May 08, 2020

Does My MSP Need Professional Services Automation Software?

By Chris Brunau

An IT Professional Services Automation (PSA) solution is the central hub for any MSP. A proper solution integrates with critical applications that an MSP needs to run their business, providing full visibility into customers, internal operations, and profitability. The PSA solution should be purpose-built for MSPs and have a user experience that is optimal for unique workflows and business processes.

A PSA solution provides a one-stop shop for an MSP. This tool can organize process information, client information, inventory, billable hours, time-off requests, and more.

Why You Need an Integrated IT PSA Solution

Ask any MSP, and it’s likely they’ll tell you that an uptick in efficiency in their day-to-day tasks would be welcomed into their business with open arms. But with so many cloud applications available to MSPs these days, there needs to be a better way to centralize their operations to save time and protect their margins.

Accountability and customer satisfaction are complementary in many ways – with more accountability, customer satisfaction (one of the most important tangible business metrics one can measure) rates will soar. Bundle that with a business management tool that organizes all of your technicians’ tasks and you’re sure to see efficiency improvements.

Autotask PSA
A look at our Professional Services Automation Tool.

Increased Productivity with Autotask PSA

Forrester conducted a Total Economic Impact study and outlined those tangible results for MSPs and ITSPs to see what could be achieved if they choose the Autotask Unified PSA and Datto RMM. Some highlights include:

  • A 48% reduction in dissatisfied customers
  • A 28% increase in response times
  • A 10% increase in attained response time for contracted SLAs

These are just a few of the many benefits Forrester outlines in their Total Economic Impact study for unified PSA + RMM from Datto. The report also covers countless other metrics that are key for businesses looking to improve overall efficiency. Take a look for yourself and see what other benefits unification can bring.

End-to-end management in the Autotask PSA offers a single solution with endless opportunities. Here’s a quick list of some features you can enjoy in the solution:

  • CRM: Win new business and manage your existing customer base with a full 360 degree view of account information
  • Service Desk: The Ticketing module is ITIL-aligned with built-in best practices to make sure MSPs hit their SLA targets
  • Projects: Manage projects so they come in on-time, on-budget, and on-spec
  • Time & Billing: Ensure all billable time and expenses are accounted for without dispute
  • Customer Agreements and SLAs: Meet commitments with detailed customer agreements and SLA documentation at your fingertips.
  • Reporting: Easily understand the most important metrics and deadlines to continually improve service
  • Unified Platform: PSA and RMM in an integrated platform that consolidates all mission-critical data

To learn more about Autotask PSA, head over to our product page and sign up for a demo today.

A Closer Look At Autotask PSA Software for MSPs

Autotask PSA is an intelligent IT business management platform that centralizes operations to deliver the mission-critical tools needed to run an IT managed services business. A single pane of glass view provides full visibility into services, internal operations, customers, and prospects to improve efficiency and service with workflows optimized for MSPs to help resolve tickets faster—and make data-driven decisions to improve efficiency, accountability, and profitability.

Maximum Uptime with a Secure, Cloud-based Platform

Autotask PSA is a 100% SaaS application which means there is no hardware to test, maintain, or update. Autotask PSA has a proven track record of consistently delivering enterprise-grade, 99.99% uptime. Autotask PSA also offers a secure platform, with Datto requiring two-factor authentication, undergoing routine penetration testing and infrastructure hardening, and actively monitoring for unauthorized access attempts.

Centralized Operations for Increased Efficiency

Autotask PSA is the central hub for any MSP, and Datto’s open platform and API enables it to integrate with more than 200 critical applications such as remote monitoring and management tools and accounting solutions that an MSP needs to run their business. The single pane of glass increases efficiency and productivity with intelligence to quickly identify relevant solutions from the knowledge base to solve issues more quickly and optimize workflows for MSPs to save time on every ticket.

Data-driven Decisions

Autotask PSA enables MSPs to work faster and easier with customizable dashboards for each individual user, providing an instant understanding of what’s happening with widgets that show mission-critical business data in real-time. MSPs can track the metrics that matter and dig into the granular reporting that provides intelligence to make the best decisions for the company, such as ticket backlog, service level agreement compliance, resource utilization, and client satisfaction.

Time Tracking & Billing

Autotask PSA allows MSPs to track the time employees spend on jobs for billing. Users can also track customer-facing time and internal time directly on the ticket or task assigned to them and these time entries will automatically appear on their timesheet. Autotask time tracking creates a complete record of both billable and non-billable resource time. Finally, users can approve and post directly from a widget with one click, and once posted, billing items can then be invoiced in many customizable ways.

Integrations

Autotask PSA features more than 200 integrations with MSP-centric applications, including RMM, CRM, accounting, email protection, managed print, business continuity, and cloud storage solutions. These integrations are developed to simplify workflows—from customer acquisition and management to service delivery, resolution, and billing. Autotask PSA also has a full REST and SOAP API, making it easier for developers to build integrations into Autotask PSA and increasing the speed at which third-party integrated solutions are available to MSPs. For the full list of Autotask PSA integrations, please visit www.datto.com/integrations.

To learn more about how Autotask PSA can help your MSP save time, money, and resources, all whilst becoming more efficient, book a demo with Datto today.

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