7 Ways UCaaS Can Grow a Managed Service Provider’s Business

The Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) market is expanding rapidly, creating new opportunities for managed service providers (MSPs) to scale their businesses. With companies relying more on digital communication solutions, the UCaaS market is expected to continue growing, allowing MSPs to offer essential, revenue-generating services while enhancing client retention. The right platform makes it easy to deliver seamless voice, video, and messaging services under your own brand—without the complexity of managing the infrastructure yourself.

For MSPs looking to stay competitive, adding UCaaS to their portfolio is a strategic move. A streamlined reseller platform provides the tools needed to onboard clients quickly, automate billing, and maintain high service reliability. By choosing the right UCaaS partner, MSPs can focus on growing their business while delivering the communication solutions businesses demand.

What is a Managed Service Provider?

A managed service provider (MSP) is a third-party company that remotely manages and maintains a customer’s information technology (IT) infrastructure and end-user systems. MSPs offer a range of services, including network and infrastructure management, security and monitoring, technical support, and subscription services.

By outsourcing IT management to an MSP, businesses can improve their operations, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. MSPs work with small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), nonprofits, and government agencies to provide day-to-day management services, allowing these organizations to focus on their core activities without worrying about IT infrastructure management.

What Managed Service Providers Should Know About Cloud Solutions

UCaaS is gaining traction among businesses seeking to unify disparate communication tools into a single, efficient platform. By integrating services such as email, instant messaging, video conferencing, and client interactions, organizations can minimize miscommunications and streamline workflows.

Recent data underscores the growing adoption of UCaaS across industries:

• Enhanced Security: UCaaS platforms offer robust security measures, effectively addressing current cybersecurity and data protection concerns.
• Evolution Beyond VoIP: While traditional landline phones are becoming obsolete, and modern VoIP solutions enable remote workforces, VoIP alone can become insufficient as an organization grows. UCaaS has become the gold standard, offering VoIP and other enterprise communications and collaboration tools integrated into one cloud-based platform. Modern tools enhance businesses’ VoIP systems with enterprise-level features that can support a diverse workforce.
• Rapid Adoption: The UCaaS market is projected to grow to $215.53 billion by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.2%.

For resellers and managed service providers aiming to diversify their offerings, the accelerating popularity and promising forecasts of UCaaS present a compelling opportunity to offer services that deliver high-value solutions to clients.

Why Managed Service Providers Should Add UCaaS to Their Services: The Client-Facing Benefits

Making significant changes to your product catalog and services can be intimidating, especially if you’ve offered the same products for years or your current partners don’t provide a UCaaS solution to resell. 

Managed service providers can offer IT pros diverse experiences and opportunities, including geographical flexibility and potentially competitive salaries. Consider how adding UCaaS can benefit your company. Let’s start by weighing the advantages on the client-facing side of your business.

1. You Become a Contender for Prospective Clients Who Are Considering Switching to UCaaS in the Future

Managed service providers need a constant pipeline of new prospects to replace clients who have left your services or add to your existing client base. These new businesses will want UCaaS. Resellers who focus on the healthcare industry and other medical organizations, especially, are seeing unprecedented demand for UCaaS because of its data security and multi-channel offerings.

If your company doesn’t offer UCaaS, they may never find you. You won’t show up in the SERPs for UCaaS providers, your website won’t have content about UCaaS, and companies that require UCaaS service offerings from a potential MSP will automatically rule you out. 

Simply having and promoting UCaaS opens the door to new markets and businesses. Additionally, understanding the role of MSPs in fulfilling specific gaps in IT systems can help tailor your services to meet the unique needs of these new clients.

2. Your Company Can Cultivate a Reputation for Knowing Cutting-Edge Trends and Technologies

By jumping into the UCaaS market, experimenting with the product offerings, and gaining an in-depth knowledge of the solutions, you become a technology authority. MSPs offer diverse job roles, including IT support specialists, network operations technicians, and security analysts, showcasing the breadth of opportunities within the industry. Having UCaaS on your catalog is a big boost for your reputation for the following reasons:

• You can consult with companies about the unique UCaaS solution that’s right for them.
• You can publish content about using and thriving with UCaaS.
• You can speak intelligently to customers who don’t see a difference between different “aaS” (as a service) options and just want something that works.

