For decades, managed service providers (MSPs) have worked behind the scenes to support businesses and ensure uninterrupted access to essential tools and resources for troubleshooting technical issues.

As knowledge work evolved from local area networks (LANs) and on-premises, MSPs transformed their businesses to optimize employee digital experiences. Today, clients look to MSPs both for technical support and strategic guidance.

There’s a huge opportunity available today. We believe 

 requires a shift from solely providing technology products and services to becoming advisors on the impact of technology on productivity (and people). For customers who want to understand how technology is consumed, MSPs can help.

Organizations with knowledge workers allocate a significant portion of their budget—75%—towards salaries, HR, and productivity initiatives. This directly impacts employee effectiveness and satisfaction.

In contrast, technology products and services provided by MSPs typically constitute only 5% of the budget. This disparity underscores the need to prioritize investments that enhance employee digital experience and improve overall performance and employee well-being.

By focusing on enhancing overall business productivity, MSPs can deliver greater value. The employee digital experience is integral to every aspect of work life, and MSPs will ideally be positioned as indispensable partners in driving productivity and organizational success.

refers to the overall digital interactions and experiences employees have within their organization. It highlights the integration of digital tools and platforms into the broader employee experience framework, ensuring that technology enhances rather than hinders employee productivity, satisfaction, and well-being.

Employee digital experience encompasses various dimensions of how employees interact with digital tools and the environment within their organization. It integrates 

 (EX), which covers overall employee interactions and engagements across the workplace, with 

 (DEX), which focuses specifically on the quality of digital interfaces and the tools workers use.

 (DX), which extends beyond internal systems to include all digital interactions employees have, whether through websites, mobile apps, or external platforms.

Together, these frameworks ensure a holistic approach to enhancing productivity, satisfaction, and well-being by optimizing digital workflows and interactions throughout the employee journey.

A good employee digital experience is seamless, secure, and intuitive. However, for many workers, 

and an overwhelming array of collaboration apps and tools often mar the experience.

Instead of empowering employees, these digital tools provided by MSPs lead to frustration and decreased productivity as workers spend more time in 

, navigating broken workflows, or searching for files rather than performing their core tasks.

But here’s the good news: MSPs are equipped to help them fix this.

Creating better workdays starts by empowering workers with data to properly optimize daily workflows and improve productivity. This allows them to identify the root of problems, make informed changes, and measure whether they are achieving the desired results.

MSP virtual Chief Information Officers (vCIOs) are well-suited to help their clients acquire advanced work analytic tools like Produce8. These tools offer clients insights into the factors that may be impairing worker productivity.

By leveraging this data, they can point to areas for improvement and collaborate with vCIOs to strategize. Overall, they can get recommendations to create a more efficient and satisfying work environment.

MSPs' clients are increasingly eager to learn about productivity

 as they recognize the role it plays in achieving business success. Clients are open to exploring new solutions and leveraging data-driven insights to understand work patterns, eliminate bottlenecks, and enhance overall performance without compromising work culture. They are ready to embrace digital work analytics, and MSPs that embrace it too can position themselves as advisors, differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace, and create a new revenue stream.

To properly advise your customers regarding how technology impacts productivity, you must adopt the same mindset and approach used when initially developing your business application services or establishing your MSSP cybersecurity practice. Like RMM/PSA, work analytics is a platform investment, not just another tool in your tech stack.

We have watched MSPs successfully evolve for years, and we foresee the next phase of transformation being in the productivity and employee digital experience space. To put all this in context, allow me to share some historical milestones and the trajectory of digital work for MSPs.

MSPs started by rolling out web-based tools like email and LAN networking, which helped boost collaboration and connectivity within organizations. As workplaces spread out, MSPs stepped up by adding WAN and VPN solutions, along with email servers, to keep communication smooth and reliable for remote teams.

Cloud and Mobile Transformation (2005+): 

MSPs provided their clients with tools to improve communication and schedule management. They introduced early collaboration platforms like SharePoint and VOIP-based telephony applications, making it easier to work flexibly and efficiently across different locations. And by integrating cloud business solutions and strong mobile device management, MSPs ensured data security and compliance while supporting the increasing mobility of the workforce.

 MSPs added several cloud solutions to their services, which changed how businesses operated. Essential to this shift was collaborative messaging tools and virtual meeting setups, which ensured smooth communication and teamwork among remote teams. Through cloud-based platforms, MSPs offered scalable solutions that went beyond traditional physical limits, allowing for real-time collaboration and information sharing across any distance.

