Using AI in your MSP doesn’t have to be intimidating, but it is absolutely essential. AI is evolving exponentially, and neglecting it means risking your MSP’s growth. Right or wrong, MSPs are expected to be the technology experts, on the cutting edge of the next big thing in the industry.
Well, the next big thing is AI, and refusing to jump on board means becoming obsolete. Here’s an in-depth look at the current state of AI, the risks of putting off AI adoption, and the potential benefits of automation as an MSP.
Why MSPs Need To Use AI
AI isn’t the future—it’s the present. MSPs are leveraging it to grow their businesses, get more leads, drive traffic to their websites, and make their companies more profitable and productive. If you’re not doing any of these things, you’re already behind. Mark Cuban said if you don’t understand AI or machine learning, learn it now, because otherwise, you’re going to be a dinosaur within three years. That was two years ago.
Additionally, AI can make your MSP far more efficient and effective. This is really what Chat GPT and Open AI brought to the forefront. There are countless ways to leverage generative AI tools like Chat GPT, such as quickly creating marketing images, email copy, and idea generation. This allows your MSP, as an early adopter of AI, to work more efficiently and with fewer resources than your competitors.
In their 2024 Report on AI Transformation Of Customer Service, Forrester said MSPs using AI-powered customer relationship management systems saw a 25% increase in client retention rates and a 15% increase in cross-selling opportunities. Gartner’s 2023 Study on Advanced AI In Cybersecurity found that an AI-based cybersecurity platform that could identify anomalies indicative of a cyberattack with 95% accuracy, reducing the time to detect breaches from an average of 206 days to just 30 days—an 85% improvement. They also learned that companies using AI-driven security solutions were 50% more likely to detect and respond to cyber threats within the first 24 hours. IDC found that MSPs that implemented AI for task automation saw 25% reduction in operational costs, 35% improvement in service delivery speed, average increase in profit margins of 19%, (primarily due to improved efficiency), and the ability to offer premium AI-driven services.
The Profit Opportunity
IDC projected in late 2023 that the worldwide artificial intelligence software market will grow from $64 billion in 2022, to nearly $251 billion in 2027—at a compound annual growth rate of about 31%. This indicates a huge opportunity for MSPs as well. AI is one of the areas that you could use to grow your business with new services, helping clients implement AI to improve their businesses.
Getting Started With AI
If you’re not already using AI, the hurdle to get started can seem massive. Luckily, with a simple, three-step process, you can go from an AI novice to an expert in no time. Here’s how:
Play. Start by playing with AI. It’s impossible to know what all the different programs and tools are capable of, unless you start experimenting. Some AI-generated materials will turn out well, and others will not. It’s all about the prompts you input—the better the prompt, the better the output. So take the time to try out different tools, prompts, and programs until you find what works best for you.
Practice. Then, practice using AI tools. (If you’re not sure where to start, check out these 9 AI marketing tools.) Once you start offering AI services to your clients and positioning yourself as an expert, people will ask you questions. There’s nothing that will damage your authority more than not knowing the answers to questions on a topic you’re supposed to be the resident expert on. It will be obvious that you don’t know what you’re talking about if you don’t learn the tools first.
That’s where practice comes in—by practicing with the tools and familiarizing yourself with their capabilities, you’ll be able to better position yourself as an expert with your clients. Finding new, more efficient ways to use AI will increase your knowledge and your MSP’s productivity.
Preach. AI is a hot topic right now, and incorporating the subject into your events and presentations is a great way to get people to attend and pay attention. Whether it’s a webinar or an in-person speaking opportunity, attendees of these events are potential prospects. By positioning yourself as an AI expert, you can boost your incoming leads exponentially. Use AI to get your name out there and build credibility all at once.
Use It, Don’t Lose It
AI is radically changing the IT industry. MSPs who choose not to learn how to use and integrate AI into their service offerings and business processes, will find themselves falling behind. As more and more MSPs adopt AI, the differences between those who automate and those who don’t will become infinitely more pronounced. AI isn’t the future—it’s the present. If you’re not currently leveraging it, you’re already behind. Complacency today leads to displacement tomorrow.