Establishing yourself as a go-to expert in UCaaS enhances your credibility and strengthens customer trust, positioning your business as a reliable technology partner.

3. You Mitigate the Risk of Looking Outdated or Old-Fashioned

SMBs seeking modern telecom solutions will be searching for UCaaS from a managed service provider. If a potential customer finds your service and sees that only older services are offered, they’re likely to move on to a competitor who offers UCaaS. 

Providing UCaaS services will also signal to owners of smaller businesses that don’t yet require the robust features of a UCaaS system that your business will be a partner for the long term. As their business grows, they’ll be confident that you can grow and scale with them and their evolving telecom needs.

4. Clients Can See You as an Objective Consultant Instead of a Pushy Sales Organization

In the B2B market, client-side buyers can see salespeople as too interested in making a sale instead of substantively solving a problem. In fact, 75% of buyers would rather navigate the market without a sales rep. 

There has been a push toward IT consulting rather than IT selling: prospective client companies that need advice on different product options want objective answers. They want recommendations that are tailored to their requirements, trusting that the consultant is putting their needs first.

Broadening your catalog of services and solutions gives you greater flexibility to converse as a consultant rather than a pushy salesperson who is limited to only a few offerings. With more options, you can listen to your client’s needs, tailor a custom solution that’s best for them, and win their confidence in your expertise and care, signaling to them that you’re putting their needs and concerns first.

Why Managed Service Providers Should Add UCaaS to Their Services: The Internal Benefits

Some MSPs balk at changing their own internal communication operations, worrying that their work will be complicated by introducing a new system they don’t fully understand. What if the risk isn’t worth the reward?

The benefits of using UCaaS in your own business outweigh any perceived negatives of adapting to a new internal system.

5. You Gain More Data About What Services Your Clients and Prospects Want

Gathering data about usage patterns, new sales and upsells, and other customer trends over time is a great strategy for strengthening your business. As you expand your product catalog, you can gather even more data so you know:

• What areas to route more support and resources to
• What business offerings to prioritize
• The unique UCaaS “footprints” of different customer personas that you want to reach
• The usage patterns across the year

Every part of your revenue team can use this data to make changes and generate more accurate forecasts over time. Whether you have a larger organization or run your company on your own, you can formulate these insights into actionable views that help you grow your business more methodically.

6. You Can Refine Your Bundles and Management Services Prices

Your data will also help you configure product offers, pricing, and bundles. You can A/B test different product combinations, such as customizable bundles, to better understand the pricing that resonates best with your audience. 

Because you’ll also have an expanded repertoire of services, you can add that unique selling point as you’re calculating pricing norms. The sooner you build out your product catalog and test different pricing strategies, the sooner you can arrive at the right approaches for your market.

7. It’s Always Better to Learn Continuously Over Time Instead of Being Blindsided By New Technologies

Reselling new products and solutions can be an administrative burden. You need to learn the ins and outs of the new system, have resources for stress-testing your business models, and experiment with your marketing. 

Learning about UCaaS technologies and best practices will be an inevitable requirement. Choosing to be proactive in watching market trends and making intelligent business moves now, instead of waiting until you’re forced to adapt to catch up to your competitors, keeps you ahead of the game and a relevant partner to your existing customer base.

Key Features of UCaaS

When evaluating UCaaS platforms, look for these features:

• Cloud-based Infrastructure: UCaaS solutions should be hosted in the cloud to provide scalability, flexibility, and cost savings. A cloud-based infrastructure means businesses can easily scale their communication tools as they grow, without the need for significant upfront investments in hardware.
• Enterprise-grade Features: UCaaS solutions should offer advanced features such as video conferencing, screen sharing, and instant messaging to support business communications. These enterprise-grade features ensure that businesses have the tools they need to facilitate seamless and efficient communication, both internally and with clients.
• Integration with Existing Systems: UCaaS solutions should be able to integrate with existing IT systems, such as CRM and ERP, to provide a seamless user experience. Integration capabilities mean that businesses can streamline their workflows and improve productivity by having all their communication tools in one place.
• Security and Threat Detection: UCaaS solutions should have robust security protocols in place, including threat detection and encryption, to protect business communications.
• Management Services: UCaaS solutions should offer management services, such as monitoring, to ensure that the solution is running smoothly and efficiently. These services help businesses maintain high levels of performance and reliability, without the need for extensive in-house IT resources.
• Data Analytics: UCaaS solutions should provide data analytics to help businesses understand how their communications systems are being used and identify areas for improvement.

