What is hyperautomation and why does it matter to MSPs?

Hyperautomation is an advanced end-to-end approach that integrates several automation technologies to automate complex business processes and deliver digital transformation at speed and scale. These technologies include robotic process automation (RPA), workflow orchestration, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), process mining, and advanced analytics.

Hyperautomation creates an operational harmony using the people, process, and technology (PPT) framework, which can benefit all stakeholders. 

Evolution from break/fix to managed services to hyperautomation

Hyperautomation is the next piece of evolution in IT support and operational efficiency. We started with break/fix and evolved to managed services then workflow automation to arrive at hyperautomation.

• The break/fix model is reactive IT support, leading to client downtime and higher operating costs.
• Managed services introduced proactive monitoring and management, improving system stability with a focus on automated processes.
• Workflow automation streamlined and automated repetitive tasks, enhancing efficiency.
• Hyperautomation takes it further, leveraging AI, ML, and RPA to automate complex end-to-end business processes. The result is unprecedented levels of efficiency, agility, scalability, and cost savings, empowering organizations to adapt to changing market dynamics and stay competitive.

The evolution may feel linear, but the individual MSP journey is not. Organizations may adopt different stages based on their needs and technological advancements.

3 tiers of hyperautomation sophistication

The building blocks of hyperautomation include three tiers of technology. Each added tier integrates with the next, working together to continually improve efficiencies and outcomes for MSPs.

Tier 1: Robotic process automation

Robotic process automation (RPA) is the basic building block of hyperautomation. RPA applications only need basic training or programming to execute repetitive tasks such as data entry or document scanning. Think of RPA as simple scripts written to perform specific, narrowly defined tasks. RPA eliminates human error, ensures consistent execution, and accelerates processes by freeing up valuable time and resources.

Tier 2: AI-enabled tools

When AI is integrated with RPA, MSPs can perform more complex tasks that require research and decision-making. But perhaps most importantly, it can learn and train algorithms.

Tier 3: Customized large language models

At the top of the sophistication levels are large language models (LLMs) that organizations build themselves. The LLMs are trained using industry- and company-specific details. It can perform complex tasks such as writing company texts, delivering advanced interactive training, or analyzing complex data streams to formulate critical recommendations.

Hyperautomation benefits for MSPs

As mentioned above, technology and IT have been evolving at an unprecedented rate, transforming the way businesses operate. Using the best technology available to your specific business model always has the benefit of enhancing efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness. Hyperautomation is no different, and it’s leaps and bounds beyond where we’ve been before as outlined in the benefits below.

1. Less repetitive tasks, more value-add work

Automating more repetitive and manual tasks across the business leads to improved efficiency, increased productivity, and reduced human errors. This means MSPs can free up their teams to focus on more strategic and customer-centric value-added work.

2. Experiences that turn customers into fans

Hyperautomation can help automate and streamline customer-facing processes too. Automated ticketing can lead to faster response and resolution times for customer issues, and chatbots and virtual assistants can provide 24/7 support for answering FAQs and guiding customers through self-service options. Faster and more accessible customer service can lead to higher satisfaction and loyalty.

3. A faster path to operational maturity

Hyperautomation helps MSPs automate end-to-end processes across different departments and systems. It eliminates silos and improves collaboration, communication, and data sharing within the organization. This leads to streamlined workflows, reduced bottlenecks, and improved overall operational efficiency.

4. Transformation of supply chain management

Automating inventory management, order processing, and payment reconciliation optimizes MSP supply chain management. These systems integrations reduce manual errors, improve order accuracy, and accelerate payment cycles. The results are smoother operations, better vendor relationships, and cost savings.

5. New services, more revenue

Hyperautomation can mean huge service offering opportunities for MSPs. It makes it easier to offer partners advanced analytics, predictive maintenance, security monitoring, and other value-added services. These services can help MSPs build new revenue streams, differentiate from competitors, and attract new customers.

MSP hyperautomation use cases

The “end-to-end” aspect of business automation is the true glory of hyperautomation. It’s exciting that MSPs can get creative to see how much they can do to improve every aspect of their business in a way that’s customized to their business. An easy way to identify use cases is to list challenges that your business routinely faces. We’ve highlighted a few of those categories and use cases below, but this list is by no means exhaustive.

Business lifecycle

Client onboarding

Hyperautomation can streamline and accelerate MSPs' client onboarding process. By automating tasks such as data collection, documentation, and service provisioning, MSPs can reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and ensure a smooth onboarding experience for clients. Hyperautomation can also integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, ticketing systems, and other tools to automate workflows and notifications, ensuring all necessary steps are completed efficiently.

