Richard Tubb's Blog, page 69

Braintoss – Capture Your To-Do’s in One Click

Every Friday I share one of my favourite finds of the week — a website, tool or an app that has impressed me.

My Friday Favourite this week is Braintoss – Capture Your To-Do’s in One Click.

What is it?

Braintoss is an app that enables you to capture your to-do’s in one click.

How can it help me?

If you’re constantly walking around with too many thoughts and ideas in your head, then Braintoss can help you.

One of the core tenets of productivity methodologies such as GTD (read more about David Allen – The Master of Getting Things Done) is that the mind isn’t for storing ideas. You need to get ideas out of your head and into a system.

Braintoss allows you to capture your thoughts — such as to-do’s, ideas, reminders and more — by pressing a button on the app and then simply speaking into it.

The resulting capture is then emailed to you as an audio file that you can listen back to later.

You can also use Braintoss to take photographs and capture other ideas, too.

Braintoss can also be configured to send your ideas to Dropbox, Evernote or another tool, to help keep your inbox uncluttered.

I carry a notepad and pen around with me wherever I go, to help me capture ideas as they come to me. I’ve found that whipping out my Smartphone and recording a Braintoss is often faster than using a notepad. I then review my Braintoss emails back at my desk.

How much does it cost?

Braintoss costs £1.99.

How can I get it?

Visit the Braintoss website for more details.

Download Braintoss on the App Store for iOS.

Download Braintoss on the Google Play Store for Android devices.

You can also visit the Braintoss Facebook page, or follow @Braintoss on Twitter.

Thanks to Marketing experts Andrew & Pete for the heads-up on the very useful Braintoss!

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The post Braintoss – Capture Your To-Do’s in One Click appeared first on Richard Tubb.

How Cloud Backup Software Helps MSPs and Their Customers – TubbTalk #30

Richard speaks to Doug Hazelman, Vice President of Technical Marketing at CloudBerry Lab in Florida, who provide built-for-cloud backup software.

An Interview with Doug Hazelman
Who are CloudBerry Lab?

CloudBerry Lab are the provider of cloud backup software for built-for-cloud storage for companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google and are the number one cross-platform cloud backup software.

As well as providing backup for corporate and ordinary users, CloudBerry also provide a managed backup service for IT solution providers. Doug Hazelman is the Vice President of Technical Marketing at CloudBerry Lab in Florida, and his role sees him building a community of enthusiasts and customers. 

How Providing Backup Services can Help MSP Businesses

Doug believes that backup is a critical component of any infrastructure, and all good MSPs should be looking to provide it for their customers. He explains that if your customer’s backup is onsite, they can’t be helped, so it’s important to have it offsite.

Cloud storage is the best way to move and store data, because it’s easier to manage, it’s safe in case of a disaster and as an MSP, you can restore the data and get the customer back online much faster.

How CloudBerry’s Solution is Different

CloudBerry allow MSPs to ‘bring your own cloud storage’ and choose the storage that works best for them and their customers. This might include offering more than one cloud storage provider to meet individual needs, whether that’s based on price or security.

They also provide an extra level of protection by facilitating a backup rather than storing the data – it goes directly from the client site into the cloud and it doesn’t pass through their servers.

How CloudBerry Restore Files

They provide a SaaS (Software as a Service) based application, so if a customer asks the MSP for a missing file, they can go into the web interface and initiate the restore, whether it’s from a file or an image backup.

MSPs can also enable a customer portal, so the customer can go in and recover their own files. CloudBerry’s aim is to make it as easy as possible to recover those individual file objects and get them to the customer when they need it and get them back online. 

How CloudBerry Ensures Data Security

CloudBerry are careful to ensure that an MSP’s staff only have access to the data they need. The manager or owner can assign accounts and set up access on an as-needed basis. From the customer perspective, MSPs can set up an individual portal with their own credentials, which allows them to view the data backed up from that account, and the customer is walled off from seeing everyone else’s data.

As backups are traditionally the weakest point, everything is logged, whether that’s the customer accessing data through the portal or the MSP using the SaaS. For auditing purposes, there are reports to show who had access and when, and what they did in the account.

The Tools They Integrate With 

For RMM (remote monitoring and management), CloudBerry integrate with ConnectWise Automate (aka LabTech), Kaseya and Ninja, all available within the portal. Ninja did their own integration, which their customers can request access to.