 As remote work took off, MSPs introduced virtual calling apps to support remote collaboration and communication. They also started focusing on solutions to better understand employee dynamics, marking a big shift in their role. However, their clients were just starting to understand the complexities of productivity and well-being in the workplace, highlighting the need for 

nuanced tools that go beyond mere employee monitoring

. This is where we noticed the increasing demand among MSPs and their clients for digital work analytics. Thus, Produce8 was born.

Managed AI and the Future of the Employee Experience (2023+): 

As AI becomes more common in the digital work world, both leaders and employees must come to understand its impact on organizational success. With AI-driven applications and digital work analytics, MSPs can help their clients use data-driven insights to navigate new technologies and workflows. MSPs are uniquely positioned to guide businesses through these changes, offering the tools and strategies needed to boost productivity, streamline operations, and support sustainable growth in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

As the role of MSPs further evolves, their historical expertise and ability to devise forward-thinking strategies aligns them perfectly to improve the employee digital experience, making them invaluable partners in shaping the future of work.

Now is the perfect time for MSPs to equip their clients with productivity and work analytics tools like Produce8. As the digital work landscape continues to evolve, organizations need deeper insights into their workflows to enhance efficiency and drive success.

, MSPs gain access to a comprehensive suite of tools and resources designed to implement these advanced solutions effectively. This empowers MSPs to offer unparalleled value to their clients, positioning themselves as leaders in the industry while opening up new revenue streams. Joining the Partner Program ensures MSPs have everything they need to support their clients in achieving operational excellence.

For decades, managed service providers (MSPs) have worked behind the scenes to support businesses and ensure uninterrupted access to essential tools and resources for troubleshooting technical issues.

As knowledge work evolved from local area networks (LANs) and on-premises, MSPs transformed their businesses to optimize employee digital experiences. Today, clients look to MSPs both for technical support and strategic guidance.

There’s a huge opportunity available today. We believe the future of MSP work requires a shift from solely providing technology products and services to becoming advisors on the impact of technology on productivity (and people). For customers who want to understand how technology is consumed, MSPs can help.

Organizations with knowledge workers allocate a significant portion of their budget—75%—towards salaries, HR, and productivity initiatives. This directly impacts employee effectiveness and satisfaction.

In contrast, technology products and services provided by MSPs typically constitute only 5% of the budget. This disparity underscores the need to prioritize investments that enhance employee digital experience and improve overall performance and employee well-being.

By focusing on enhancing overall business productivity, MSPs can deliver greater value. The employee digital experience is integral to every aspect of work life, and MSPs will ideally be positioned as indispensable partners in driving productivity and organizational success.

What is the employee digital experience?

Employee digital experience refers to the overall digital interactions and experiences employees have within their organization. It highlights the integration of digital tools and platforms into the broader employee experience framework, ensuring that technology enhances rather than hinders employee productivity, satisfaction, and well-being.

Employee digital experience encompasses various dimensions of how employees interact with digital tools and the environment within their organization. It integrates employee experience (EX), which covers overall employee interactions and engagements across the workplace, with digital employee experience (DEX), which focuses specifically on the quality of digital interfaces and the tools workers use.

Additionally, it encompasses digital experience (DX), which extends beyond internal systems to include all digital interactions employees have, whether through websites, mobile apps, or external platforms.

Together, these frameworks ensure a holistic approach to enhancing productivity, satisfaction, and well-being by optimizing digital workflows and interactions throughout the employee journey.

A good employee digital experience is seamless, secure, and intuitive. However, for many workers, constant distractions and an overwhelming array of collaboration apps and tools often mar the experience.

Instead of empowering employees, these digital tools provided by MSPs lead to frustration and decreased productivity as workers spend more time in virtual meetings, navigating broken workflows, or searching for files rather than performing their core tasks.

But here’s the good news: MSPs are equipped to help them fix this.

The role of MSP vCIOs

Creating better workdays starts by empowering workers with data to properly optimize daily workflows and improve productivity. This allows them to identify the root of problems, make informed changes, and measure whether they are achieving the desired results.

MSP virtual Chief Information Officers (vCIOs) are well-suited to help their clients acquire advanced work analytic tools like Produce8. These tools offer clients insights into the factors that may be impairing worker productivity.

By leveraging this data, they can point to areas for improvement and collaborate with vCIOs to strategize. Overall, they can get recommendations to create a more efficient and satisfying work environment.

MSPs' clients are increasingly eager to learn about productivity as they recognize the role it plays in achieving business success. Clients are open to exploring new solutions and leveraging data-driven insights to understand work patterns, eliminate bottlenecks, and enhance overall performance without compromising work culture. They are ready to embrace digital work analytics, and MSPs that embrace it too can position themselves as advisors, differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace, and create a new revenue stream.

