By Alexandre Laflamme Subject Matter Expert – Modern Workplace at Sherweb

You’ve probably been hearing about business transformation for quite awhile, but it’s no less pertinent today than at any other time. There will always be paradigm shifts forcing your clients to have a different outlook on how they do things. The productivity and competitiveness of your clients’ business should always be a top priority for you, and the concept of business transformation goes hand-in-hand with this. So why not help your clients improve their strategy and speed up their business transformation? There’s no better way to make it happen than with Microsoft 365. 

Leverage business transformation with strategic consulting

How do you serve your customers? If you do a lot of one-off requests, generally working in a break/fix environment, you may want to re-evaluate your business model. Subscription-based or ongoing managed services are not only more profitable for your company, but are much more time- and cost-efficient. One way to make the switch from break/fix to a managed service provider (MSP) is by positioning yourself as a strategic consultant. Existing MSPs can also use this tactic to show lasting value for their clients, and of course, speed up their business transformation.

Strategic consulting includes a variety of activities that can help your customers increase their productivity, their profitability and their overall brand loyalty. Helping them build expansion strategies, providing training courses around your value-added services for Microsoft 365 and conducting performance audits on a quarterly basis to ensure you’re a vital part of their future are just a few examples of tasks that could push you into a more strategic role.

Start with digital transformation

It’s important to note that when deciding how to transform a customer’s business, digital transformation also needs to happen. According to a 2018 survey by Tech Pro Research, 70% of companies either have a digital transformation strategy in place or are working on one. Indeed, one could argue that digital transformation by itself can spark or speed up business transformation overall.

Business transformations happen through systems, processes, people and technology. Activities central to transforming a client’s business should include driving user adoption of new systems, processes and tech to increase productivity, improve collaborative efforts and increase security, among other important measures. These activities are all key elements of digital transformation, and they should all be a part of your business transformation strategy.

Why is this necessary?

Increasing adoption of new processes can free up IT resources so clients can focus on bigger projects; increasing opportunities for collaboration can in turn increase productivity within the entire organization; and ramping up cybersecurity creates an environment where users don’t have to worry about being vulnerable to attacks or compromising sensitive data, regardless of where they might be working from. Focusing on the above areas will propel your clients towards the crux of their business transformation goal: increase competitiveness in a constantly evolving market.

How do you accomplish this?

For MSPs and other cloud resellers, Microsoft 365 is the gateway to facilitating business transformation for clients. Its suite of productivity, collaboration and communication tools satisfy all of the aforementioned requirements for digital transformation. The complexity of the Microsoft ecosystem also presents opportunities for MSPs to position themselves as their clients’ strategic consultant.

Imagine one of your clients is looking for remote work solutions. You suggest utilizing Microsoft 365 and related tools to get the job done, which with the correct configurations and proper security measures, makes working from home easy. When your clients start to see their business operating efficiently and securely in a remote setup, additional projects and opportunities can arise—breaking into new geographical markets, for example. As their strategic consultant, trusted IT advisor and general business transformation guide, you’re now in an excellent position to be an integral part of these expansion plans. It all starts with Microsoft 365!

Start the conversation with value-added services

Discussions with clients about business transformation should revolve around security, productivity and education. In addition to Microsoft 365, offering value-added services focused on those three areas will also help speed up business transformation for your clients. Working with the right partner goes a long way on this front! For example, Sherweb’s arsenal of cloud products, solutions and services are specifically tailored to help partners deliver digital and business transformation for their clients.

Work with the right partner

Packaging value-added services alongside Microsoft 365 can have a massive impact on your clients’ productivity and adoption rates, effectively speeding up their business transformation and helping them achieve their goals. As their dedicated cloud provider, your role in this process is vital and can have a major influence on your own business growth.

Working with the right value-added cloud solutions provider is the key to making this all a reality. Check out our Partner Guide to learn more about how Sherweb can help your business reach its full cloud potential.

About the Author

Alex helps Sherweb partners be successful in the cloud. Whether it requires navigating treacherous waters or scaling towering peaks, he’s determined to guide and advise all partners to reach their full cloud potential. His past professional experience includes five years in banking, in addition to running a small custom computer business and dabbling as a professional gamer. Outside of leading Sherweb partners towards their loftiest goals, Alex is a big fan of the English Premier League, and enjoys collecting old school Magic the Gathering cards.