The COVID-19 pandemic hit businesses hard, and even as we begin to adjust to this “new normal,” companies are still experiencing cutbacks. The financial crisis brought on by the pandemic is still affecting businesses today, and organization leaders are struggling to save their business without compromising their team members. Companies have tried to get creative with their cutbacks, but unfortunately, not all cutbacks could not be avoided.
Fortunately, there may be a solution to help businesses recover from the pandemic while avoiding further losses. By outsourcing their IT needs to a managed service provider (MSP), companies can acquire the support they need to overcome these post-pandemic challenges. So that you can do the same, we will discuss the most prominent post-pandemic cutbacks that businesses are facing and how an MSP can help them recover their losses.
Employee Cutbacks
Over the past year, countless companies have had to make difficult financial decisions in effort to save their business. Many of these cutbacks involved their employees, whether laying them off or reducing their pay. While these actions were taken in an effort to save the company as a whole and alleviate some financial stress, they created a series of other problems within the organization.
The more employees that were laid off, the more overworked that other employees became. On top of the stress of the pandemic, employees had to do the work of multiple people while often getting paid less. This resulted in significant burnout in professionals, creating a cycle of turnover within companies as well.
As if this were not challenging enough for organizations to deal with, the pandemic also created a labor shortage in many industries. For companies unable to offer competitive salaries to their employees, it became even more challenging to attract new talent to alleviate their preexisting staff. As team members continued to experience burnout without proper compensation, it became increasingly challenging for employers to retain their workforce.
Fortunately, for companies looking to alleviate their team members and gain the support they need, they can acquire the services of an MSP. An MSP can equip businesses with the help they need through a team of IT experts. With the support of an MSP, a company’s internal IT team can focus on more pressing tasks, alleviating them from tedious and time-consuming tasks. As a result, employers can reduce burnout in their employees, thus reducing turnover. Additionally, as MSPs consist of teams of highly experienced and skilled IT professionals, many companies find that they experience higher-quality IT services than previously.
Still, a common concern with MSPs is cost, especially for companies with financial struggles following the pandemic. While many believe that MSPs must be expensive, considering the expert help they provide, but they are actually an extremely cost-effective option. Furthermore, MSPs are a consistent and predicted cost, with no unexpected fees or drastic increases. As a result, companies can easily budget for their MSP and choose the pricing model and services that work best for them.
Technology Cutbacks
In addition to cutbacks made that directly impact employees, companies also had to make some significant technical changes as well. There is no question that acquiring new technology is an investment, and as businesses were forced to go remote due to the pandemic, investment was needed. For companies to operate remotely, many had to equip their employees with the proper tools, including video cameras, dual monitors, and more. In addition to hardware, many companies had to adopt new applications and software to facilitate activities such as virtual meetings, digital collaboration, and remote project management platforms. All of these technologies come with a price and require technical support.
For many companies, investing in this technology was not a possibility and created significant challenges. Others faced severe delays in integrating new systems and technologies while onboarding their employees to new applications. For companies without proper technical support, these challenges were multiplied - but that does not have to be the case.
With an MSP, all of the challenges associated with going remote can be avoided. Cost-effective and efficient, MSPs are experienced with the adoption and integration of new technologies and can significantly speed up these processes for companies. As MSPs are already equipped with all of the state-of-the-art technology that a modern company could need, they can save companies from large and unnecessary hardware purchases. As many companies will only use technology infrequently or once, this is a significant benefit.
For any software you may need, your MSP will consult you on the right tools that your company needs, in addition to providing the time and labor to facilitate a seamless transition. MSPs can migrate data with ease, which is critical as more companies begin migrating to the cloud. With cloud computing, employees can access a centralized database of information from any location, at any time, further enabling an efficient remote work environment.
In addition to migration and integration services, MSPs are cybersecurity experts. As more and more companies and their employees work remotely, they open themselves to increased cybersecurity risks. MSPs can remotely monitor a company’s network, avoiding and detecting threats, and resolving breaches before they become detrimental. With cybercrime and hacking on the rise, this is essential to protect your business and keep operations running smoothly.
Supply Chain Cutbacks
Another significant post-pandemic challenge that companies are still facing is supply chain disruptions and cutbacks. The pandemic set in motion a catastrophic domino effect of delays within supply chains worldwide. As a result, businesses in nearly every industry are struggling to meet demand and operate in accordance with changing market conditions. As it does not seem like these supply chain issues will be resolved anytime soon, businesses must obtain more accurate and faster information to base decisions on.
Through technologies such as AI, ML, and predictive analysis tools, MSPs can provide companies with the accurate information they need to overcome supply chain challenges. With these insights, companies will be able to prepare their inventory to match demand, reducing waste while saving time and money. Furthermore, businesses will be able to track market conditions, enabling them to make decisions that drive their business forward, no matter what the future holds.
MSPs are Pandemic Proof
Fully equipped with a team of skilled IT professionals and advanced technology, MSPs are a cost-effective solution to the post-pandemic cutbacks faced by businesses worldwide. With the services of an MSP, companies can provide their team members with much-needed support, enabling them to focus on more pressing matters while avoiding burnout.
Furthermore, MSPs are the key to cultivating a seamless remote work environment. With experience in data migration and software integration, MSPs can efficiently prepare an organization to work remotely. Employees will have the remote IT support they need to solve problems as they arise, no matter the time, to ensure that team members have minimal disruptions to their work. MSPs also have skills in technologies such as AI and ML, which enable companies to optimize their decision-making processes, no matter how market conditions fluctuate. As a result, companies can make smarter decisions faster, allowing them to grow their business. In partnering with an MSP, companies will become more resilient than ever and find success through a challenging post-pandemic environment.