MSPs and the evolution of digital work

To properly advise your customers regarding how technology impacts productivity, you must adopt the same mindset and approach used when initially developing your business application services or establishing your MSSP cybersecurity practice. Like RMM/PSA, work analytics is a platform investment, not just another tool in your tech stack.

We have watched MSPs successfully evolve for years, and we foresee the next phase of transformation being in the productivity and employee digital experience space. To put all this in context, allow me to share some historical milestones and the trajectory of digital work for MSPs.

Distributed Workplaces (1995–2000+): MSPs started by rolling out web-based tools like email and LAN networking, which helped boost collaboration and connectivity within organizations. As workplaces spread out, MSPs stepped up by adding WAN and VPN solutions, along with email servers, to keep communication smooth and reliable for remote teams.

Cloud and Mobile Transformation (2005+): MSPs provided their clients with tools to improve communication and schedule management. They introduced early collaboration platforms like SharePoint and VOIP-based telephony applications, making it easier to work flexibly and efficiently across different locations. And by integrating cloud business solutions and strong mobile device management, MSPs ensured data security and compliance while supporting the increasing mobility of the workforce.

Web-Based Communication (2015+): MSPs added several cloud solutions to their services, which changed how businesses operated. Essential to this shift was collaborative messaging tools and virtual meeting setups, which ensured smooth communication and teamwork among remote teams. Through cloud-based platforms, MSPs offered scalable solutions that went beyond traditional physical limits, allowing for real-time collaboration and information sharing across any distance.

Remote Worker Infrastructure (2020+): As remote work took off, MSPs introduced virtual calling apps to support remote collaboration and communication. They also started focusing on solutions to better understand employee dynamics, marking a big shift in their role. However, their clients were just starting to understand the complexities of productivity and well-being in the workplace, highlighting the need for nuanced tools that go beyond mere employee monitoring. This is where we noticed the increasing demand among MSPs and their clients for digital work analytics. Thus, Produce8 was born.

Managed AI and the Future of the Employee Experience (2023+): As AI becomes more common in the digital work world, both leaders and employees must come to understand its impact on organizational success. With AI-driven applications and digital work analytics, MSPs can help their clients use data-driven insights to navigate new technologies and workflows. MSPs are uniquely positioned to guide businesses through these changes, offering the tools and strategies needed to boost productivity, streamline operations, and support sustainable growth in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

As the role of MSPs further evolves, their historical expertise and ability to devise forward-thinking strategies aligns them perfectly to improve the employee digital experience, making them invaluable partners in shaping the future of work.

Join the Produce8 MSP Partner Program

Now is the perfect time for MSPs to equip their clients with productivity and work analytics tools like Produce8. As the digital work landscape continues to evolve, organizations need deeper insights into their workflows to enhance efficiency and drive success.

By joining the Partner Program, MSPs gain access to a comprehensive suite of tools and resources designed to implement these advanced solutions effectively. This empowers MSPs to offer unparalleled value to their clients, positioning themselves as leaders in the industry while opening up new revenue streams. Joining the Partner Program ensures MSPs have everything they need to support their clients in achieving operational excellence.



Evolving MSP vCIO Services: Shaping the Future of Employee Digital Experience

For years, MSPs have received requests to find solutions that aid their clients in enhancing productivity and performance. However, constrained by limited options, they frequently default to recommending products primarily geared toward employee monitoring.

 and traditional productivity tracking tools. The main reason is simple: These tools often violate employee trust and fail to address the underlying issues that hinder workplace productivity.

However, the challenges of optimizing work efficiency and ensuring effective collaboration still persist. So, what’s the next step?

What factors of work are impairing productivity?

First, let’s understand the ongoing challenges of digital work!

We spend a lot of time discussing employee productivity but often overlook the biggest factors that impair it. Distracting communication tools, excessive time lost in meetings, and the high costs of context switching significantly undermine knowledge worker productivity.

These issues create a fragmented work environment, where constant interruptions and shifting focus prevent teams from achieving deep, meaningful work. To truly enhance productivity, we must address these underlying challenges and implement strategies that minimize distractions, streamline communication, and reduce the inefficiencies caused by 

1. Excessive time wasted in meetings and collaborations

Your clients don’t realize how much time is being lost via unproductive meetings and 

. Without clear data, it's difficult to identify and eliminate these time sinks.

 Rather than using monitoring tools to micromanage team interactions, focus on gathering data to understand the discrepancy between planned activities and actual occurrences. This will help your client’s team identify and 

, which often unexpectedly consume significant portions of the day. Providing MSP clients with this insight allows them to regain control over their schedules and prioritize their tasks.

2. Distractions from messaging apps and emails

 Your client’s team struggles to stay focused due to constant interruptions from messaging apps and email notifications, which can severely impact productivity.

