PSA Software: Standard Operating Procedure?

The stat of the day: During the HTG 2009 Summit and Q2 peer group meeting in Dallas, virtually all of the 300-plus attending solutions providers indicated that they’re using PSA (professional services automation) software.

The stat surfaced during a main conference session. Guest speaker Paul C. Dippell, founder and CEO of Service Leadership, asked attendees if anyone had not yet made the move to PSA software. Of the 300 attendees, virtually all of them indicated that they had embraced PSA software.

The reason? “You have to have a PSA, because labor is your inventory and you have to track labor,” said Dippell.

The HTG Peer Group conference brings together MSPs and solutions providers who meet in small groups and share confidential company information — financials, operating margins, etc. — in order to drive the individual companies forward.

The link between HTG peer group members and ConnectWise also is incredibly high. The vast majority of attendees indicated that they are running ConnectWise, and CEO Arnie Bellini is here talking about how ConnectWise is enhancing its software for HTG members.

I am not suggeting that ConnectWise “dominates” the PSA market. But Bellini has tactfully built a high correlation between HTG members and ConnectWise deployments. And two of the upcoming HTG peer group meetings will be held in coordination with the annual ConnectWise Partner Summit.

For its part, ConnectWise rival Autotask has also built relationships with member- and peer-driven organizations such as the MSP Services Network (MSPSN). I’ve also been trading email lately with the Tigerpaw Software team, to get a feel for where they compete in the PSA market — and beyond the PSA market. More coverage to follow in the days ahead.

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