AI-powered MSP monitoring and comparison platform launched to help SMEs find the right partner – with benefits for MSPs and SMEs
CompareIT, the UK’s first AI-powered MSP comparison and monitoring site, gives MSPs a new way of generating business, based on their achievements and capabilities, while providing SMEs with a quicker and more effective way to find the partner best suited to their needs.
The platform has been founded by Simon McAlpine and Mark Flinders, who both established and grew award-winning MSP businesses before exiting to the same private-equity-backed group.
The pair later worked together at Air IT in senior transformation roles before founding MSP growth consultancy Sales Meddic in 2024.
McAlpine says CompareIT is being launched at a time when all the indicators suggest SMEs are finding it harder to find an MSP they are happy with.
“We’ve gone through a period of substantial consolidation over the last few years, and what that has led to is a lot of market movements, by which I mean businesses or SMEs moving from one managed service provider to another. Some data suggests that that volume of movement is 3.6 times higher than it was only three years ago.”
That said, he adds that typically only 5% of the market is looking to switch to a new MSP at any one time. While there are no accurate statistics on the subject, he believes a large proportion of the other 95% of SMEs are underwhelmed with the service they are getting and have remained with their existing MSP only because they lack a real reason to move or because they don’t know that there’s anything better.
McAlpine adds that, at the same time, businesses are starting to look for MSPs much earlier in their development cycle, which is increasing the number of businesses that could benefit from CompareIT.
“I’ve been in this industry for 25 years and, typically, a new business wouldn’t employ a managed service provider for about five years. Where we are today, with businesses leveraging things like AI to grow quicker and faster, the technology landscape is so much more complex that Simon McAlpine they need the resource and expertise an MSP provides much sooner. So, I think we’re going to see a ramp-up of smaller startup businesses coming to market for a first-time MSP outsource and that will drive the volume up as well.”
On the other side of the equation, McAlpine points out that MSPs themselves are finding it harder, and more costly, to find new business.
“Through our other business, Sales Meddic, when we interact with managed service providers, predominantly in the UK, they almost unanimously tell us they’re really struggling with lead generation. And they’re not just struggling with volume; they’re struggling with quality too.”
Everyone benefits
CompareIT is designed to bring these two communities together for the benefit of both.
It enables SMEs to find MSPs that that fit their needs best, by searching for and comparing more than 8,000 MSPs,using a combination of conversational AI and detailed provider data to identify the strongest matches.
“That’s the critical part,” says McAlpine. “They match to a real requirement that isn’t just driven by whoever appears at the top of Google and spends the most on a marketing budget. They’re looking for the MSPs that really meet their requirements, both technically and culturally.”
And for MSPs, it lowers client acquisition costs, provides better qualified leads and reduces the sales cycle at a time when SEO is rapidly fading.
“We are seeing a substantial decline in SEO. It depends on who you listen to, but statistics show that about 60% of searches are moving to zero click or AI to find the answer to a question. And therein lies the issue. A lot of MSPs don’t fully understand AEO, as opposed to SEO. But it is probably the opportunity of a lifetime for us to reset,” explains McAlpine. “Because SEO is focused on keywords and backlinks and the average age of content on Google is 3.9 years, that model has favoured MSPs that have been established for 20 years and have built up credibility in the industry. They’re now starting to see that decline because I think only 0.2% of weighting in AEO comes from backlinks and the average age of content on AEO is closer to two years. It’s really levelled the playing field.”
Industry endorsement
CompareIT has some heavy-weight supporters, including Connectwise and Giacom, who have no stake in the business but recognise the challenges their MSP customers face.
Terry O’Brien, CEO of Giacom, said: “One of the hardest things for MSPs is finding good-quality new business opportunities. CompareIT has the potential to make it much easier for strong MSPs to get found by businesses looking for the right expertise. Simon and Mark 26 understand that challenge first-hand, having built and run successful MSPs themselves. We think they’ve created a really valuable service for the channel and we’re very pleased to support its launch.”
CompareIT for SMEs
So, how does the platform work?
SMEs can search for an MSP, at no cost, by using the site’s guided AI search or by manually filling in their requirements. CompareIT will then present a list of MSPs within the specified area that meet those requirements, comparing 197 data points either automatically harvested by nine APIs or provided by MSPs, including their location, headcount, status (i.e. whether they have been verified by CompareIT – see below).
An Action button linked to each MSP will provide introductory information such as basic company information and Google, Trustpilot and Glassdoor ratings. A ‘See MSP’ button takes the user through to additional details, including a bio, videos, capabilities, accreditations, vendor relationships and sector experience.
MSPs that join the platform can enhance their profiles with more detailed information about their skills, capabilities and ideal customer profile. This helps improve the accuracy of search results and enables subscribing MSPs to receive highly qualified enquiries from businesses looking for their expertise.
Monitoring for SMEs
In addition to free Search, SMEs can pay to monitor MSPs. As well as letting users keep tabs on MSPs they might be interested in by monitoring changes to the provider information, this feature lets businesses manage their existing MSP relationship, with real-time notifications of contract renewals, and the ability to upload MSP contracts for analysis by AI.
“Monitoring is an opportunity for a business to review what the MSP is doing continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’re looking at reviews, we’re looking at financials, we’re looking at company changes, we’re looking at sentiment analysis. In addition, it gives you a chance to check your contract, so you can upload your contract into the platform for analysis by AI and manage renewals – How many days ‘til renewal? When would I need to give notice if I needed to move? – all that sort of stuff,” explains McAlpine.
He adds that the contract analysis in Compare IT is far superior to what you would get by chucking master service agreements into an uneducated AI platform and asking for what is essentially a boilerplate analysis of a very complex document that’s specific to the industry and its terms and covenants.
“It will highlight potentially costly terms or, if there are certain elements of a contract that aren’t covered, it might flag them and give a risk rating (high, medium, or low). It’s far more in-depth and far more intelligent.”
CompareIT for MSPs
CompareIT is inviting MSPs to take advantage of the platform by competing a 197-point profile and setting their ideal customer profile to support ICP matching. It is hoping to have signed up 10% of the UK’s 11,000 MSPs and IT support providers by the end of the second year.
There are three packages available: Showcase (£100 per month), giving you a listing and paid for leads; Growth (£250 per month) offering unlimited lead generation at a fixed price and deeper insights into the companies watching you; and Verified (£500 per month), which includes independent endorsement and the human assessment of claims.
“The Verified programme is what a lot of MSPs are attracted to because it gives our independent endorsement,” says McAlpine. “The verification badge that we dish out to qualifying MSPs involves an annual humanised assessment that the claims they make are true, in addition to quarterly automation checks of things like ISO, IASME and Cyber Essentials status.”
McAlpine has been developing CompareIT for almost two years, the last 10 months of which have involved extensive testing of the search and monitoring platform by SMEs as well as input and feedback from MSPs.
“Before we’d even launched there were 250 SMEs using the platform to monitor MSPs and provide direction. We’re also hugely grateful to the MSPs that have done the same as part of our customer advisory board. It’s worth mentioning that all early adopters that come on before the end of September will become part of our customer advisory board – a community that we’re building to make CompareIT right for everybody.”
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