 Empower your clients to understand their work habits and make informed decisions about managing their time and applications. Encourage them to 

 and plan their day to minimize distractions. By fostering a culture of self-awareness and personal accountability, they can develop strategies to maintain focus and enhance their productivity.

Your client’s team spends significant time on "work about work," which leads to productive time leaks. This includes context-switching between multiple tasks, searching for information across numerous apps, and using tools that do not align with organizational goals.

Help your client gain a clear understanding of how workflows are costing them time by providing them insight into their workday. Analyze how they switch between tasks and identify tools that cause inefficiencies. Encourage the use of applications that support the organization's objectives and facilitate focused work on high-impact tasks. This approach ensures the client’s team’s efforts are aligned with overall goals, thus maximizing productivity and effectiveness.

To address these three factors impairing the workday, help your clients implement a solution that provides actionable insights without compromising employee trust. Digital work analytics platforms like 

 offer a comprehensive view of how work is being done, enabling you to make informed decisions that benefit both the organization and its employees.

Produce8 differentiates itself from monitoring tools in three distinct ways:

Produce8 provides employees with visibility into their work patterns and productivity metrics. By giving individuals control over their data and insights, Produce8 enables them to actively participate in the optimization of their work habits and performance by running personal 

Insightful analytics for actionable solutions:

 Instead of inundating users with raw data, Produce8 distills complex metrics into clear, actionable insights that empower organizations to make informed decisions. Whether it's identifying bottlenecks in workflows, detecting trends in collaboration patterns, or optimizing resource allocation, Produce8 equips businesses with the knowledge needed to drive meaningful improvements.

By providing visibility into collective work patterns and collaboration dynamics, Produce8 encourages communication, knowledge sharing, and synergy among team members. This collaborative approach enhances productivity and cultivates a sense of camaraderie and cohesion within the workforce.

What’s the difference between employee monitoring tools and work analytics?

Unlike employee monitoring tools, which may focus solely on surveillance and compliance, a digital work analytics tool provides deeper insights into how work is performed.

Ultimately, a digital work analytics tool identifies productivity challenges while equipping organizations with the insights they need to make impactful changes and take control of their workday.

If your goal is to maintain trust and morale, avoiding employee monitoring and traditional productivity tracking tools is a step in the right direction. However, the need to address productivity challenges remains.

By leveraging digital work analytics, you can empower your clients and their teams to understand and improve their work habits and align their efforts with organizational goals. This approach ensures that they have the tools and insights needed to work more efficiently and effectively — without the invasive scrutiny of monitoring tools. Embrace this solution to drive meaningful change and enhance productivity across your organization.

Reach out to our team of productivity experts and we can get you set up in the 

. This way, your MSP will have everything it needs to empower your clients to take back control of their day.

For years, MSPs have received requests to find solutions that aid their clients in enhancing productivity and performance. However, constrained by limited options, they frequently default to recommending products primarily geared toward employee monitoring.

You and your clients have decided to avoid employee monitoring and traditional productivity tracking tools. The main reason is simple: These tools often violate employee trust and fail to address the underlying issues that hinder workplace productivity.

However, the challenges of optimizing work efficiency and ensuring effective collaboration still persist. So, what’s the next step?

What factors of work are impairing productivity?

First, let’s understand the ongoing challenges of digital work!

We spend a lot of time discussing employee productivity but often overlook the biggest factors that impair it. Distracting communication tools, excessive time lost in meetings, and the high costs of context switching significantly undermine knowledge worker productivity.

These issues create a fragmented work environment, where constant interruptions and shifting focus prevent teams from achieving deep, meaningful work. To truly enhance productivity, we must address these underlying challenges and implement strategies that minimize distractions, streamline communication, and reduce the inefficiencies caused by frequent context switching.

1. Excessive time wasted in meetings and collaborations

Scenario: Your clients don’t realize how much time is being lost via unproductive meetings and excessive collaboration. Without clear data, it's difficult to identify and eliminate these time sinks.

Solution: Rather than using monitoring tools to micromanage team interactions, focus on gathering data to understand the discrepancy between planned activities and actual occurrences. This will help your client’s team identify and reduce ad hoc meetings, which often unexpectedly consume significant portions of the day. Providing MSP clients with this insight allows them to regain control over their schedules and prioritize their tasks.

2. Distractions from messaging apps and emails

Scenario: Your client’s team struggles to stay focused due to constant interruptions from messaging apps and email notifications, which can severely impact productivity.

Solution: Empower your clients to understand their work habits and make informed decisions about managing their time and applications. Encourage them to adjust notification settings and plan their day to minimize distractions. By fostering a culture of self-awareness and personal accountability, they can develop strategies to maintain focus and enhance their productivity.