For PSA (professional service automation), they work with Autotask and ConnectWise and nothing else, as they’ve found that the majority of their customers need an RMM before they need a PSA. CloudBerry also have API (application programming interface) access to hook into other tools.

How Hot, Cool, and Cold Tiers Work

These are ways of storing data, and the tiers reflect how quickly the MSP can access the data. ‘Hot’ means you can put things into the cloud and retrieve it quickly. ‘Cool’ takes a little longer to retrieve, and ‘cold’ takes longer again. There are different prices for each tier, and having access to more than one means that a customer can choose to have quick retrieval for a set period (hot) and then archive the data after that (cold).

Mentioned in This Episode

CloudBerry Lab
Amazon S3
Amazon EC2
Azure
Google
Backblaze B2
Wasabi
ConnectWise
Kaseya
Ninja RMM
Autotask
Amazon Glacier
Spiceworks
Reddit

Interview Transcript
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First Name Email Address We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer. Send me the transcript We don't spam! Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit /* Layout */ .ck_form { /* divider image */ background: #fff url(data:image/gif;base64,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) repeat-y center top; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; overflow: hidden; color: #666; font-size: 16px; border-top: solid 20px #3071b0; border-top-color: #3071b0; border-bottom: solid 10px #3d3d3d; border-bottom-color: #1d446a; -webkit-box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px rgba(0,0,0,.3); -moz-box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px rgba(0,0,0,.3); box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px rgba(0,0,0,.3); clear: both; margin: 20px 0px; } .ck_form, .ck_form * { -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box; } #ck_subscribe_form { clear: both; } /* Element Queries — uses JS */ .ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { width: 50%; float: left; padding: 5%; } .ck_form.ck_horizontal { } .ck_form_content { border-bottom: none; } .ck_form.ck_vertical { background: #fff; } .ck_vertical .ck_form_content, .ck_vertical .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none; } .ck_vertical .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; overflow: hidden; } /* Trigger the vertical layout with media queries as well */ @media all and (max-width: 499px) { .ck_form { background: #fff; } .ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none; } .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; } } /* Content */ .ck_form_content h3 { margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 24px; padding: 0px; } .ck_form_content p { font-size: 14px; } .ck_image { float: left; margin-right: 5px; } /* Form fields */ .ck_errorArea { display: none; } #ck_success_msg { padding: 10px 10px 0px; border: solid 1px #ddd; background: #eee; } .ck_label { font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; } .ck_form input[type="text"], .ck_form input[type="email"] { font-size: 14px; padding: 10px 8px; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 4px; /* border radius */ background-color: #f8f7f7; /* layer fill content */ margin-bottom: 5px; height: auto; } .ck_form input[type="text"]:focus, .ck_form input[type="email"]:focus { outline: none; border-color: #aaa; } .ck_checkbox { padding: 10px 0px 10px 20px; display: block; clear: both; } .ck_checkbox input.optIn { margin-left: -20px; margin-top: 0; } .ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt { margin-left: 4px; } .ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt p { display: inline; } .ck_form .ck_subscribe_button { width: 100%; color: #fff; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 10px 0px; font-size: 18px; background: #0d6db8; -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 4px; /* border radius */ cursor: pointer; border: none; text-shadow: none; } .ck_form .ck_guarantee { color: #626262; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; padding: 5px 0px; display: block; } .ck_form .ck_powered_by { display: block; color: #aaa; } .ck_form .ck_powered_by:hover { display: block; color: #444; } .ck_converted_content { display: none; padding: 5%; background: #fff; }
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The post How Cloud Backup Software Helps MSPs and Their Customers – TubbTalk #30 appeared first on Richard Tubb.

Why Discipline and Planning are Vital to Success in Business and Life – TubbTalk #29

Richard speaks to Arlin Sorensen, founder of both a Managed Service Provider (MSP) in the USA and Heartlands Technology Group (HTG) a peer mentoring network.

An Interview with Arlin Sorensen
Who is Arlin Sorensen?

Arlin Sorensen is the founder of Heartlands Technology Solutions in Iowa, USA. He’s been involved in the IT sector for over 30 years and is the founder of Heartland Technology Group (HTG), a peer mentoring group for IT companies, with more than 500 members worldwide.

