Mark Crall, a familiar name across the MSP ecosystem, has joined SuperOps.ai as VP of sales. The startup software company has been building a cloud-based platform that spans RMM (remote monitoring and management), PSA (professional services automation) and AI (artificial intelligence) software capabilities.
To understand Crall's priorities at SuperOps.ai and the potential implications for MSP partners, it's important to understand his personal career journey so far.
Long before the MSP industry market went mainstream, Crall founded Tech Care Team Inc. in 2001. The pioneering MSP averaged 95% customer retention for roughly a decade -- during an era when many MSPs were struggling to build and optimize recurring revenue IT services that attracted and retained customers.
From there, Crall held key partner-centric positions at MSP-centric software and technology companies such as Autotask (acquired by Datto) and StorageCraft. He also advised CompTIA and Microsoft on various partner and training activities.
Fast forward to present day, and Crall has surfaced at SuperOps.ai -- a next-generation cloud company that has bet its business on "intelligent IT automation" for MSPs.
Interview: SuperOps.ai VP of Sales Mark Crall
ChannelE2E reached out to Crall for details about his new position and first priorities at the company. Here's a recap of our email-based conversation.
ChannelE2E: How did you learn about the opportunity to join SuperOps.ai?
Crall: I was first introduced to SuperOps.ai CEO Arvind Parthiban by Raphael Giovanni Sanguily at GlassHive -- one of the many industry veterans that SuperOps has been leveraging for market research and roadmap guidance over the past two years of development.
ChannelE2E: What attracted you to this particular opportunity?
Crall: With their many years worth of experience as veterans of Zoho and Freshworks, the SuperOps team has developed an amazing next-gen MSP platform that is ready to come to market. Their goals of launching SuperOps.ai into the MSP channel required a unique skill set. With my 20 years of relationships, and experience in sales leadership, channel enablement and strategic alliances, as well as having an in-depth understanding of the MSP channel, I realized this was the perfect opportunity for me to make a meaningful difference in the industry that is so important to us.
ChannelE2e: How does today’s MSP software market – and the partner opportunities/priorities – differ from some of your earlier work in the market a decade or so ago?
Crall: A decade ago the industry as a whole was still establishing best practices and business models for MSPs while vendors were scrambling to move their products to the cloud. Since that time there has been a significant consolidation that is feeding a wave of new SaaS vendors and startup MSPs.
The MSP business model has gained popularity, yet the routes to market and SaaS platforms are still evolving. Built on years of legacy code and outdated integrations, incumbent PSAs and RMM platforms tend to be overly complex, expensive and have difficulty providing support and integrations to newcomers in the space; the old platforms are less agile. The SaaS tools of today's MSPs need to be rapidly evolving, easy to implement and use, and most importantly, provide support that meets users' high expectations.
ChannelE2E: What are your first priorities at SuperOps.ai?
Crall: In 2022 we will be evangelizing the vision of SuperOps.ai to bring an all-in-one MSP platform for new-age IT service delivery across North America with a strong presence in trade shows and podcasts/webinars starting with the SuperLaunch event in late January 2022.
