Autotask CEO: MSPs must reinvent the customer experience

Mark Cattini tells audience at Synaxon annual conference that challenging the status quo and ensuring top customer experience is the key to MSP success

Disrupting the norm is a proven method of ensuring business success, claimed the CEO of services automation platform vendor Autotask.

Using the example of companies such as Dyson, Apple, Uber and United Airlines, Mark Cattini (pictured) explained how MSPs need to focus on their customer experience and make the most of every possible "customer touch point" to ensure future growth of their companies and keep those customers engaged.

"For years we had all got used to the idea of square vacuum cleaners," he said. "But Dyson came along and reinvented the whole experience for customers with their ball design, and has disrupted the industry as we knew it.

"United Airlines is another example. They are taking advantage of every single touch point in their business. Ten years ago, flying wasn't the greatest experience, but now with United it is easy to find a flight, manage that flight, move seat and get rewards," he explained.

"The customer lounge was another experience with a few dried-up sandwiches. Now you can get a gourmet meal before you get on your plane. It is not just about the five or so hours in the air anymore, it is the whole experience. They have transformed a tired industry."

He also mentioned Apple and its continued dominance in the mobile phone space. "Apple reinvented packaging and the whole retail experience," he said. "Fifteen years ago Apple did not have stores, but it decided to get as many touch points as it could. Now people are immersed in the brand. Apple has reinvented every aspect of the experience and maximised every touch point."

He also talked about the Uber revolution and how it is transforming the transportation industry, particularly in the US.

"Customer experience leads to customer retention," he said. "If you retain 90 per cent of your customers, you know you have to grow 11 per cent just to stand still. And if you keep 80 per cent, that means a 25 per cent growth target just to stand still. If you retain only 70 per cent of your customers, that equals 43 per cent growth needed the following year, and you are not growing, you are shrinking."

"If you want to grow, you have to retain existing customers, and the question is, are you meeting your client expectations? It is about what they think, not you. Customer experience matters."