How did Arlin get into IT?

After studying farm operations, Arlin’s plan was to work on the family farm. However, he bought a computer to help with the farm accounts in 1982, which led to a love of technology and Arlin teaching nearby farmers to choose and use their own machines.

In 1985, Arlin and his brother set up a technology company to support agriculture businesses as a side-line. The launch of Windows95 helped expand the business, increasing staff from five to 13 in one year, and Arlin decided to make the business his main focus.

What Makes a Successful Merger?

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are valuable tools to help a business to grow. Arlin says that organic growth is hard work, so M&As are hood, but it’s not as easy as presenting some figures.

People assume that they’ll do an acquisition, cross-sell and bring revenue in, possibly more than they thought they would, but the challenge for a successful M&A is around staff and culture change when companies combine. It’s a great tool when it’s done for the right reasons: expanding the geographical area, adding vertical expertise new talent, but the budget sheet needs to be right.

How Does HTG’s Peer Group Work?

The peer groups give business owners who are looking to grow and change their companies and their lives the opportunity to get together with others to create success.

The groups are made up of 10 to 12 owners from different industries (non-competing markets) to create honesty. The groups are facilitated every 90 days, and they spend two days each quarter looking at their progress and goals, as well as completing forms to look at their financial benchmarks, their work and home life.

The meetings are designed to help each member with their challenges and holistically address concerns in an environment of trust and safety, where they can share their concerns instead of feeling isolated.

Why Planning is Important for IT Companies

Arlin explains: “We watch companies across the industry and see their financial situations. Those which are succeeding know where they’re going and have a strategy for how they’ll get there. Those which are failing don’t have a defined plan, or haven’t taken time and invested their energy to lay out a plan.”

They teach members about legacy – what a business will look like at the end – and encourage them to start with the end in mind, and then work backwards to identify the steps to help them achieve their goals.

They also support leaders with financial legacies, because people looking to retire often decide to sell their business, which has been successful but not profitable. Those owners need to consistently deliver profitability in their organisation because that’s what attracts buyers.

Mentioned in This Episode

Heartland Technology Group (HTG)
Michael Hyatt
The Paterson Centre
Book: Start with Why by Simon Sinek
Book: Good to Great by Jim Collins
Book: The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni
Book: The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann and podcast
Book: Make a Difference by Dr. Larry Little
Book: The E-Myth by Michael Gerber

Interview Transcript
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First Name Email Address We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer. Send me the transcript We don't spam! Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by Seva /* Layout */ .ck_form { /* divider image */ background: #fff url(data:image/gif;base64,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) repeat-y center top; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; overflow: hidden; color: #666; font-size: 16px; border-top: solid 20px #3071b0; border-top-color: #3071b0; border-bottom: solid 10px #3d3d3d; border-bottom-color: #1d446a; -webkit-box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px rgba(0,0,0,.3); -moz-box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px rgba(0,0,0,.3); box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px rgba(0,0,0,.3); clear: both; margin: 20px 0px; } .ck_form, .ck_form * { -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box; } #ck_subscribe_form { clear: both; } /* Element Queries — uses JS */ .ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { width: 50%; float: left; padding: 5%; } .ck_form.ck_horizontal { } .ck_form_content { border-bottom: none; } .ck_form.ck_vertical { background: #fff; } .ck_vertical .ck_form_content, .ck_vertical .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none; } .ck_vertical .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; overflow: hidden; } /* Trigger the vertical layout with media queries as well */ @media all and (max-width: 499px) { .ck_form { background: #fff; } .ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none; } .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; } } /* Content */ .ck_form_content h3 { margin: 0px 0px 15px; font-size: 24px; padding: 0px; } .ck_form_content p { font-size: 14px; } .ck_image { float: left; margin-right: 5px; } /* Form fields */ .ck_errorArea { display: none; } #ck_success_msg { padding: 10px 10px 0px; border: solid 1px #ddd; background: #eee; } .ck_label { font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; } .ck_form input[type="text"], .ck_form input[type="email"] { font-size: 14px; padding: 10px 8px; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 4px; /* border radius */ background-color: #f8f7f7; /* layer fill content */ margin-bottom: 5px; height: auto; } .ck_form input[type="text"]:focus, .ck_form input[type="email"]:focus { outline: none; border-color: #aaa; } .ck_checkbox { padding: 10px 0px 10px 20px; display: block; clear: both; } .ck_checkbox input.optIn { margin-left: -20px; margin-top: 0; } .ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt { margin-left: 4px; } .ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt p { display: inline; } .ck_form .ck_subscribe_button { width: 100%; color: #fff; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 10px 0px; font-size: 18px; background: #0d6db8; -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 4px; /* border radius */ cursor: pointer; border: none; text-shadow: none; } .ck_form .ck_guarantee { color: #626262; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; padding: 5px 0px; display: block; } .ck_form .ck_powered_by { display: block; color: #aaa; } .ck_form .ck_powered_by:hover { display: block; color: #444; } .ck_converted_content { display: none; padding: 5%; background: #fff; }
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The post Why Discipline and Planning are Vital to Success in Business and Life – TubbTalk #29 appeared first on Richard Tubb.