Client QBRs

Quarterly business reviews are crucial for MSPs to assess the performance of their services and align with client goals. Hyperautomation can help MSPs gather and analyze relevant data from various sources, such as service usage metrics, SLA compliance, and customer feedback. By automating the data collection and analysis process, MSPs can generate comprehensive reports and insights, enabling them to provide valuable recommendations and demonstrate the value they bring to their clients.

Client compliance assessment

Compliance is a critical aspect for many businesses, especially those operating in regulated industries. Hyperautomation can assist MSPs in conducting compliance assessments for their clients by automating data gathering, analysis, and reporting. It can help identify any non-compliance issues, track remediation efforts, and generate audit-ready reports. This not only saves time and effort but also ensures that clients meet regulatory requirements and maintain a secure and compliant environment.

Billing, accounting, and finance

Invoicing

Automate invoice generation and delivery to streamline the invoicing process. Hyperautomation can help integrate various systems, such as ticketing systems or service management platforms, to gather accurate data on services rendered. By automating invoice creation, customization, and distribution, MSPs can reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and ensure timely and accurate billing for their clients.

Billing reconciliation

Hyperautomation can automate the reconciliation of billing records with financial systems, ensuring accuracy and consistency. It can compare invoices, payments, and other financial data, automatically identifying discrepancies and resolving them. This helps MSPs maintain accurate financial records, improve cash flow management, and reduce the risk of billing errors or disputes.

Client profitability vs service usage

Analyze service usage data and associated costs to gain insights into individual clients' profitability. By automating the collection and analysis of data related to service usage, resource allocation, and associated expenses, MSPs can gain a comprehensive understanding of client profitability. This information can be used to optimize service offerings, pricing models, and resource allocation strategies to maximize profitability.

Ticketing

Managing volume overload or spikes

MSPs often face situations where they experience a sudden surge in ticket volume for many reasons, including system outages, software updates, or other incidents. Hyperautomation can help MSPs handle these spikes by automating the triage and categorization of tickets. By leveraging AI and machine learning algorithms, hyperautomation can analyze ticket patterns, prioritize critical issues, and route them to the appropriate teams or individuals for resolution. This ensures that high-priority tickets are addressed promptly, reducing response times and improving customer satisfaction.

Narrow prioritization avoidance

Hyperautomation can help MSPs avoid overly narrow prioritization by incorporating additional factors into the ticket prioritization process. For example, it can consider an issue's impact on business operations, the number of affected users, or the potential for escalation. Automating this decision-making process helps MSPs prioritize tickets based on their true importance and impact, leading to more efficient resource allocation and issue resolution.

Issue tracking and analysis

Get comprehensive visibility into the status and progress of tickets throughout their lifecycle. When using hyperautomation to track and monitor tickets, MSPs can gain insights into key metrics such as ticket resolution time, average response time, or backlog size. This enables MSPs to identify bottlenecks, optimize workflows, and improve overall ticket management efficiency.

Hyperautomation with ConnectWise

ConnectWise empowers MSPs with a comprehensive hyperautomation solution that simplifies automation processes, leverages generative AI for intelligent workflows, and integrates seamlessly within their existing IT ecosystem. Built on the ConnectWise Asio platform, ConnectWise RPA™ takes advantage of a centralized data layer, empowering MSPs to create insights and automation that span products in ways point solutions never could.

• RPA at the core
  ConnectWise offers a robust RPA solution built into Asio, the first true MSP platform. Functionality provides an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface for building automation across workflows, simplifying the process.
• Centralized workflow engine
  Asio is a central hub for all automation, ensuring seamless experiences across various ConnectWise products, Microsoft solutions, and even third-party applications with APIs. This eliminates the need for multiple automation tools and simplifies management.
• Focus on AI-powered automation
  ConnectWise goes beyond basic RPA by integrating AI capabilities such as machine learning. This allows for functionalities such as automated ticket categorization, resolution suggestions, and even generating reports
• Leading hyperautomation in the industry
  CRN® chose ConnectWise to be on the inaugural AI 100 list in the Software category in 2024. The list recognizes companies making critical investments in their AI portfolios and commitment to innovation specific to channel partners.

The evolution of hyperautomation is a huge opportunity for MSPs. With the combination of several automation technologies, it has use cases across your entire business for end-to-end automation that is only limited by your imagination. As the automation landscape evolves, MSPs will find more ways to streamline day-to-day operations, give service that turns customers into raving fans, and create new revenue streams. Get even more details in “The Ultimate Guide to Hyperautomation”.