Seriously, there has been an awful lot of discussion in the media about the role of service automation and computerization of business processes. The reality is that through APIs, machine learning, monitors, sensors and actuators, we are beginning a process by which many workloads formerly handled by people will be accomplished through computers.
Service providers have been ahead of this curve by many years. It is now possible to receive an order from a customer on an order form on the website, collect credit card payment, remit a receipt and setup for recurring billing with zero customer interaction. In fact, often, the only manual process is the process of reviewing for possible fraud.
It is now also possible for a customer to receive their cloud service completely automated. They are issued welcome emails, credentials and getting started guides without any human help. They can log in to control panels and applications and begin configuring and using their services immediately. Suspension and re-enablement of service can even be fully automated based on payment history or lack thereof.
Even our support and ticketing systems have become highly automated. They kick out automated emails upon the receipt of the support request and then also can close out tickets when they have aged sufficiently. Automated emails con issue based on internal service monitors to make customers aware of issues. Even FAQ and best practice checks can be automated to try to reduce the support in flow.
Why do we need all of this automation? While it may seem obvious that these systems reduce operational costs, this only a small part of the story. Many (maybe even most) customers prefer to do for themselves. Self-service allows the customer to be in control of their timelines and enjoy the feeling of responsiveness from their provider.
Also, service automation systems reduce human error. Incorrect data entry, mistaken meanings and plain old laziness can really degrade the customer experience. When it is automated, careful configuration and planning can really remove the human error factor. Automation also allows your employees to concentrate on the inevitable difficult issues instead of being distracted by mundane things.
Finally, automation can really simplify the operation of your business. You are not an accounting firm. You are not a support company. Concentrate on your core value propositions.
Add Acronis Backup Cloud service to your existing system automation software
Acronis Backup Cloud integration settings.
At Acronis we believe in trying to leverage our resellers’ existing billing, control panel and system automation software. We have integrated Acronis Backup Cloud into a number of popular industry service automation software solutions like Odin Automation, WHMCS, Hostbill, and ConnectWise, plus we have great APIs for tying it into other systems.
We are also looking to tie into hosting control panels like Plesk and cPanel to create a bundled service offering with websites, applications and backup. We will be rolling all of these integrations out across the year. Please stay tuned, visit Acronis Backup Cloud integration page and review Acronis Partner Programs.
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About Acronis
A Swiss company founded in Singapore in 2003, Acronis has 15 offices worldwide and employees in 50+ countries. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is available in 26 languages in 150 countries and is used by over 20,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses.