3. Time spent on work about work

Scenario: Your client’s team spends significant time on "work about work," which leads to productive time leaks. This includes context-switching between multiple tasks, searching for information across numerous apps, and using tools that do not align with organizational goals.

Solution: Help your client gain a clear understanding of how workflows are costing them time by providing them insight into their workday. Analyze how they switch between tasks and identify tools that cause inefficiencies. Encourage the use of applications that support the organization's objectives and facilitate focused work on high-impact tasks. This approach ensures the client’s team’s efforts are aligned with overall goals, thus maximizing productivity and effectiveness.

A new approach to productivity

To address these three factors impairing the workday, help your clients implement a solution that provides actionable insights without compromising employee trust. Digital work analytics platforms like Produce8 offer a comprehensive view of how work is being done, enabling you to make informed decisions that benefit both the organization and its employees.

Produce8 differentiates itself from monitoring tools in three distinct ways:

Empowerment through transparency: Produce8 provides employees with visibility into their work patterns and productivity metrics. By giving individuals control over their data and insights, Produce8 enables them to actively participate in the optimization of their work habits and performance by running personal productivity challenges.

Insightful analytics for actionable solutions: Instead of inundating users with raw data, Produce8 distills complex metrics into clear, actionable insights that empower organizations to make informed decisions. Whether it's identifying bottlenecks in workflows, detecting trends in collaboration patterns, or optimizing resource allocation, Produce8 equips businesses with the knowledge needed to drive meaningful improvements.

Focus on collaboration and engagement: By providing visibility into collective work patterns and collaboration dynamics, Produce8 encourages communication, knowledge sharing, and synergy among team members. This collaborative approach enhances productivity and cultivates a sense of camaraderie and cohesion within the workforce.

What’s the difference between employee monitoring tools and work analytics?

Unlike employee monitoring tools, which may focus solely on surveillance and compliance, a digital work analytics tool provides deeper insights into how work is performed.

Ultimately, a digital work analytics tool identifies productivity challenges while equipping organizations with the insights they need to make impactful changes and take control of their workday.

Join the Produce8 Partnership Program

If your goal is to maintain trust and morale, avoiding employee monitoring and traditional productivity tracking tools is a step in the right direction. However, the need to address productivity challenges remains.

By leveraging digital work analytics, you can empower your clients and their teams to understand and improve their work habits and align their efforts with organizational goals. This approach ensures that they have the tools and insights needed to work more efficiently and effectively — without the invasive scrutiny of monitoring tools. Embrace this solution to drive meaningful change and enhance productivity across your organization.

Reach out to our team of productivity experts and we can get you set up in the Produce8 Partner Program. This way, your MSP will have everything it needs to empower your clients to take back control of their day.

MSP Clients' Struggles With Employee Monitoring Tools: Redefining Productivity Solutions

The MSP industry is hyper-competitive. MSPs must differentiate themselves from the other 100 competitors in their region, who essentially all offer the same services—managed IT, security, automation, on-premise and cloud services, etc.

When analyzing your competitors, ask yourself, "How unique is my MSP value proposition for new and existing customers?"

, we believe the future of work requires MSPs to cross the chasm from providing technology products and services to becoming business productivity experts.

Over the past two decades, the MSP model has grown through three main phases:

 In the 2000s, managed services saw traditional value-added resellers (VARs) and system integrators shift from one-off, break-fix IT support to monthly recurring revenue models.

Pioneered by RMM and PSA platforms, this transition enabled remote monitoring, management, and automation of service delivery, fostering proactive support. These platforms have since become industry leaders, expanding into security, business applications, data backup, and more.

 In 2011, the launch of Microsoft 365 caused concern in the industry regarding the future of MSP services. What would MSPs manage if everything shifted to the cloud and large vendors offered their own remote managed services?

Despite these fears, the industry thrived. MSPs began delivering more value through virtual chief information officer (vCIO) services and developing business applications in areas like ERP, CRM, and cloud services. By the end of the 2010s, digital marketplaces for cloud apps and related services had become more prevalent.

: MSPs have always offered information security services for SMBs, but demand for advanced MSSP cybersecurity services has surged in the past five years.

At MSP events, cybersecurity vendors now dominate half the tradeshow floor. Despite significant opportunities, the typical MSP do-it-yourself model faces challenges in profitability, liability, and scalability.

There’s no doubt that cybersecurity has revitalized the typical MSP vCIO service. However, beyond the challenges of building a cyber practice and the scarcity of qualified resources, most business owners view cybersecurity as a necessary evil. The conversation is generally negative, as most small and medium businesses believe they already pay their MSP for security.

This whitepaper will show you how to cross the chasm from providing technology products and services to becoming business productivity experts and supporting the employee's digital experience.  