How MSPs can Market Themselves Better – TubbTalk #28

Richard speaks to John Jantsch, author, speaker and expert in marketing and the creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System.

An Interview with John Jantsch

Richard spoke to John Jantsch just after his keynote presentation on the second day of the inaugural Youpreneur Summit event in London. They talked about all aspects of marketing and John’s books. 

Who is John Jantsch?

John Jantsch is an author, speaker and expert in marketing and has been sharing his knowledge for over 15 years. His ‘Duct Tape Marketing System’ offers a ‘simple, effective, and affordable small business marketing system’ which has helped thousands of companies around the world.

As well as offering a range of ‘done for you’ marketing packages, there is also a self-study system with a course, Facebook group and mentoring support. John’s book ‘Duct Tape Marketing’ is considered one of the foremost texts on the subject.

Why Everyone Struggles with Marketing

People start a business because they’re good at something, such as IT. There’s a fear around marketing because it’s viewed as something strange that requires help from an expert to get right. John says that although there are strategies and tactics that can help, the key is to be strategic. Have a plan and work through it, rather than trying something new every week. View marketing as a system.

How to Get Started with Marketing

A good way to get started is to look for someone in a related industry to you, who’s good at marketing but isn’t a competitor. Is there a way you can access the community they’ve built to offer something that they don’t have? Can you educate their followers for referrals?

The other key is to build valuable relationships which will be mutually beneficial. However, John says it’s important not to get rid of a connection if they don’t send you referrals straight away.

Instead, create strategic relationships with the mindset of: ‘will this help my clients?’ If the other person is struggling with something and you can introduce a trusted partner or client, the relationship you have with that client becomes more valuable and gives you a win with them. 

Where to Start with Social Media

People put themselves under pressure to be like everyone else and use all the platforms available, but it’s not necessary. John’s key advice is to start with your existing clients and find ways to communicate with and serve them better.

For instance, you could create a Facebook group for IT people addressing specific software and technology questions. When you create value, it makes the time you spend on social media more worthwhile, and better than posting randomly to only a handful of people.

It’s also important to enjoy using social media and to choose platforms that you like. Pick something that will be a good use of your time and go as deep as possible with the platform to make the most of it.

How Blogs Have Evolved

Having blogged for 15 years, John believes that things have progressed and doesn’t call it blogging anymore, instead, he calls it ‘content management software’. People don’t visit sites for a blog, they go to find the answer to a question or some specific information, so you want to make it as easy as possible for them to do that. Call it your ‘education centre’ or your ‘resource centre’ instead.

John’s personal focus is on blogging less frequently and focusing on the depth of the content output now. He is putting together ‘content packages’, a long article, video and Q&A on a theme, with links to existing content as well.

Mentioned in This Episode

Ducttape Marketing
Missinglettr
TripIt

Interview Transcript
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Being a Woman Working in a Male-Dominated Industry – TubbTalk #27

Richard speaks with Melissa Saar, Partner Success Manager at IT Glue, a SaaS-based documentation platform.

An Interview with Melissa Saar
Who is IT Glue?

Melissa is the Partner Success Manager at IT Glue, a cloud-based documentation platform with a focus on SaaS (Software as a Service). They help companies with storing best practices, standard operating procedures and other documents in one place. They also integrate with other vendors so everything is managed through one platform. 

How did Melissa get Started in the Industry?

