Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are the backbone of IT operations, ensuring seamless system performance, robust security, and reliable end-user support.
But what does a day in the life of an MSP executive really look like?
To find out, we sat down with Tim Coach—an industry veteran, experienced MSP leader, and Chief Evangelist at Cynomi—who shared his insights on the key priorities, challenges, and opportunities shaping the MSP landscape today.
A Typical Day for an MSP Leader: Controlled Chaos and Constant Prioritization
According to Tim, a day in the life of an MSP is a mix of structured processes and unpredictable challenges—what he calls “controlled chaos.”
Morning: Immediate firefighting
The day starts the moment their feet hit the ground—often before, as they check their phones first thing for urgent issues. If a critical problem arises overnight, they may start working on it before even leaving their homes. On a bad day, phones, emails, and tickets are already piling up, demanding immediate attention.
Daily Operations: Balancing technical, sales, and strategy
MSPs generally focus on three key areas:
1. Help Desk & Technical Support
“The help desk is the heart and soul of an MSP,” says Tim. “It’s anything from a password reset to an entire company losing access to the internet.”
MSPs must ensure that client environments are running smoothly. The help desk is the front line, handling everything from minor software issues to network outages that can cripple an entire company. This team is essential to keeping businesses operational.
2. Sales & Business Growth
“You’re constantly looking at your pipeline,” Tim explains. “Where are the new opportunities? What can we cross-sell or upsell to existing clients?”
Beyond fixing IT problems, MSPs must focus on pipeline development, expanding their client base, and selling additional services.
3. Business Strategy & Efficiency
“Who are the top five clients submitting the most tickets? Who’s using the most time? That’s where MSPs lose money,” says Tim. “If you’re spending hours every week fixing a client’s printer, it might be cheaper to just buy them a new one.”
MSP executives spend time analyzing ticket trends, monitoring contracts, and identifying inefficiencies that impact profitability. By analyzing ticket trends, MSPs can cut inefficiencies and improve profitability.
Ultimately, MSPs must balance immediate client needs with long-term strategic growth—a constant challenge in an unpredictable industry.
Prioritization & Crisis Management
On bad days, MSPs focus on the biggest fires:
- Major IT outages: If an entire company is affected, resolving the issue takes top priority. However, even a single user’s problem—like a payroll system failure on payday—can escalate into a crisis.
- Zero-Day security threats: MSPs must react swiftly to emerging cybersecurity threats, often before clients even realize the risk.
A typical day for an MSP is about constant decision-making—balancing technical issues, client needs, and business growth. The best MSPs don’t just react to problems; they proactively manage their operations and prioritize client relationships to maintain stability in an unpredictable environment.
The Goals of an MSP: Standardization, Growth, and Efficiency
The endgame for an MSP isn’t just survival—it’s profitability, efficiency, and scale.
To achieve that, Tim highlights these primary objectives:
- Standardization – The more MSPs standardize services, the more efficient they become. Offering the same tech stack across clients reduces complexity and increases profit margins.
- Scalability – The only way to scale profitably is by optimizing operations—from ticketing systems to client communication.
- Client relationship management – Service providers must adopt a proactive approach (rather than just reacting to issues) to foster stronger client retention and prevent churn. Tim says,“clients don’t care about the tech you use—they care that their business runs. If you’re not checking in regularly, you’re at risk of losing them.”
- New revenue streams – MSPs must constantly look for new services to offer—whether cybersecurity, compliance, or specialized consulting. “An MSP that isn’t looking for new services is falling behind, says Tim. Security, compliance, and cloud services are massive opportunities.”
The Biggest Challenges MSPs Face
MSPs operate in a high-pressure environment, and poor planning can quickly turn small problems into major business risks. Tim outlines the top challenges:
- Not specializing: Offering too many customized services for different industries or clients can make operations inefficient. Tim shares, “when an MSP serves too many industries—one medical client, one legal client, one manufacturing client—efficiency drops. The MSPs that make money are the ones that specialize.”
- Marketing & sales gaps: Most MSPs don’t invest enough in marketing and sales, which hampers growth.
- Underpricing & overdelivering – MSPs often undercharge for services while overcommitting resources. The worst thing you can do is price yourself too low and burn out your team.
- Labor shortages: There’s not enough technical talent in the industry, forcing MSPs to do more with fewer resources.
Tim stresses that MSPs must continually refine processes to overcome these challenges—otherwise, inefficiencies will erode profits.
How MSPs Prioritize Client Needs
“Everything comes down to efficiency,” Tim explains. “If your help desk spends too much time on one client, you need to look for root issues and address those, increase contract to standard billing rates, or let them go.”
With multiple clients demanding attention simultaneously, MSPs must carefully triage issues. According to Tim, mature MSPs prioritize based on standardization and urgency:
- Business impact: A payroll system going down on payday is more urgent than a single employee’s computer issue.
- Contract value & SLAs: Higher-paying clients or those with stricter SLAs may get priority.
- Recurring problems: Chronic issues consuming too many resources may require a deeper fix, such as upgrading outdated hardware.
Tim also points out that poor client communication can make any issue worse. If a client doesn’t hear from their MSP, they assume nothing is happening. Regular updates—especially during outages—build trust.
Revenue Growth Strategies
To stay competitive and profitable, MSPs must continually seek new revenue opportunities. Tim suggests a few proven strategies:
- Add security & compliance services: Clients need cybersecurity expertise—offering security assessments, compliance management, or vCISO services can significantly boost revenue. According to Tim, “If you’re not offering security, you’re missing out. Compliance is a huge revenue driver – according to Calnalys, compliance services will grow by 28% for MSPs this year”
- Upsell & cross-sell: Reviewing client contracts regularly opens opportunities for additional services, like cloud migrations or managed security.
- Bundle services for efficiency: Offering standardized packages rather than custom solutions helps streamline service delivery.
- Invest in automation: The more manual tasks MSPs can automate, the more they can scale without increasing labor costs. According to Tim, a platform, like Cynomi, is a game-changer for MSPs looking to streamline security and compliance services. By automating security assessments and compliance tracking, MSPs free up senior resources, scale security offerings, and create new revenue streams without increasing operational burden.
Tim warns that stagnant MSPs get left behind. “If you’re not actively looking for new revenue streams, you’re already losing money.”
Final Thoughts: The Future of MSPs
Tim believes the future of MSPs lies in smarter automation, security-first services, and business efficiency. The days of just fixing IT problems are over—successful MSPs position themselves as strategic partners, not just vendors.
“If you’re an MSP and you’re not prioritizing security, efficiency, and growth, you’re in trouble,” Tim says. “The MSPs that thrive will be the ones that standardize, automate, and evolve.”
As the industry evolves, MSPs must stay ahead of client needs and market trends—because in IT, the only constant is change.