5 Whys Most MSPs Stay Stuck: The Hidden Cost of Avoiding Expert Help
You didn’t build your MSP by being average. Your Team is smart, resourceful, and committed. But if you’re still dealing with the same service delivery frustrations, missed SLAs, and scalability problems year after year, it’s time to consider a hard truth:
Being smart isn't the same as being optimized.
At Advanced Global MSP Coaching, we’ve worked with countless MSPs running Autotask who’ve hit a wall, not because they lack talent, but because they’ve been conditioned to figure things out the hard way. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Here's why so many MSPs avoid outside help, and what it's really costing them.
1. Your Techs Are Smart, But They Don’t Have Time to Engineer Operational Change
Most Techs don’t like asking for help. Not because they don’t need it, but because they’re wired to solve problems on their own. That pride often leads them to hang onto tickets too long or struggle silently through inefficient workflows.
Meanwhile, the complexity of PSA tools like Autotask demands deep expertise. It took our founder over 7 years to master Autotask and service delivery optimization. Most internal Teams, even highly capable ones, simply don’t have the luxury of time to learn, test, and refine.
2. Chaos Feels Normal - But It's Quietly Costing You Thousands
Most MSPs operate with a certain level of chaos. Constant reactivity. Inconsistent time entry. Fire drills as a way of life. When everyone is used to the noise, inefficiency becomes invisible.
That chaos has a cost.
Service Delivery chaos can waste up to $31,200 per Tech per year in billable hours.
And those costs compound fast. A 5-Tech MSP could be losing over $150,000 annually. Yet owners often delay bringing in help, focusing on short-term expenses instead of long-term bleed.
"Managed Service Providers can cut IT costs by 25-45% while boosting efficiency by **up to 65%*." (discoveryit.com)
3. Previous Bad Coaching Experiences Burned You. Rightfully So.
Many MSPs bring in a consultant, follow a list of recommendations, and see no change outside of their bank account balance.
This creates a culture of distrust. But the failure wasn't in the act of getting help. It was in the model.
Advanced Global does things differently:
Short-form video training designed for MSP brains
One-year access to resources, even after you leave the program
Side-by-Side Coaching with real-time database logins
Done-For-You configurations in Autotask
A 5-person Team standing by for support
Full SDG Community access for peer feedback and live expert calls
This isn’t guidance from a distance. It’s partnership from the trenches.
4. You’re Focused on Cost Instead of Value
The first question we hear from MSP owners? "What does it cost?"
Fair enough. But the better question is: "What’s it costing you to keep doing things the hard way?"
Our average Client sees an 8x to 15x ROI.
MSP payroll is your biggest expense. And inefficiencies in Service Delivery - not sales or marketing - are usually what hold back growth. MSPs often struggle to justify help due to cost, even while losing money due to poor operational management.
"Autotask PSA scored a 79.44/100 satisfaction score in the G2 Summer 2024 report, ahead of some competitors." (datto.com)
The tool has power. But without the right workflows and coaching, it's underleveraged.
Shape
5. The Training Gap in MSP Ops is Holding You Back
There is no formal MSP leadership training. Most Service Managers were promoted from being high performing Techs. Now they’re expected to manage people, enforce process, and make strategic decisions - with no playbook.
The result? Stagnation.
Many MSPs admit they are 'not fully utilizing Autotask' and 'don't know what they don't know. Without training, they can’t optimize. Without optimization, service drags. And without trusted guidance, change stalls.
The good news? That gap is exactly where we come in.
Shape
Ready to Shift from Survival Mode to Operational Maturity?
If your goals include:
Reducing Tech churn and burnout
Delivering a consistent Client experience that earns referrals
Unlocking profit from your current workload
Then it’s not about working harder. It’s about building systems that scale. That’s what we do, side-by-side, inside your Autotask setup.
Want to know where the value is hidden in your Autotask instance? Schedule a Free Strategy Call.
Reach out at [email protected] and let’s finally build the service engine your MSP deserves.
Sources:
Datto G2 Report:https://www.datto.com/blog/autotask-2024-g2-summer-report/
DiscoveryIT:https://www.discoveryit.com/blog/the-roi-of-managed-it-during-economic-uncertainty/
Big Orange Marketing:https://bigorange.marketing/managed-service-provider-statistics/
ITSasap Blog:https://www.itsasap.com/blog/measure-msp-value