Conversational AI is an Opportunity for MSPs

Managed service providers work 24/7 to support their business customers and meet their demands, all with the goal to make sure their business customers operate efficiently.

Those same business customers are increasing their demands as they require higher productivity, improved efficiency and accuracy to run a business successfully. MSPs must satisfy client expectations and stay ahead of cyber threats while providing a high level of service. However, MSPs are failing to scale and keep pace with the growing demands of their customers. One of the demands is self-service through AI.

Fortunately for MSPs, there is an opportunity to implement conversational AI and automation to help with this challenge.

Let’s take a step to the past. When chatbots first came out, everyone was excited. It seemed to be working as it was a good conversation from the perspective of being just that, a conversation. However, chatbots do not give the answers that are needed.

Jason Pennell, senior solutions architect, Advantage Communications Group, spoke on why chatbots started off as being ineffective during a panel discussion at the 2023 MSP Expo in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

“A lot of companies want to be ahead of their competitors so they implemented chatbots, but sometimes they were not ready for prime time,” said Pennell. “With an inefficient chatbot, it damaged the company’s reputation.”

Fast-forward to today, AI, particularly conversational AI, enables customers to ask the right questions and the AI goes through data to get their answer.

How this affects MSPs is that through this newer AI-driven technology for engagement and workflow improvements, MSPs enable their customers to reduce costs and improve their customer interactions and productivity.

And AI is still evolving.

“It’s coming really fast. See what Microsoft and Google are doing. Look at generative AI,” said Mark A. Daley, CEO of DaleyPros Consulting. Daley moderated the discussion.

Every time there is change, there is opportunity. And AI is an opportunity for MSPs as well as their clients.