Wouldn’t it be amazing if everything we wanted out of our PSA was available out of the box, with no configuration, no glitchy updates, and no troublesome support requests? Unfortunately, that’s just a pipe dream. The good news is MSP owners and former MSP owners have developed tools to make their lives easier, and they’ve been gracious enough to share with the Channel. We recently began utilizing a new tool that helps our scheduling efforts tremendously, which got us thinking about a few of our favorite tools that have made our ConnectWise interaction much more pleasant. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but here are our top 4.

ConnectSMART

You can’t manage what you can’t measure, and the analytics that come out of ConnectWise are not always accurate and almost always painful to extract. ConnectSMART solves this problem. For years, our MSP, ARRC Technology, has utilized this tool to get a clear pulse on our profitability, problem tickets, dispatching woes, and general health of our NOC. It takes the information out of ConnectWise and turns it into discernable charts and graphs that are available at a moment’s notice. CharTec Members get a special discount, as well as access to additional resources.

TimeZest

The newcomer on the block inspired this blog and deserves a shout out. One of the most painful processes for our NOC and our customers is scheduling time, whether it’s on-site or coordinating a remote session. TimeZest allows the customer to pick a convenient time based on technicians’ real-time availability avoiding email ping-pong, repeated rescheduling, and frustration. In our recent webinar, available on CORE, TimeZest offered 10% off for one year for CharTec Members. Check it out and ease your scheduling woes. You can also try out their FREE version with no obligation.

ConnectBooster

Kiss payment concerns goodbye. People in MSP forums ask what to do about late payers all the time. The answer is invest in ConnectBooster. This integration speeds up your invoicing process and improves your cash flow. Implementing ConnectBooster reduced our A/R from around 45 days to approximately 5 days.

Smileback

Customer satisfaction surveys tend to be the bane of every MSP’s existence. That’s not because of the information they contain. Most MSPs can’t get their customers to fill the survey out at all. Smileback is a simplified survey with a single question that automatically fires off based on ticket status. Implementing this system resulted in a 35% increase in customer satisfaction survey submissions.

We get it. We wish ConnectWise was easier out of the box too, but it’s not going to happen. Thankfully, there are creative people that are bringing helpful tools to the table. We have found these investments are worth it in cost, time, and frustration savings. What tools did we leave out of this list that have changed the way you use your PSA?