Melissa says she was always interested in technology and did things like pulling her laptop apart to see if she could fix it herself. Her fascination with the field drew her in, and she wanted to be a woman who could do IT as well.

Her first role was as a service desk apprentice at an MSP (managed service provider) in Guildford. It took her 14 months, and Melissa admits she finished it a bit earlier because she was so keen to progress in the service desk role.

Her Early Challenges

Melissa says it was a bit scary starting in a male-dominated industry, especially as she was only 19. She found it different from what she was used to because her previous experience was in retail, which is more mixed.

She says that she always had a feeling that she wanted to do the job as well as anyone else, and when she found things she wasn’t sure of, she would research the problem first without asking, spending most of her evenings on finding an answer to help resolve the issue, either partly or fully.

How her Career Progressed

After completing her apprenticeship, Melissa spent a year as a service desk engineer, which allowed her to work on more advanced tickets and go onsite to help customers and have more hands-on experience.

A typical day involved doing backups, a process which could be quite time-consuming if customers used tapes. Then she worked through tickets from the previous day before starting on those that had come in earlier. Melissa also spent a lot of time on research and learning more.

She then moved to a construction company, into a pure service desk role, but she wasn’t able to work on the bigger tickets in the way she wanted. Looking for more hands-on experience with technical issues she went to a communication company, before going back to her first employer.

Being a Service Desk Manager

Melissa spent another 11 months as a service desk engineer before being promoted to Manager, a role she held for three years. She was only 23 when she took the job and enjoyed the opportunity to take a step up and be challenged.

Melissa admits she had to learn a lot about managing and develop new skills, and the main challenge was getting used to people’s management style preferences as not everyone wants to be managed in the same way. She did a management training course and was able to apply a lot of what she’d learned in a practical way.

She went from being a service desk engineer to managing her friends and former teammates, but she says that the good relationships she’d built with her colleagues meant that they respected her and did what she asked.

What Advice Would She Give her Younger Self?

If she could speak to her 19-year-old self, Melissa says she would tell herself to be more confident, which was something she struggled with at the beginning and to know that she could do the role just as well as a man.

She’d encourage herself to: “just go for it because if you don’t try you don’t know.” She wasn’t sure if she’d fit in or be able to do the job, which worried her at first, but her eagerness and determination meant she made a success of the opportunities she was given.

Mentioned in this Podcast

Autotask: www.autotask.com
Kaseya: https://www.kaseya.com/
Continuum: https://www.continuum.net/
ProDrive: https://www.prodriveit.co.uk

Interview Transcript
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PensionBee – Combine Your Pensions and Manage Them Online

Every Friday I share one of my favourite finds of the week — a website, tool or an app that has impressed me.

My Friday Favourite this week is PensionBee – Combine Your Pensions and Manage Them Online.

What is it?

PensionBee is a service that manages your pension online.

How can it help me?

If you’ve had a number of jobs, then you may have a number of separate work pensions.  These pensions being in different pension pots makes them difficult to monitor and manage.

PensionBee allows you to quickly combine all these old pension pots into a single pension that is easy to manage.

If you want to keep track of your pension performance, then your current pension provider probably doesn’t make this too easy. You typically have to wait for an annual printed statement or telephone the pension provider for an update. PensionBee is fully managed online so you can see the current performance of your pension at any moment, via the app or website.

Even if you’re self-employed with irregular income, then you’ll know the pain of trying to make regular additional contributions to your existing Pension. It can be a laborious and time-consuming process. PensionBee allows you to quickly and easily set up and modify regular contributions to your Pension, as well as making additional payments and seeing the resulting funds in your pension pot at any time.

In short, PensionBee gives you one simple pension and one clear balance that you can check any time online. Everything is designed to give you total peace of mind.

I recently moved my Pension from a traditional provider across to PensionBee and it was a breeze. The PensionBee customer service is excellent and they make the whole process very simple.

If you’re a fan of the challenger banks like Monzo – The new UK-based Bank of the Future or Starling Bank, then you’ll know the power that these new FinTech companies bring to personal finance. PensionBee is causing the same disruption in the Pension industry.

Please be aware I’m not a financial expert and don’t pretend to be one on the Internet! I’d recommend reading the independent PensionBee review from MoneytotheMasses for more details, and seek out professional advice if necessary.

How much does it cost?

PensionBee does not charge any fees to move your pensions to them.

