For IT resellers, especially Microsoft CSP partners, the first line of cloud business service for distribution of operational processes was Office 365. With the increase in demand of cloud business services, there is a dire need to opt for business processes automation services from CSPs. For example: Processes like Customer demand operations overburden the ERP system and so a need for cloud-based system was evolved.
Even today, Microsoft CSPs often experience an obstruction in cloud computing services business growth which leads to lesser margins. In order to increase business growth, it is important to highlight the processes that can be automated and are currently being carried out manually. Here, we highlight a few such processes that every Microsoft CSP must know to in order to automate for better business growth.
-
Changing margins due to change in Microsoft’s Prices
Let’s face it. We’ve all been in a situation where we think again on what sales price to quote to the customers for a better profit margin. It is due to the fact that Microsoft frequently changes its Azure and Office 365 cost prices, leaving every Microsoft CSP in confusion. For better revenue it is essential that your account manager is updated with the Microsoft’s latest pricing spreadsheets. Let’s say, a quote for a service can give you better margins in January but not the same good margin the next month! With manual checking, you’d need a huge team to just keep checking for the updates every now and then from Microsoft. The sane solution would be: Go for automation and change quotes accordingly for better profit margins.
-
ERP overload due to manual updation of License Quantities
A manual creation of new sales order each time a customer’s buys something from your business service, the ERP would stay sane for a couple of thousand orders but once your revenue stream goes up, by say 50 thousand USD, the process would become extremely laborious. In order to cater for that, every Microsoft CSP must assess new automation approaches to simplify complex tasks in your cloud computing services.
-
Invoicing your customers (The mess has just begun)
Even today some CSPs are going through manual invoicing, where you add the customers costs. Depending upon your setup, you might have another person handle the suppliers like Microsoft. These are two different jobs but have a huge impact on your business revenue if not done in harmony.
The person handling manual invoices must create invoices based on the billing system and calculate costs. Thu number of updates makes the process more messy depending upon the billing cycle for each customer. At the end, nobody is sure that the final invoice is exactly what it should be, since it is a manual generation.
-
Microsoft Cost Reconciliation and resulting Discrepancies in costs
The manual systems get more complicated when the business has to pay the supplier like Microsoft right away. You might notice after a few cycles that there is no reconciliation between the supplier invoice for a billing cycle and the customers’ payments for the same billing cycle. Since you can’t say no to a supplier (ever), your cloud computing services business suffers because of manual invoicing practice.
-
The struggle to deliver cost-transparency
Customers demand cost-transparency. That is not really possible if the data is managed manually. With a larger customer base, this is practically impossible without an automated approach.
ALSO READ: 3 ways MachPanel can boost your business profits
Fast-track your business with automaton processes with MachPanel
The process you are carrying out in a manual approach, surely hinder your business growth one day as your customer base grows. You should never let these manual processes impair your business productivity. It is therefore important to synchronization and consolidation between business systems and processes. Adopting business process automation services is the key to solve this problem.
MachPanel provides you all the necessary tools and an integrated platform to automate your cloud business through a pool of business process automation services. With integrated invoicing, automated billing and different automation modules for business productivity like Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange, and Microsoft Skype for Business Server, Microsoft Work Folders, Microsoft Directory Sync, Microsoft Hyper V and Microsoft Dynamics 365, you get the required tools needed for a 365 degree business automating.
The icing on the cake: MachPanel Automation Platform for Microsoft CSP
With this module, you can fully automate and manage entire lifecycle of your Direct and Indirect CSP Business with MachPanel. You own and control the billing, along with the freedom to showcase bundle and sell integrated offers with a hybrid marketplace. The platform provides easy ways to Provision, Manage, support & Bill Microsoft CSP.
Go the extra mile with Automation and experience hassle-free Reselling. Get started with MachPanel today.