Are your teams operating on different platforms to manage the various areas of your managed service provider business? If so, it might be time to consider bringing everything under one roof. With Professional Services Automation (PSA) software, you can do that. ConnectWise Manage is one of the more popular PSAs on the market. But is it the right fit for your MSP?
What Does ConnectWise Manage Do?
Like most PSA solutions, ConnectWise Manage allows MSPs and value-added resellers to manage their data, employees, invoices, and client service issues in one place. Instead of creating records in multiple software, the ConnectWise PSA centralizes all of your data for sales, help desk, support, finance, and even HR in one place.
In addition to housing your client and employee records, ConnectWise Manage allows you to:
- Automate support operations
- Communicate with prospects and customers
- Track your team’s billable hours
- Bill clients
- Manage projects
- Access in-depth reporting
The Benefits of PSA Software
The benefits of ConnectWise Manage are essentially the same as any other PSA tool.
Increased Productivity
When you turn repetitive tasks over to an automated system, you can save your team hours each day. And by taking the human element out of the occasion where possible, you can reduce errors. These benefits will reduce your team members’ stress levels and give everyone time to focus on other tasks.
Here are a few other ways a PSA like ConnectWise Manage can increase an MSP’s productivity:
- It makes project planning and execution more manageable because everything the involved teams need to see is in one place instead of spread over different software or spreadsheets.
- It allows managers to optimize utilization rates by better tracking employees’ hours worked and output.
- Detailed reporting helps increase margins by giving greater visibility into each area of the business.
Standardized Operations
Professional services automation makes it easier to standardize your operations throughout the project lifecycle. This standardization helps MSPs improve their service delivery, which increases customer satisfaction.
If you currently keep track of service-level agreements with Excel and Word, this task can become nearly impossible as your company grows. Automating these processes makes it possible to keep track of changes and deliver on your promises.
Scalability
Thanks to the increased productivity and standardization, PSA software makes it easier to scale your MSP. By streamlining essential business processes, each member of each team in your company can do more with less time. As a result, you could reduce headcount or use this new level of productivity to grow. And as your business continues to expand, you’ll get even more value from your PSA software because your productivity gains will multiply as you make new hires.
Is ConnectWise Manage Right for Your MSP?
You need to answer three questions to determine whether ConnectWise Manage is the right PSA for you.
1. What’s Your Budget?
Depending on the rate you negotiate with ConnectWise, Manage may or may not fit your budget. Prices aren’t available on the website (you have to request a quote), but if you do some digging, you can get an idea about what people are paying.
2. What Features Do You Need?
ConnectWise Manage has three pricing tiers: Basic, Standard, and Premium. All plans include a host of project management (e.g., ticketing, resource management, and SLA management) and time and expense tracking features.
But certain company and contact management features (user-based billing and active directory integration) are only available with the Standard and Premium packages.
There are also features available to help with sales and marketing, procurement, finance, reporting, and licensing. Many of these are available with the Basic plan, but not all of them.
3. What Integrations Do You Need?
ConnectWise has a large library of integrations through the ConnectWise Marketplace. If there are certain tools you want to use in connection with your PSA software, you’ll want to make sure it’s available there. (And, in case you’re wondering, ScopeStack has a ConnectWise Manage integration available to make scoping and pricing services a breeze.)
Choose Wisely
Using PSA software is a great way to increase efficiency and profitability, but it’s important to choose the right one.
Because, while the right PSA can increase customer satisfaction, improve productivity, and streamline your workflow, there’s a cost involved. And we’re not just talking about money. No matter which option you choose, implementation takes time that you won’t be able to get back if you make the wrong decision and have to switch.