PensionBee’s ongoing charges range from 0.25% to 0.95% a year depending on the pension plan you choose and how much you invest.

Visit the PensionBee fees page for a full overview.

How can I get it?

To get started, visit the PensionBee homepage.

You can also visit the PensionBee Facebook page, follow @PensionBee on Twitter, or follow PensionBee on LinkedIn.

PensionBee have apps for Android and iOS.

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The post PensionBee – Combine Your Pensions and Manage Them Online appeared first on Richard Tubb.

Crystal – Understand Yourself, Your Coworkers and Your Customers

Every Friday I share one of my favourite finds of the week — a website, tool or an app that has impressed me.

My Friday Favourite this week is Crystal – Understand Yourself, Your Coworkers and Your Customers.

What is it?

Crystal is an online system for helping you understand your own personality and the personality traits of others.

How can it help me?

When you understand personality differences, you can communicate more effectively and build stronger relationships.

I’ve written before about using DISC profiles for understanding personality styles. I especially recommend personality profiles such as DISC and Crystal for business owners to help them understand their employees and potential new staff hires.

Crystal’s personality assessment tool helps you learn more about your natural communication style, your personal motivations, and how you tend to behave in different situations.

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates taught “Know thyself” and I’ve personally found personality profiles incredibly useful in understanding why certain tasks or situations come easy to me, while others are a real struggle. I regularly review my own personality profile as a reminder to myself of whether I’m on the right path, or whether I’m labouring with tasks, situations or relationships that may be an unnecessary struggle for me.

Crystal also helps you understand your coworkers’ personalities and how to effectively communicate with them. This is *very* powerful in making sure you get the best out of your relationships.

Crystal also offers a Chrome plugin that can be used for outreach scenarios and predict personality insights as you browse social media. Imagine having an insight into the best way to communicate with a new client prospect or potential hire?

How much does it cost?

Crystal is free to use with your friends and connections.

The outreach tool costs from $29 per month to use.

How can I get it?

Visit Crystal Knows to find out more or visit the Crystal Free Personality Test to sign-up for your free personality test.

You can also follow @CrystalKnowsMe on Twitter or visit the Crystal Knows Me Facebook page.

Thanks to Marketing and Social Media expert Jo Saunders for the heads-up on Crystal!

What personality type are you? Leave a comment below or get in touch — I’m happy to share my own Crystal personality profile report with you for comparison!

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The post Crystal – Understand Yourself, Your Coworkers and Your Customers appeared first on Richard Tubb.

A list of Professional Service Automation tools for MSPs

I’ve written before about Professional Services Automation tools for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and asked the question does my MSP need a PSA?

Every single one of the most progressive and successful MSPs I’ve ever worked with has implemented a PSA tool. They help your business become more efficient, more effective and most importantly, more profitable.

But which PSA tool should you choose for your business?

Which is the best PSA tool?

Firstly, it’s worth addressing the question “Which is the best PSA tool?”. When I’m asked this question by MSPs, my answer is, honestly, always the same.

“You can’t go wrong with any of them”

Each PSA tool has its strengths, it has a history, and it has a market that it serves really well.

You need to be clear why you are buying a PSA tool, what you want it to do for your business, and where you expect it to produce results.

If you’re unsure how to answer these questions, then speak to your peers at a local user group (here’s a list of User Groups for UK Managed Service Providers), ask a question in an online MSP community, or to discuss your specific situation.

A list of Professional Service Automation tools for MSPs

Once you have that list of requirements drawn up, here’s a list of the Professional Services Automation (PSA) tools that I see most frequently in my work with MSPs.

Atera

An Isreali-based tool that combines both PSA and Remote Management and Monitoring (RMM) with Remote Access and other tools. Slowly but surely growing a loyal user base worldwide.

For more details visit https://www.atera.com/

Autotask

Built from the ground up for the Cloud. One of the “big two” PSA tools. A vast amount of integration with 3rd party tools. Recently acquired by Datto.

For more details visit https://www.autotask.com/

CommitCRM

A well-priced, affordable PSA tool for smaller IT providers and MSPs.

For more details visit http://www.commitcrm.com/

Computicate

A common challenge of many MSPs is to successfully implement a PSA tool. Computicate offers an easy onboarding process to be up and running within 1 business day.