MSP clients are ready to understand productivity

Productivity and work analytics discussions are new and compelling to business owners who care about their workers. Who better than your vCIO, who guided the business through its digital transformation, to deliver this new, high-value service? Consider the discussions and ancillary revenue opportunities that can arise from having data that shows how an organization utilizes its tech daily.

MSPs must be experts in productivity and work analytics

Productivity is a complex metric to measure for both the people and technology that businesses invest in. Interestingly, the digital transformation SMBs have undergone actually provides most of the data needed to shift productivity measurement from anecdotal to data-driven.

To achieve this, MSPs must offer a work analytics platform like 

, which collects data from three main sources:

Interactions and time spent in applications and websites, calendar information, and calls/meetings data

Business impact reporting, such as the cost of meetings across the organization, application usage, and collaboration overload

Metrics to make informed decisions and show the impact of changes

Produce8 allows end users to control their data, a critical step for employee adoption within an organization. While productivity and efficiency are business priorities, digital well-being, better workflow, meeting overload, and employee sentiment and experience are what drive end-user adoption.

Offering this solution to your customers allows you to transform into a new practice area that differentiates you from the competition, helping you win new customers and retain and expand your current MRR base.

On top of addressing the productivity challenges from legacy tools, leveraging the Produce8 work analytics platform will also prepare you for the next frontier of technology: AI.

Managed AI refers to the provision of artificial intelligence (AI) services and solutions for your clients. These services typically include the deployment, management, and optimization of AI technologies to meet the specific needs of businesses. By including work analytics in these offerings, you can ensure that AI tools are properly adopted by your client and are driving your intended results.

Generative AI (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLM) are here, and there’s no doubt they will change the world, including the MSP universe. While the current AI focus is more consumer-related or involves basic use cases like call centers, the rapid pace at which large technology vendors are innovating and investing means new applications of AI are emerging constantly. Interestingly, the primary use case for AI is productivity.

In this era of AI, MSPs will need to reinvent themselves once again. Many manual tasks, such as helpdesk support, will be automated. Digital marketplaces and Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors may increasingly encroach on MSP territory. And SMBs will require fewer people to accomplish the same amount of work.

We believe thought-leading MSPs that embrace productivity and work analytics today will be well-positioned to address the number one challenge with AI: creating guardrails for its usage within a business.

Managed AI service providers that utilize work analytics will understand how hundreds of technology applications are used, where best to leverage AI, and how to measure its impact on employee work patterns.

Getting Started with the Produce8 Partner Program

Becoming a productivity expert for your customers requires the same "building-a-new-MSP-practice" mentality and methodology you used when you first entered the managed IT arena, built your business application practice, or developed your MSSP cybersecurity practice. Like RMM/PSA, digital work analytics is a platform investment, not just another widget in your tech stack.

 combines our work analytics platform, purpose-built for MSPs, with a comprehensive set of technical, go-to-market, and partner development resources. And it’s all supported by a team of experts.

The MSP industry is hyper-competitive. MSPs must differentiate themselves from the other 100 competitors in their region, who essentially all offer the same services—managed IT, security, automation, on-premise and cloud services, etc.

When analyzing your competitors, ask yourself, "How unique is my MSP value proposition for new and existing customers?"

At Produce8, we believe the future of work requires MSPs to cross the chasm from providing technology products and services to becoming business productivity experts.

The history of the MSP model

Over the past two decades, the MSP model has grown through three main phases:

Managed IT and security: In the 2000s, managed services saw traditional value-added resellers (VARs) and system integrators shift from one-off, break-fix IT support to monthly recurring revenue models.

Pioneered by RMM and PSA platforms, this transition enabled remote monitoring, management, and automation of service delivery, fostering proactive support. These platforms have since become industry leaders, expanding into security, business applications, data backup, and more.

Cloud applications: In 2011, the launch of Microsoft 365 caused concern in the industry regarding the future of MSP services. What would MSPs manage if everything shifted to the cloud and large vendors offered their own remote managed services?

Despite these fears, the industry thrived. MSPs began delivering more value through virtual chief information officer (vCIO) services and developing business applications in areas like ERP, CRM, and cloud services. By the end of the 2010s, digital marketplaces for cloud apps and related services had become more prevalent.

Cybersecurity: MSPs have always offered information security services for SMBs, but demand for advanced MSSP cybersecurity services has surged in the past five years.

At MSP events, cybersecurity vendors now dominate half the tradeshow floor. Despite significant opportunities, the typical MSP do-it-yourself model faces challenges in profitability, liability, and scalability.

