Professional services teams have a lot on their plates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On any given day, they might be processing contract renewals, creating invoices, tracking their time and expenses in a spreadsheet, or balancing team availability during busy seasons or holidays \u2014 all of which take valuable time away from client work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, these tasks are an inextricable part of running a successful MSP<\/a> business. But there\u2019s a better way to get them done: implement professional services automation (PSA) software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this guide, we\u2019ll explain what PSA software is, how it can benefit your organization, and what to look for in an ideal PSA solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professional services automation software controls the back-end operations of a professional services firm or internal team, streamlining project management, tracking billable hours, and monitoring resource constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Combining these activities into one platform gives consulting firm leaders a comprehensive view of their organization\u2019s health. At a more granular level, they can also use PSA systems to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n PSA tools often come with multiple modules, each with a specific purpose. Most commonly, professional services automation platforms come with three core components:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some PSA platforms may include customer relationship management (CRM), helpdesk, reporting and analytics, and even remote monitoring and management modules as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because professional services automation products cover such a broad scope, they tend to require integrations with other tools, such as a company\u2019s enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution<\/a>, or identity and access management (IAM) platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PSA tools confer several benefits for MSPs and internal IT teams alike. Below, we list just a few ways professional services automation can streamline your current business processes and accelerate time to value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PSA platforms give you a bird\u2019s-eye view into what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not, helping you spot and fix inefficiencies before they start impacting your operations. Knowing your team\u2019s availability and utilization in real time helps you allocate resources more effectively while increasing your chances of retaining them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tracking your team\u2019s hours also helps you keep project costs under control and flag possible scope creep to your clients in advance. You can also use PSA tools to model out your revenue, pinpointing times in the year when you can reasonably take on more projects to hit your annual targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some IT-related projects take months, even years, to complete. Professional services automation ensures things run smoothly, from requirements gathering to implementation to testing to Go Live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PSA software typically comes with a task management module to show who is working on what and when, giving delivery managers insight into any time, resource, or budget-related blockers to get ahead of. Managing the end-to-end project lifecycle in one tool can improve communication, account for a project\u2019s impact on other day-to-day work, and keep everyone on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For professional services organizations and IT employees on hourly pay, recording accurate time and expenses is paramount. In a PSA tool, everyone enters their hours, managers review and approve them, and then they\u2019re sent straight to billing. Centralizing and integrating this information with financial systems eliminates manual invoicing and helps teams get paid faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may work with hundreds of clients if you\u2019re part of a sizable professional services firm. And after a while, manually overseeing their contracts can become a hassle. A PSA system acts as a repository for client information and contracts, reminding you to follow up on invoices, recognize revenue, or reach out to clients with upselling opportunities before a current project concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to optimize your workflow is to look at your historical data. A professional services automation platform collects all kinds of valuable data \u2014 billing, client satisfaction, client pipeline, resource capacity \u2014 you can leverage in strategic planning sessions. This data is also useful for compliance audits<\/a> and end-of-year team performance reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As with any software, pulling off a stellar PSA implementation takes careful planning. Without it, you risk rework and poor adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are two ways to set your team up for success:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several other ways to ensure a successful PSA implementation beyond understanding what tools you need to integrate with and preparing in-depth training materials. Read on to find out what else you need to prioritize before taking the leap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step in any project is to determine exactly what you want to accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask yourself what your main goals are related to your new PSA tool. Are you most concerned about project management? Or is billing something you struggle with the most?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nailing down what you want to get out of a PSA tool will help you select one that best suits your needs. You should also try to put together a rough timeline based on when you want to be fully up and running with your PSA. Perhaps one or two of the modules aren\u2019t as important, and you can add those in subsequent implementation phases to conserve your team\u2019s time and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With your objectives and requirements in mind, find a few vendors that could work for your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask each vendor for a demo of their product. On the call, ask them questions based on your requirements, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n By asking the right questions, you should be able to hone in on the ideal tool for your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Client-facing people who will be using and overseeing the PSA tool need to be involved in your implementation. So get them on board early. Include them in the vendor evaluation, invite them to requirements-gathering sessions, and ask them directly for their feedback. Incorporating their input will make them more likely to participate in the rollout and subsequent usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we mentioned, training and support are crucial in a PSA implementation. Remember that people learn differently, so consider using different formats (written, audio, visual content) and delivering the information in different ways (in All-Hands meetings, team meetings, via Teams or Slack).<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should also provide an easy way for users to contact admins or consultants helping with the implementation to report and troubleshoot any bugs or enhancements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your PSA should be one of the main tools your team uses daily. Keeping an eye on adoption metrics will help you identify parts of the tool that people may not understand how to use or don\u2019t even know exist. Conducting refresher trainings when you see any dips in usage can encourage people to continue using a PSA system in their everyday work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PSA solutions are the heartbeat of an MSP and can be a critical piece of internal IT infrastructure as well. And because employees spend so much time using its features, the data within it needs to be up to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At JumpCloud, we know how important it is to have the data you need at your fingertips. As such, we\u2019ve integrated with several of the top solutions on the market: Autotask PSA, ConnectWise Manage, and SyncroMSP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Out-of-the-box integrations will save you significant time and effort in standing up your PSA solution, tracking clients\u2019 JumpCloud consumption, and closing client tickets. JumpCloud alerts flow directly to your PSA, empowering your users to spend less time looking for alerts in disparate dashboards and more time resolving problems. JumpCloud consumption data also flows directly into your PSA, ensuring your clients\u2019 invoices are correct and your profitability projections are accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, JumpCloud helps MSPs improve consistency, security, and the client experience<\/a>. And if you\u2019re in the market for a new multi-tenant portal<\/a>, sign up for JumpCloud Free<\/a> to experience the benefits of JumpCloud yourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Learn what professional services automation is, implementation best practices, and about powerful JumpCloud PSA integrations for MSPs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":89797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2782],"tags":[],"collection":[2777],"platform":[],"funnel_stage":[3016],"coauthors":[2568],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Is Professional Services Automation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Components of a PSA Tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Benefits of Professional Services Automation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Operational Efficiency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Project Management and Planning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Time and Expense Tracking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Client and Contract Management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Reporting and Analytics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Professional Services Automation Implementation Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Best Practices for Successful PSA Implementation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Define Clear Objectives and Requirements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Find the Right PSA Software<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Involve Key Stakeholders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Provide Comprehensive Training and Support<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Monitor Effectiveness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
JumpCloud and PSA Integrations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n