For more details visit https://www.computicatepsa.com/

ConnectWise

One of the two most popular PSA tools in the industry. A fantastic peer community for collaboration and support. Integrates with nearly every 3rd party tool.

For more details visit https://www.connectwise.com/

Harmony PSA

A UK-based PSA solution that has a growing user base amongst multi-national MSPs and those IT businesses who do business across internationally. Very strong finance and account practices built-in.

For more details visit https://www.harmonypsa.com/

TigerPaw

A US-based PSA solution that has a lot of followers in the telecoms space. Strong reporting functions and a great reputation for support.

For more details visit http://www.tigerpawsoftware.com/

Conclusion

I will keep this list of list of Professional Service Automation tools for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) up to date.

Which PSA tool do you use within your business? What has worked for you? Leave a comment below.

Are you a PSA vendor with a tool I’ve not listed here? Get in touch so we can have a conversation.

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The post A list of Professional Service Automation tools for MSPs appeared first on Richard Tubb.

Professional Services Automation. Does my MSP need a PSA?

I’m frequently asked by IT businesses who are making the transition to Managed Services (and if you’re asking the question What is a Managed Service Provider? Here’s my definition of an MSP) the question “does my MSP business really need a Professional Services Automation tool?”

A Professional Services Automation tool could be described as an operating system for your Managed Service Provider business. For many MSPs, their PSA tool is the central repository for all information – about their processes, their clients, assets and inventory, billable time, and much more. A good PSA tool can help an MSP with customer management, service delivery, contracts and billing, and lots of other areas of running your business.

Yet, implementing a PSA tool can be a huge step for a business to take. Using a PSA solution can be expensive, time-consuming and disruptive for businesses. But in the majority of cases I’ve ever come across, it was worth it to the business’s profitability.

So does your MSP business need a Professional Services Automation tool?

CRM vs PSA

Most IT businesses have some form of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool in place already. There is a range of off-the-shelf CRM applications for all size and types of business.

For many IT businesses, their CRM may be a custom creation, such as a bespoke database build, a SharePoint installation or even a file-structure with Word and Excel documents.

All of these CRM tools often contain many of the functions of a Professional Services Automation solution, such as:-

Helpdesk
Billing integration
Document Management

Therefore it’s not unusual for many MSPs to point at their CRM tool and say that it is all they need to run their business.

But while a PSA solution does have many overlaps with a CRM tool, it is much, much more than a CRM tool.

The clue is in the title!

The Automation in Professional Services Automation

A “Professional Services Automation” solution is the central repository for everything that an MSP business does — not just Helpdesk, billing, document management and so forth — but information about processes, clients, assets, inventory, billable time, contracts, supplier agreements and much more besides.

Not only does your Professional Services Automation tool keep this information for you, but it automates the connections between disparate areas.

PSA tools typically integrate with other tools an MSP uses too, such as accounting, remote monitoring & management (RMM), backup and others.

For instance, a PSA tool will automatically make sure that:

Finance is aware of which paid services a client is receiving, what contract they are on, and any additions that they might need to be billed for that month.
Service Delivery knows which machines on a client site are under management, who a client’s employees are, and what falls within the remit of a contract.
Management knows which engineers are logging the most time, which clients are taking up the most time, and which services and solutions are the most profitable.

So a PSA tool isn’t simply a CRM tool on steroids, it’s integral to any MSP business that wants to scale effectively and profitably.

My MSP business is unique!

I often hear MSP businesses telling me that an off-the-shelf Professional Services Automation tool such as Autotask, ConnectWise or Harmony (others are available — see my list of Professional Service Automation tools for MSPs) is all well and good, but it wouldn’t suit their business — their business faces unique challenges that a PSA tool can’t handle.

These type of MSP business often have their own afore-mentioned homebrew or bespoke “PSA-like” solutions that they prefer.

Unfortunately, when you delve under the surface, these homebrew solutions are rarely that effective. They require maintenance. They require updates. In many cases, they require constant fixing.

The money that the MSP saves on not buying an off-the-shelf PSA package, and implementing it effectively for their own needs, is often a drop in the Ocean compared to the true cost of maintaining, updating and repairing their bespoke PSA solution.

Ironically, if the MSP truly tracked their time maintaining and updating their homebrew solution (you know, like a proper PSA tool encourages you to do!) then they’d find that their internal application often costs them *way* more than investing in an off-the-shelf PSA package.

