Five ways MSPs can scale their business

If you are finding it hard to grow your MSP, you’re not alone. So, here are five tips to help you get on the front foot and start scaling your MSP business.

1. Find the right customer

The sweet spot for MSPs is with mid-market customers. As these companies have higher employee numbers, they represent a significant opportunity for MSP businesses. As part of your scaling strategy, identify the client group that needs IT support.

Think smart when attracting new business:

• Where do you add value?
  Consider your service offering and provide services that competitors aren’t doing.
• Be conscious of your capabilities
  Only offer the skills and services that you can confidently and continuously deliver.
• Create awareness and demand
  Take the necessary steps to market your business and broadcast your value.
• Be selective with your customer network
  Mid-market customers can provide larger opportunities. You may choose not to work with organizations under a certain size.

Identify what sets your MSP apart

Consulting, Microsoft 365 deployments and Azure hosting management are all ‘in-demand’ service areas for clients indicating that companies need specialised MSP knowledge.

• Rethink your services
  Focus on what customers need. A tailored offering can help grow client numbers. For example, last year 82% of MSPs’ customers saw in increase in attempted cyberattacks. With SME’s increasing security budgets, if your MSP doesn’t provide security as a service, customers may choose a competitor.
• Know your customers
  Listen to your customer needs and understand their market. This knowledge will help to shape the direction of your business, including the types of services you should be offering.

3. Be aware of current and future challenges

Many MSPs have experienced a growth in cloud migrations. This has caused many operational issues for IT Service Providers. In today’s fast-moving market, it’s essential to learn how to problem solve quickly, especially when servicing increased tenant numbers.

Some of the more common challenges include:

• Talent
  Consider how your team solves challenges. Do you have the right talent? If not, consider hiring additional skilled staff to help with complex challenges.
• Tech solutions
  What automation tools are you using? Statistics show that performance can be improved with better internal operations and advanced automation solutions. (For automation ideas from us and fellow MSPs, check out our Automation Cookbook.)
• Visibility
  How do you monitor cloud infrastructure efficiently? Assess on-prem and cloud monitoring processes. Can they be made simpler? MSPs need a clear way to analyze data, especially with large customer numbers.
• Multi-tenant management
  Can you improve day-to-day management and administration tasks? Challenges can be solved, or at least lessened, with tools that provide efficient ways to manage multiple environments at the same time.

4. Assess tools and automation solutions

Automation solutions can make it easier for you to scale your MSP business. Audit your solutions and consider the following:

• Processes
  Can your solution build and service multi-tenant environments at scale? If yes, is it the most efficient? Logging in and out of various user environments takes up a large amount of time. If this is your process, consider a single solution and operate out of one tool.
• Advanced automation
  Some tools have become more sophisticated in their management capabilities. To eliminate repetitive tasks, use one that lets you automate lengthy manual processes. Find a solution that allows teams to build commands and automated workflows and deploy them at scale. In doing so, you can manage growth the smart way.
• Integration
  If you integrate tools together you will get added benefits. When connected, apps won’t need to operate independently from each other, and you can set up smart integrated workflows to extend day-to-day capabilities.
• Self-service
  Empower customers to take control of their needs. Having a self-service platform means clients can quickly add and retract the solutions or licenses they use. With a self-service platform in your tech stack, MSPs can focus on more complex client needs and spend more time trying to scale.

5. Provide an exceptional service

Positive feedback is an easy way to attract new business. MSPs should keep customers front-and-centre when trying to scale, making sure they service them to the highest of standards.

Sustainably grow your MSP

The road to scale has many potential obstacles. Successful MSPs who analyze their business strategy and their customers on a regular basis will be able to adapt accordingly to the market. Once the strategic goal is clear, IT Service Providers can equip themselves with the correct tools and infrastructure needed to grow.

MSPs that want to grow should carefully review these insights and put a plan in place to address key opportunities.

What are you waiting for? Jump on the growth bandwagon and start enjoying a bigger share of the pie. N‑able’s Cloud User Hub makes it easier to automate the management of all of your Microsoft tenants, users, and licenses from a single hub. Click here to find out more.

Laura Moise is Sr. Product Marketing Manager at N‑able