Marketing and Selling UCaaS

Marketing and selling UCaaS solutions requires a strategic approach. Here are some strategies for success:

• Identify Your Target Audience: Understand the needs and pain points of your target audience, such as SMBs and enterprises, and tailor your marketing and sales approach accordingly. You can address their specific challenges and demonstrate how UCaaS can solve their problems.
• Highlight the Benefits: Emphasize the benefits of UCaaS solutions, such as cost savings, increased productivity, and improved customer experience.
• Use Case Studies and Testimonials: Use case studies and testimonials from existing customers to demonstrate the value of your UCaaS solution.
• Offer a Free Trial or Demo: Offer a free trial or demo of your UCaaS solution to allow potential customers to experience the benefits firsthand.
• Provide a Guide: Provide a guide or whitepaper that outlines the benefits and features of UCaaS solutions and how they can be used to support business communications. Educational content positions you as an expert and helps potential customers make informed decisions.
• Prioritize Energy and Effort: Prioritize your energy and effort on the most promising leads and opportunities, and be prepared to address any concerns or objections that potential customers may have.

By following these strategies, MSPs can effectively market and sell UCaaS solutions, driving growth and success in their business.

The First Step is Partnering with the Right UCaaS Platform

Selecting the right UCaaS partner to help you grow your business is a smart decision. As you start your search, keep these core requirements in mind. The right partner will:

• Help address your lingering concerns
• Give you a solid foundation for succeeding in the market (without stifling your growth)
• Value your independence, letting you run your business according to your own values, goals, mission, and customers’ needs

Step 1. Find a Partner That Allows White-Labeling and Reselling

As a managed service provider, the last thing you want is to find your business partnered with services that are overly burdensome or restrictive. No one knows your market’s needs better than you do, so your partner should provide the freedom to offer the pricing, promotions, and bundles that work best. As you consider prospective partners, ensure there’s independence for everyone. They should offer true white-labeling and reselling opportunities that keep you in control of what your company offers and how you operate. 

Step 2. Focus on Partners That Provide Training and Education

UCaaS is an entirely new class of solutions that breaks down communication barriers and offers a brand-new paradigm for how businesses can get work done. Unless you’re already a UCaaS expert, look for a partner that offers robust training and onboarding protocols. Before you start offering UCaaS to new prospects and established clients, your partner should give you and your team a thorough understanding of their platform.

Favor companies that offer you the following training resources:

• A multi-week onboarding process where your team can thoroughly explore the User Services Platform (USP) and functionalities of the solution, with detailed technical training
• A variety of immediate and ongoing learning resources like web conferences, live onboarding support, and a separate support team for technical issues or complex questions
• Billing training so you can manage the complex taxes surrounding UCaaS and digital telecom solutions, provide professional invoices to your clients, and remit taxes properly

Step 3. Examine Their Success. Are Their Services Good Enough to Support Your Brand’s Integrity?

Your UCaaS partner should truly be a partner, an organization that is well-versed in its own solutions and can provide a high-quality product that supports your brand’s integrity and won’t disappoint your customers. To find a partner that meets or exceeds your standards, look for companies that have multiple years of success in white-labeled services, uptime of over 99.999%, and positive reviews from both end-users and reselling partners.

Grow Your MSP Business with the Right UCaaS Solution

If you haven’t added a UCaaS solution to your product offerings, the time is now. The market is exploding, and your company is perfectly timed to reach new customers. But you can only grow your business successfully if you have a UCaaS partner with the right business practices and high-quality products that you and your customers expect.At SkySwitch, we offer white-labeling and reselling opportunities to managed service providers, and we prioritize giving you complete flexibility so you can interact with your market and your region on your own terms. Get started today to learn about our reselling opportunities and UCaaS solutions