There’s no doubt that cybersecurity has revitalized the typical MSP vCIO service. However, beyond the challenges of building a cyber practice and the scarcity of qualified resources, most business owners view cybersecurity as a necessary evil. The conversation is generally negative, as most small and medium businesses believe they already pay their MSP for security.

So, what’s next for MSPs?

MSP clients are ready to understand productivity

Productivity and work analytics discussions are new and compelling to business owners who care about their workers. Who better than your vCIO, who guided the business through its digital transformation, to deliver this new, high-value service? Consider the discussions and ancillary revenue opportunities that can arise from having data that shows how an organization utilizes its tech daily.

MSPs must be experts in productivity and work analytics

Productivity is a complex metric to measure for both the people and technology that businesses invest in. Interestingly, the digital transformation SMBs have undergone actually provides most of the data needed to shift productivity measurement from anecdotal to data-driven.

To achieve this, MSPs must offer a work analytics platform like Produce8, which collects data from three main sources:

Interactions and time spent in applications and websites, calendar information, and calls/meetings data

Business impact reporting, such as the cost of meetings across the organization, application usage, and collaboration overload

Metrics to make informed decisions and show the impact of changes

Produce8 allows end users to control their data, a critical step for employee adoption within an organization. While productivity and efficiency are business priorities, digital well-being, better workflow, meeting overload, and employee sentiment and experience are what drive end-user adoption.

Offering this solution to your customers allows you to transform into a new practice area that differentiates you from the competition, helping you win new customers and retain and expand your current MRR base.

On top of addressing the productivity challenges from legacy tools, leveraging the Produce8 work analytics platform will also prepare you for the next frontier of technology: AI.

What is Managed AI?

Managed AI refers to the provision of artificial intelligence (AI) services and solutions for your clients. These services typically include the deployment, management, and optimization of AI technologies to meet the specific needs of businesses. By including work analytics in these offerings, you can ensure that AI tools are properly adopted by your client and are driving your intended results.

Generative AI (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLM) are here, and there’s no doubt they will change the world, including the MSP universe. While the current AI focus is more consumer-related or involves basic use cases like call centers, the rapid pace at which large technology vendors are innovating and investing means new applications of AI are emerging constantly. Interestingly, the primary use case for AI is productivity.

In this era of AI, MSPs will need to reinvent themselves once again. Many manual tasks, such as helpdesk support, will be automated. Digital marketplaces and Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors may increasingly encroach on MSP territory. And SMBs will require fewer people to accomplish the same amount of work.

We believe thought-leading MSPs that embrace productivity and work analytics today will be well-positioned to address the number one challenge with AI: creating guardrails for its usage within a business.

Managed AI service providers that utilize work analytics will understand how hundreds of technology applications are used, where best to leverage AI, and how to measure its impact on employee work patterns.

Getting Started with the Produce8 Partner Program

Becoming a productivity expert for your customers requires the same "building-a-new-MSP-practice" mentality and methodology you used when you first entered the managed IT arena, built your business application practice, or developed your MSSP cybersecurity practice. Like RMM/PSA, digital work analytics is a platform investment, not just another widget in your tech stack.

As a result, the Produce8 Partner Program combines our work analytics platform, purpose-built for MSPs, with a comprehensive set of technical, go-to-market, and partner development resources. And it’s all supported by a team of experts.



Productivity and Work Analytics: The Next Managed Service Practice

In recent years, MSPs have been receiving frequent requests from their clients to help them understand their employees and improve productivity in remote, hybrid, and digital work environments.

We’ve spoken with hundreds of MSPs who feel pressured to source solutions for their clients because they are unaware of alternative options. This problem often translates to using employee monitoring tools, which don't actually address the root problem of productivity.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Employee productivity has become a notable concern ever since COVID-19, and it’s led to clients turning to their MSPs to recommend solutions. However, consistently suggesting employee monitoring tools to solve productivity problems just doesn’t feel right.

At Produce8, we offer work analytics that empower individuals, teams, and organizations to tackle productivity issues with a completely different approach. We’ve designed our product to help you and your clients understand factors that impair productivity while giving individuals complete control over their data.

Understanding Your Clients’ Productivity Needs

Giving your clients what they want and what they need is not always clear, especially when it comes to productivity. While some clients want employee monitoring tools or traditional productivity trackers, others may want more actionable insights their employees can learn from.

Take a look at your current client base. They probably sit in one of these five buckets.

If these client groups look familiar, we can help you re-engage them and offer a solution that sets your MSP apart from competitors. To do this, we must come to understand the challenges they face and address why employee monitoring tools and traditional productivity trackers are not the right solution.

Employee Monitoring Software Is Not Useful for Solving Productivity Issues

At its core, employee monitoring software isn't designed to boost productivity. Its primary aim is often more about oversight than optimization. Sure, it can give managers a bird's-eye view of what employees are up to, but that doesn't automatically translate to a more productive workforce.

