IT Managed Service Providers (MSPs) that fail to invest in service automation will find it harder to attract and hold onto key staff members as they get frustrated by ineffective tools to execute tasks, that often require manually repetitive actions to complete. This was the claim made at a recent breakfast briefing in London, co-hosted by ServiceNow specialist partner POPX.
POPX CTO, Andy Venables, told the audience of senior executives from 12 of the UK’s largest MSPs that efficiencies from service automation were only one part of the story. He argued the risks of running outdated systems were far greater, with engineering teams having less time to deliver real value to customers. For example, if an MSP’s support agents don’t have reliable and stable tooling they can rely on they may spend longer than needed on tasks like provisioning new users and services, as well as running regular jobs like routine software patches and monthly service reports.
According to recruitment firm Hays, almost 95% of employers looking for tech talent have encountered a skills shortage over the past year, up from 89% the previous year. Similarly, a survey of 1,016 business leaders and HR managers conducted by not-for-profit advocacy group BusinessLDN found that 77% of firms had open vacancies, while 65% are struggling to fill them.
Andy Venables said: “We are in a skills crisis and employees need to feel they are doing valuable work by putting existing and new skills into practice, which in turn helps develop their careers. Service automation brings multi-layered benefits to MSPs, giving them a scalable and cost-effective platform for growth and profitability. However, the same improvements in customer experience and retention also work wonders for employee experience and staff retention. In the current climate this must be given more recognition by all MSP’s leadership teams.”
POPX provides a fully managed and integrated MSP Platform powered by ServiceNow. They work with tech service providers to transform their service operations by reducing the time and risk it takes to onboard them onto ServiceNow. Last year, POPX won new MSP clients, including Arrow Business Communications, Focus Group and Red Helix.
