How Should an MSP Evaluate a PSA Solution?
By N‑able
Managed services providers (MSPs) juggle a lot of responsibilities. They have to address rapidly changing customer demands while still providing high-quality service, managing increasingly complex environments, evolving their service offerings, and much moreyou’re your business scales, it’s hard to accomplish these goals without the help of professional services automation (PSA) software.
Enterprise PSA solutions help MSPs streamline and automate the core functions that make up their day-to-day operations so they can serve customers more efficiently. Three key components of these solutions include project management, resource management, and time and expense management. Project management features help MSPs keep track of their active projects—like tech tickets—so they can meet deadlines and stay on schedule. Resource management helps MSPs match their available technicians to the right projects, which helps them utilize their resources effectively and keep customers satisfied. Time and expense management helps MSPs track time to make billing simpler and faster.
The benefits of PSA software are quite clear—with the right tool, MSPscan work more efficiently, build stronger customer relationships, and increase their profits through targeted automation. However, not all solutions are created equal, and investing in the wrong software can do more harm than good. Here’s what MSPs should consider as they seek out the right software for their needs.
Common challenges with PSA implementation
1. Knowing where the real savings are
Some MSPs misunderstand exactly how enterprise PSA solutions boost efficiency and improve day-to-day operations. Ticketing and billing are excellent examples of this. Manually tracking the time, materials, and recurring items that need to be included in every bill takes a little bit of time, but so does setting up integrations, configuring contracts, and maintaining the software. Some MSPs experience this as simply trading one time-consuming task for another, but the additional revenue you generate from having everything automated and well-managed in the long run easily outweighs any initial inconvenience.
2. Get the right functions
PSA solutions are only as effective as the tools they contain. In many cases they function as multiple tools rolled into one, meaning some features might work particularly well for your MSP business, while other tools features might not be value-adds. In this regard, MSPs that choose a solution that doesn’t feature the specific functions they’re looking for might find that the software leaves a lot to be desired.
How to Evaluate Your Prospective PSA Solution
For these reasons, choosing the right PSA software for your business is crucial. It’s the difference between having software that completely optimizes how you do business and having software that just complicates your existing processes. How can you ensure you’re making the right decision? When evaluating, consider asking the vendor these five questions.
1. Does this PSA solution support integrations?
Integrations are key when it comes to making a decision because the ability to work with your existing tools and systems largely determines how effective your PSA solution will be. For instance, if your tool can be integrated with a robust remote monitoring and management tool, you instantly create a central hub for operations that grants you access to everything you need to serve customers in one location. By empowering your technicians with one comprehensive solution, you save them time that would otherwise be spent toggling between tools for the insights they need. Make sure to ask your potential vendors to confirm they offer the integrations you’re looking for.
2. Is this PSA solution part of a larger ecosystem?
Similar to integrations, you should also consider whether or not the solution is part of a larger product ecosystem. For example, even if you think you don’t need a password management solution right now, you should think about whether you’ll need it in the future and take that into account as you make your decision.
When creating a product ecosystem that works for your business, choosing tools with similar interfaces and design can go a long way. You’ll likely spend less on the software, and you’ll definitely spend less time training your technicians on entirely new tools. In the event that you run into technical difficulties with your software, you’ll also only have to look to a single channel of support. When evaluating, put suppliers with a wide range of offerings at the top of your list.
3. Can this PSA solution scale with my business?
Scalability is especially important for MSPs. As your customer base grows, you’ll inevitably put more strain on your resources and any PSA software you choose. Even if you’re a small MSP company right now, think big and look for solutions that leave you plenty of room to grow in the future. Upgrading at a later date will only incur unnecessary costs and cause you unnecessary headache, so it’s worth investing in the right tool that will save you time and money down the line.
4. Does this PSA solution come with a mobile application?
Mobile applications are essential for doing business today. A native mobile app will help your technicians provide high-quality service on the go and allow them to access the software from anywhere with an internet connection. Be sure to choose a solution with a mobile application that’s native to both iOS and Android devices and offers all or most of the functionality of the desktop version.
5. Does this PSA solution help tackle customer and knowledge management?
It’s challenging for many MSPs to maintain consistent documentation—it’s time-consuming, sometimes tedious, and doesn’t show any immediate returns. However, consistent documentation and effective customer and knowledge management drive value in more ways than one. By investing in a document management system, you can stay organized and work more quickly in the long run, reduce your overall operating costs by 40%, and watch your ROI skyrocket up to 404% over five years.
To make your documentation processes as easy and intuitive as possible, opt for a PSA solution that also stores relevant customer information. Look for password management features and location details in particular. With all customer data and documentation stored in an integrated tool, your technicians can easily find any information they need without jumping between different platforms to compile all relevant data.
Professional services automation with N‑able
For MSPs looking for a solution that meets all of the above criteria, check out N‑able™ MSP Manager. When integrated with the N‑able RMM solution, MSP Manager empowers you to run a fast, effective, and reliable MSP business. This fully unified system helps you hit the ground running and start resolving issues for your customers without getting bogged down in the minutiae. Start a tech ticket in just one click, use built-in time tracking to power accurate billing, combine different service plans and billing types into pre-set packages to speed up onboarding, and automate scheduling. This tool also serves as a central hub for customer information, documentation, and knowledge management. Plus, all of the robust features in MSP Manager are accessible on the go via the MSP Manager mobile app.
MSP Manager also makes life more convenient for your customers. With it, your customers can submit tickets, check on statuses, and more from an easy-to-use branded customer portal. To learn more, access a 14-day free trial of MSP Manager here, and visit our website to explore how the larger ecosystem of N‑able products can help support your business.