Every business requires IT services, which is a boon for the 40,000 and growing MSPs operating in the U.S. But even with this constant, industrywide need, finding and securing the right customers to engage, serve, and grow is still a big challenge for all MSPs.
Notably, it’s a headache for customers, too. Companies that search for the right MSP to support their business goals liken the process to getting a root canal or serving jury duty.
An Opportunity Lies in Shared Pain
One of the biggest sources of frustration in the search for an ideal partner — be it the right MSP for the customer or vice versa — is the inefficiency of the search process itself. For many, it is limited by a lack of scale, automation, and informed vetting.
The irony? This is the IT industry. MSPs manage some of the most powerful and sophisticated digital technology stacks and platforms. However, that kind of computing power hasn’t been trained to bring customers and MSPs together in a high-quality match.
That must change. Businesses need a better way to search for an MSP than by Googling, “Find a managed IT service provider near me.” MSPs also deserve better than battling for search-result relevance and praying that their next cold call or email gets a response.
Matchmaking Made Easy: It Takes a Platform
Today, a new generation of automated technology platforms have stepped up to bring MSP matchmaking into the AI age. This process benefits customers and MSPs alike. There is no “win” if the fit ultimately isn’t right for both parties.
Kevin Anderson
A major benefit of platforms: They provide scale as well as structure. Take, for example, the World Energy Exchange. This platform enabled hundreds of energy suppliers to participate in live auctions — which also ran on the platform — to win customer contracts.
In that industry, companies normally sought bids from at most a few energy suppliers and then settled on the best price. Suddenly, the platform exposed customers to many suppliers they previously couldn’t reach or have considered. Suppliers were also brought into deals they otherwise would not have known about. The platform created a marketplace.
Additionally, from registration through final contracting, every discrete part of the process was facilitated by the platform, or by a professional using the platform to benefit the transacting parties. In effect, the platform became the process.
How Matchmaking Platforms Work
MSP matchmaking platforms use online questionnaires and other forms to enable an unlimited number of customers and MSPs to register. Technology and the teams supporting it guide them, which dramatically increases the pool of both customers seeking services and MSPs hoping to fulfill them.
In addition, the pool is intelligently segmented. The company information provided by both MSPs and companies seeking their services is augmented on the platform by matching service professionals who conduct interviews. These professionals, made up of former MSP veterans or customers experienced working with MSPs, tease out the needs, goals, expectations, and approaches to doing business. This informs the decision-making process.
All of this information is then fed into the platform’s proprietary algorithms, which automate the “matching.” For example, MSPwiz shows three matches, the best, most qualified matches based on customer needs and MSP strengths. This enables a more informed dialogue and tailored proposals among the parties.
Why Matchmaking Platforms Make a Difference
When compared with prior approaches, the MSP matchmaking platform’s output is more refined. Customers don’t just get a list of MSPs doing business nearby. They receive a tailored, expertly vetted list of MSPs ready to meet their IT needs and move the needle on their businesses. MSPs, in turn, land free, highly qualified leads that are eager to partner.
With a clear value proposition for both sides, advanced MSP matchmaking platforms are emerging as the efficient way for customers and MSPs to find each other — and prosper together.
Kevin Anderson is founder and CEO of MSPwiz. The company combines an extensive list of fully-vetted MSPs, its team’s expertise, and the power of AI into a single, user-friendly platform.
Featured image: AI generated by Microsoft Copilot