It’s also worth noting that the off-the-shelf Professional Services Automation tools are written by businesses who work with *thousands* of MSPs, all day, every day. If you truly think your business is unique, then you may be kidding yourself.

A Professional Services Automation tool keeps you profitable

You’ll notice I’ve mentioned profitability a lot in this article. That’s because profitability is key to any successful MSP business.

A Professional Services Automation tool enables an MSP to capture information and re-use it to make their business more efficient, more effective, and ultimately, more profitable.

A great example might be with an MSP’s project work. You:

Quote a client for a new server installation.
Deliver the project.
Bill the client.
Think you’re profitable.

But are you really profitable? Did the money you bill the client cover *all* the time and resources you spent delivering the project?

Most businesses manage this profitability tracking by gut feeling. They don’t truly know how much time they’ve spent delivering the project, but they see money arrive in their bank account so they assume it is profitable.

With a PSA tool, you capture the actual time you spend on a project.

The engineers hours.
The administration hours (ordering hardware, returns, billing queries, etc).
Any snagging or “while you are here” tidbits.
Any expenses or disbursements incurred.

A Professional Services Automation tool allows you to measure the actual time and resources spent on a project and determine its profitability — not just take a rough guess at it.

I’d refer to this as “Service Intelligence” and in our project scenario, it not only allows you to understand whether a project is profitable, but it also allows you to adjust your quotes for future similar projects to ensure that they are definitely profitable.

Beyond projects, imagine applying this same Service Intelligence to:-

Client contracts
Engineers time and performance
Hardware and Software ROI

… and much more. Powerful, huh?

Conclusion – Does my MSP business really need a Professional Services Automation tool?

Getting back to the fundamental question, does my MSP business need a Professional Services Automation tool?

In nearly every MSP I’ve ever worked with, the answer is yes. Absolutely. Your business needs a PSA tool.

This isn’t an advertisement for the PSA vendors. This is the reality as I’ve seen it in hundreds of MSPs businesses that I’ve worked with.

Whatever stage your MSP business is at, you’ll benefit from a Professional Services Automation tool.

Yes, you can give the illusion of saving money by not using a PSA tool, but the bottom line for me is, you don’t know the cost of *not* having a PSA tool until you implement a PSA tool.

I’m interested in hearing your opinions. What benefits has your MSP business gained by adopting a PSA tool? Have you thrived despite not investing in a PSA tool? Leave a comment below or get in touch.

You Might Also Be Interested In

A list of Professional Service Automation tools for MSPs
I’ve bought PSA software. What next?
The importance of IT documentation

The post Professional Services Automation. Does my MSP need a PSA? appeared first on Richard Tubb.

Cleo – Your A.I. friend that looks after your money

Every Friday I share one of my favourite finds of the week — a website, tool or an app that has impressed me.

My Friday Favourite this week is Cleo – Your AI friend that looks after your money.

What is it?

Cleo is an intelligent assistant for your money.

How can it help me?

I’ve written before about tools such as Plum that help you to save money automatically. But what if you’re finding yourself unable to find the money to actually save any?

Cleo is a Facebook Messenger bot that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to give you insights into your personal finance situation.

Cleo uses certified bank-level security to connect to your bank account, where it then automatically analyses your personal finances on an ongoing basis.

If you never know where your money goes at the end of the month, or you keep all your finances in a clunky Excel spreadsheet, then Cleo is for you.

Cleo gives you a clear breakdown of where you’re spending, what you’re spending on, and helps you to make sure you spend your money on the things that are actually important to you.

What’s more, all this information is presented to you in simple, easy to follow format.

You can chat with Cleo anywhere via text. It’s more like chatting with a human than using an app!

How much does it cost?

Cleo is free to use.

How can I get it?

You can sign up to Cleo through Facebook Messenger.

You can also find out more about Cleo by visiting the Cleo homepage.

You can follow @Meet_Cleo on Twitter, or visit the Cleo Facebook page.

You Might Also Be Interested In

Chip – Save money automatically and feel good about it
OneDox – The Digital Dashboard for Household Admin
Monzo – The new UK-based Bank of the Future

The post Cleo – Your A.I. friend that looks after your money appeared first on Richard Tubb.