{"id":24264,"date":"2021-09-28T15:00:49","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T14:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.n-able.com\/?p=24264"},"modified":"2021-09-28T09:50:25","modified_gmt":"2021-09-28T08:50:25","slug":"evolving-your-managed-services-catalog-to-support-the-remote-and-hybrid-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.n-able.com\/fr\/blog\/evolving-your-managed-services-catalog-to-support-the-remote-and-hybrid-workforce","title":{"rendered":"Evolving your managed services catalog to support the remote and hybrid workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"

The changing dynamics of the modern workplace are creating new opportunities for MSPs to grow their list of services to aid customers in optimizing workforce productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you attempt to strategize on how to best meet the continually changing needs of your customers while also seeking to differentiate your business from the next MSP, it\u2019s important to start by looking at operational changes in the companies you serve and to create new ways to make them successful. One of the most obvious changes over the past 18 months is the move to supporting remote\/hybrid workers. The hybrid workforce can consist of both in-house and remote employees, or a scenario where most employees regularly split their time between working from home and the office. <\/span><\/p>\n

Most MSPs have responded by assisting customers in moving applications to the cloud, providing remote access to customer-internal resources<\/span><\/a>, and increasing cybersecurity measures to protect this new investment.<\/span><\/p>\n

More than just supporting a remote workforce<\/span><\/h2>\n

But beyond the issue of creating a new hybrid environment in which to operate, one of the largest challenges still facing SMBs in the current one is ensuring equivalent\u2014if not higher\u2014levels of productivity from employees. The use of new cloud-based applications, models of collaborating, processes, and new business workflows can prove challenging to any workforce, whether in the office or at home. Over two-thirds of employees (69%) see productivity<\/span><\/a> and an ability to collaborate as top concerns when working remotely. Without these being addressed, employers face the risk of employee burnout\u2014something nobody wants.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, organizations are now looking for new ways to get visibility into productivity or work habits for the purpose of measuring performance and gaining insight on processes that could use improvement. Workforce analytics platforms like ActivTrak<\/span><\/a> have evolved to meet this challenge and provide the management capabilities needed by MSPs to incorporate this emerging category into their managed IT services catalog.<\/span><\/p>\n

Evolving to include workforce analytics<\/span><\/h2>\n

This creates an opportunity for MSPs to begin offering workforce analytics <\/i>to their customer base to address the growing demand for visibility and insights into how work gets done across remote\/hybrid\/in-office teams<\/span>.<\/i><\/span> Gartner\u2019s definition of workforce analytics is as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

An advanced set of data analysis tools and metrics for comprehensive workforce performance measurement and improvement.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

In practical terms (as it relates to your business offering a service), this translates to having a solution in place that collects and analyzes workforce data to provide visibility into how your customer\u2019s employees and teams work, yielding insight into what habits, processes, and workflows\u2014on both an individual and group level\u2014can be improved to optimize productivity, or can be adopted by others to share best practices. <\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s in it for the customer?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Productivity has a direct influence on profitability\u2014this isn\u2019t news to your customers. But they normally have no real ability, other than through trial and error, to attain improved levels of productivity. Those customers that take advantage of a workforce analytics service offering will be able to quickly and easily determine which employees and teams are most and least productive, understand factors contributing to this, and use the detail to increase the level of organizational productivity overall. <\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, your customers receive insights (not simply data) about healthy work habits, so managers can balance workloads, have meaningful coaching conversations, help spot and prevent burnout, and ultimately retain their best employees.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s in it for the MSP?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are three key benefits to the MSP: <\/span><\/p>\n