HaloPSA CEO: ‘We Are Now Leading The Industry In Innovation’
‘While we started by catching up with older, more established tools, we are now leading the industry in innovation,’ says HaloPSA CEO Tim Bowers.
When starting out, the U.K.-based professional services automation vendor was playing catch-up in terms of automation and innovative tools. They’re now outpacing competitors in the space, according to CEO Tim Bowers, and are playing catch-up with the demand they’re seeing.
“HaloPSA stands out due to its modern, intuitive design and its ability to scale effectively,” Bowers told CRN in an exclusive interview. “While we started by catching up with older, more established tools, we are now leading the industry in innovation. We want to be number one in the PSA market, and we do want the largest market share.”
He said the company offers “functionalities that many competitors lack” including “robust integrations and scalable solutions” for both small and large organizations.
“Unlike many PSA tools that struggle with larger, complex environments, HaloPSA is built to handle extensive scalability, making it a preferred choice for both growing MSPs and large enterprises,” he said.
HaloPSA has about 180 employees, sells in about 100 countries and has about 3,500 MSP partners, with half of those being U.S.-based partners. The company has also doubled its revenue year-over-year for the last five to six years. HaloPSA declined to disclose its latest revenue figures.
Next week, HaloPSA will be making several big announcements, which executives say is the next chapter for the company, at its Halo Orbit Conference in the U.K.
Ahead of the show, CRN sat down with Bowers to discuss those growing pains, M&A, innovation and what Halo is focusing on over the next 12 months.
What is the biggest challenge HaloPSA facing right now and how are you planning to tackle it?
Our biggest challenge is scaling up our support teams to meet the growing demand from new customers. Historically, we've had no trouble with sales or finding partners, but expanding our support team to handle our complex product has been difficult. Last year, we had to impose a temporary minimum client size of 10 employees because our support levels weren't meeting our standards. We’ve since reduced that minimum to three employees, but ideally we wouldn’t have any limit. Being privately owned allows us to focus on long-term planning and maintaining high customer satisfaction, even if it means accepting slower growth in the short term. This approach ensures our team and customers are well taken care of, which is beneficial for everyone involved.
What are the biggest challenges facing your MSP partners and how is Halo helping address them?
MSPs often struggle with outdated, slow platforms that hinder automation and efficiency. HaloPSA addresses this by offering a modern, intuitive platform that accelerates service delivery through automation, reducing manual effort and enhancing customer satisfaction. Another significant challenge for MSPs is managing numerous integrations with various tools. HaloPSA excels in this area with over 100 integrations and we are among the first vendors that other companies seek to integrate with. Our flexibility and ease of integration are key reasons for our success in the MSP market.
How does HaloPSA stay ahead of technological advancements and innovations?
We stay ahead by actively engaging with our customers and leveraging feedback to guide our development. Our approach is heavily customer-driven, focusing on solving real-world problems and implementing new features based on client needs. Additionally, our ITSM (IT service management) division, which serves large enterprises, allows us to incorporate best practices from the ITSM world into our PSA platform. This cross-pollination of ideas helps us remain at the forefront of innovation, ensuring that our solutions are both cutting-edge and practical.
How do you foresee AI and automation evolving within the professional services management industry?
AI and automation are set to transform the industry significantly. While there may be some impact on support team sizes, leading to potential job losses, I believe there will also be new opportunities for roles managing and optimizing these technologies. For MSPs, integrating AI can enhance service efficiency and customer satisfaction, provided they strategically adopt and manage these tools. The key will be to use AI to complement human roles rather than replace them, creating new positions and responsibilities within organizations.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I wouldn’t describe myself as a traditional leader. My role is more about setting a clear direction and then trusting my team to execute it. I am always available to provide support and guidance but allow my team members to take charge and make decisions. This approach fosters rapid career progression within HaloPSA and ensures we remain agile and responsive. Our flat organizational structure promotes quick decision-making and problem-solving without the need for extensive meetings.
How would you characterize the culture at Halo?
The culture at is open, fast-paced and collaborative. Our office is designed to promote interaction and transparency, with an open-plan layout and minimal formal meeting spaces. The setup encourages spontaneous conversations and quick problem-solving. While we expect a high level of dedication and hard work from our employees, we also emphasize having fun and maintaining a supportive environment. The lack of traditional office hierarchies means everyone, including myself, is accessible, which helps in swift decision-making and fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
What are your thoughts on all the M&A in the space?
The recent surge in M&A has mixed implications. Initially, I was skeptical about M&A because it often seemed that the end-users, particularly the customers of service providers, might lose out. However, this dynamic creates opportunities for smaller providers to capture customers from larger entities engaged in aggressive M&A. The drop in service levels and the introduction of new account managers can push loyal customers to seek out smaller, more personalized service providers. So while M&A can disrupt, it also paves the way for new market opportunities.
Halo has been adamant on not being acquired. But do you have an M&A strategy for potential acquisitions of other companies?
We don't have a specific M&A strategy. Our philosophy is to build our solutions and grow organically rather than seeking shortcuts through acquisitions. We believe that acquiring established companies or their products often brings more technical and integration challenges than benefits. Our focus is on creating sustainable, high-quality products and experiences from the ground up. We prefer to develop new capabilities ourselves, ensuring that our unique culture and ideas are embedded in our solutions.
What are your expectations for HaloPSA over the next 18 to 24 months?
Looking ahead, we aim for steady, sustainable growth. Our revenue has consistently doubled year-over-year for the past five to six years, and we plan to maintain this trajectory. We're not interested in rapid, unsustainable expansion that could compromise the quality of our service. While there will be exciting advancements in technology, particularly with AI, our focus remains on steady, long-term growth and maintaining our commitment to high standards.
What message do you have for MSPs regarding Halo’s future?
Our goal is to become the leading PSA tool in the market. We are committed to being an open and flexible partner, working with a variety of other providers without pushing customers to abandon their existing tools. We encourage MSPs to explore what HaloPSA has to offer, and if it’s not the right fit at the moment, we invite them to revisit us in the future. We’re continuously evolving and improving, and we’re excited about the advancements and innovations on the horizon.