
Greg Lalle, VP, International Sales and
Strategy, ConnectWise
28
INTELLIGENTCIO
• 92% plan to introduce additional services
over the next year, with security services
(57%), cloud services (45%) and/or cloud
service monitoring services (45%) being
the most popular solution areas that will be
launched in response to customer demands
• Over half (57%) are finding it harder to
meet the needs of customers compared
to 12 months ago and say this is having a
knock-on effect for customer satisfaction
• Over four in 10 people (42%) admit to
lacking the insights required to offer the
right variety of solutions to customers
RISING DEMAND
FOR IT MANAGED
SERVICES MEANS
MANAGED SERVICE
PROVIDERS (MSPS)
FACE SIGNIFICANT
PRESSURE TO
ADAPT FAST
TO CAPITALISE
ON NEW
OPPORTUNITIES.
The changing landscape of delivery:
top challenges for MSPs
Evolving security threats, maintaining margins
in the face of service commoditisation and
building market share all represent a constant
challenge for providers of IT managed services:
• The ever-changing threat landscape is
proving a top challenge for 47% of MSPs
• Almost half (47%) say offering services
at a competitive price and/or offering
a service that is cost-effective for their
organisation (45%) is high on their list
of priorities
• Over one-third (37%) are finding it
difficult to develop new business and
cultivate new customers
• Over one-third (35%) admit the pressure
to deliver innovation in the face of fierce
competition is proving difficult
The service expansion conundrum:
MSPs risk falling down a technology
‘rabbit hole’
With the pressure on to keep up with
technology innovations and launch new
services, many MSPs are struggling to keep
their eye on the ball when it comes to
improving customer interfaces
and interactions.
• Seven out of 10 employees work in an IT/
technology role; just one in 10 employees
work in a sales role, with one in 10 of the
workforce engaged in marketing
www.intelligentcio.com