Managed services providers are growing in popularity as more businesses recognize the importance of equipping themselves with high-quality IT support and equipment. As MSPs are built on teams of experienced experts, they are an instrumental tool in achieving an enhanced level of IT efficiency. That being said, an MSP is only as good as the professionals they acquire, and the world is currently facing a labor shortage.
As a result, it is more important than ever for MSPs to implement the best recruiting practices to ensure that they have the skilled workforce needed to support their clients. Fortunately, there are some practices that will enhance current recruitment efforts while maintaining the current workforce of any MSP.
MSPs: Reliant on a Team of Experts
The success of an MSP directly relies on the team of experts they consist of. As the role of an MSP is to provide its clients with expert-level IT support – whether troubleshooting, installation, and maintenance, or any other IT-related role– it must be equipped with a full staff of experienced and skilled IT professionals. Additionally, this team should ideally have an array of skills. As the world of IT grows increasingly complex, it is now necessary for any IT team to be equipped with engineers, software developers, cloud experts, and more.
Most MSPs are fully staffed with these professionals, enabling them to offer well-rounded service to their clients, ensuring the health and performance of their IT infrastructure. Without the services of an MSP, businesses must rely on their own internal IT department. While this is feasible in some cases, it often results in lower quality care and an overworked IT department. Many of the professionals in an internal IT department are only experienced in some areas, as opposed to an MSP who is equipped with experts skilled in every aspect of IT.
Talent Shortage
Clearly, MSPs are beneficial to businesses, but they are only good as the experts on their team. Unfortunately, we are facing a global labor shortage – affecting companies of every industry. While this is a significant challenge for any business, it is especially so for MSPs who rely on having an entire team of IT experts. Without a complete workforce, MSPs may not be able to provide their clients with the level of high-quality support they expert, whether they lack experienced professionals or are spread too thin to support the number of clients they serve.
Beyond the labor shortage in general, there is also an increasingly high demand for IT professionals with skills in programming, development, and cloud computing, and more. As more and more companies are looking to implement new technology into their organizations, the demand for these professionals rises. An increase in demand paired with a shortage of supply is a challenging combination that leaves MSPs searching for a solution.
Fortunately, there are a few ways for MSPs to maintain their current talent while attracting new talent. By reestablishing a focus on recruitment, while satisfying current employees, MSPs can ensure the longevity of their business by acquiring and maintaining the staff of experts they require to perform. As a result, MSPs can continue to support their clients, providing them with the high-level IT service and support necessary to thrive in the modern workplace.
Attracting and Retaining Talent
Attracting and maintaining expert talent can be challenging in any industry, particularly IT, where skilled professionals are sought after in nearly every company. Investing the time and effort into attracting and retaining talent is critical during today’s labor shortage – particularly for MSPs who rely on their workforce. To combat these challenges, consider these four practices to attract and retain competitive talent.
1. Hybrid Work
In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees worldwide were forced to make an abrupt transition to remote work. Over a year later, many companies have continued this work model, while others have chosen to bring their workforce back into the office. Whichever is the case, professionals have been exposed to a new style of work that offers flexibility, autonomy, and comfort. As a result, many professionals wish to remain remote, and some even claim that they would not continue working for a company that does not offer this.
For this reason, companies looking to improve recruitment tactics must offer hybrid work to remain a competitive employer today. This is particularly relevant to MSPs, as much of their work is done remotely. If MSPs can provide remote services to their clients, shouldn't the same be provided for their own workforce? Hybrid work offers employees the flexibility and freedom they desire, all the while saving companies on office maintenance costs – it's a win-win.
2. Employee Satisfaction
Many modern professionals are directly correlating hybrid work with employee satisfaction. They require the flexibility and autonomy that hybrid work offers, feeling as though it provides them with a better work-life balance, less burnout, and improved productivity. In addition to this, there are a few more methods that employers can offer to ensure employee satisfaction.
As demand for employees - particularly experienced IT professionals - is rising, employers must offer competitive compensation to attract talent. Offering competitive pay and benefits can do wonders to make employees feel valued and strive to work for your organization. In addition to attracting new talent, increasing compensation for current employees can help improve employee retention.
Beyond compensation, ensuring that your employees have favorable working conditions is critical as well. If word spreads that your employees are burnt out, or that company culture is lacking, new talent will be less inclined to join your organization. For this reason, cultivating a positive working environment is critical.
3. Automation
An excellent way to build employee satisfaction is by equipping your workforce with the tools they need to succeed. Making your employees' jobs easier should be an ongoing goal, as it increases productivity and job satisfaction while reducing burnout. One of the best ways of doing this is by automating IT processes. With automation, employees can be alleviated of the tedious and time-consuming manual tasks they previously had to perform and instead focus on more strategic and pressing tasks. Not only does this mean that employees are relieved of dull and repetitive tasks, but it means they can work on projects of greater significance. With more responsibility, employees can contribute more to the organization and feel more valued.
In addition to this, implementing automation in your organization can drive your business further. As processes can be completed more efficiently, you can drive your bottom line further and continue to optimize operations.
4. Invest in Training
IT professionals must undergo years of learning and training to reach expert status. Even then, technologies are constantly changing, and it can be challenging for even the most proactive professional to keep up. For this reason, it can be highly beneficial for MSPs to invest in their current workforce through training.
By offering training to current employees, MSPs can enhance the skillset of their teams and improve employee retention. When employees feel invested in, they gain a sense of loyalty for their organization, resulting in improved retention. This is also beneficial for attracting new talent, as potential employees are drawn to organizations that offer opportunities for growth and training. The more you invest in your employees, the more you will experience a return on that investment.