As you may have experienced, some clients recognize that employee monitoring leads to fear as a motivator, which is not great for culture or productivity. They also know that employee monitoring doesn't address challenges that high performers face (such as overworking, which can lead to lowered productivity), doesn't create dialogue, and often misinterprets the workday.

Clearly understanding productivity is about far more than tracking what every employee is doing. Many MSPs (like yours) are searching for a tool that balances organizational objectives with employee productivity and well-being.

Achieving this all starts with giving employees the data they need to make informed changes. In other words, we must enable them to understand their workday.

Understanding and Solving the Real Problems

Your clients might want employee monitoring tools—but they might not.

What you need to do is help them determine whether they want to protect their company from time and property theft or if they want to empower their employees and help them understand what is impairing productivity. To do that, we need to understand the source of the real problem.

have been on the rise. It's no wonder people are having a hard time focusing on their work.

. Thanks to all these new communication tools like Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, it feels like meetings have taken over our entire calendar.

Oh, and let’s not forget broken workflows. You know, when your employees spend a huge number of their work hours searching for documents and information.

All in all, it seems like everything's a mess. So, it’s not surprising that your clients believe there is a productivity problem. There is. And the first step to solving this problem is 

 — not with employee monitoring, but with analytics that can be accessed collectively. Then the team can work together to make changes and measure whether they’re effective.

MSPs have a golden opportunity to make a difference for their clients by tackling these modern workplace woes head-on. Instead of slapping on another Band-Aid solution like employee monitoring, MSPs can offer work analytics that empower the whole team.

Rather than equipping managers so they can watch what everyone's doing, work analytics dive deep into how teams 

 work. It's all about understanding work habits, identifying pain points, coming together to have real discussions, and then making real, effective changes that enable everyone to do their best work.

Choose work analytics. Avoid employee monitoring. It’s just that simple.

Ready to lead your clients and help them finally solve their productivity challenges? Allow us to share our plan to help you re-engage them by providing the data they need and want.

Let’s revisit the different types of clients:

After segmenting your clients and their specific needs, we recommend re-engaging them with the following approach:

Reach out to those in the Client 4 group first. They understand that productivity is a big factor in their team’s success and that work analytics can help them immediately.

Next, start the conversation with those in the Client 5 group. These are new clients who haven’t made requests yet, but they are primed to have that conversation around analytics.

Afterward, reach out to the Client 3 group, and then the Client 2 group. These customers have already purchased employee monitoring tools, and while one is happier than the other about the solution, they are still ready to hear about the alternatives. 

As for the Client 1 group, there is no rush to re-engage them. However, when the opportunity arises, don’t hesitate to bring up a new solution to help their workers improve their workday with analytics.

How to Introduce Produce8 to Your Clients

As an MSP, engaging with your clients effectively means providing them with tools that empower and enhance their productivity without compromising trust. Produce8 is designed to do exactly that. As a digital work analytics tool, we’re helping employees understand the work experience through personal data insights.

These insights address productivity barriers such as meetings, messaging, email, task switching, and skipping breaks. By tracking improvements, Produce8 tackles major causes of low productivity in knowledge work, enabling clients to streamline workflows, optimize collaboration, and eliminate digital distractions. This approach builds a culture of continuous improvement and learning, shifting the focus from monitoring to meaningful engagement and understanding.

What sets Produce8 apart is its commitment to privacy and transparency. Unlike employee monitoring software, Produce8’s digital analytics software requires everyone to opt in, ensuring they are always aware of the data they share and retain full control over it. Employees only share interactions with work tools that are relevant to what they want to measure, avoiding invasive practices like random screenshots or keystroke tracking. This results in insights that inform better workdays without the feeling of being spied on.

, they can make changes that lead to smoother workflows, better collaboration, and fewer distractions. This data-driven approach sparks conversations about the impact of these changes, ensuring positive outcomes for productivity and employee satisfaction.

Produce8 allows everyone to get on the same page and focus on solving the same problems.

The next time your clients come to you with a request to find a monitoring tool to help their team with productivity, you can instead steer them away from products that just don’t work and towards Produce8, a platform dedicated to helping everyone have better workdays without creating a culture of mistrust and fear.

Currently, the biggest productivity challenges involve employees being distracted by the very technology you support for your clients. Improving the employee experience can boost productivity and is rapidly becoming a new and differentiating strategy for virtual chief information officers (vCIOs).

If you truly care about helping your clients conquer the chaos of the modern workplace and unleash their full potential, it's time to join the Produce8 partnership program.

By teaming with Produce8, you're equipping your team to guide your clients on a journey of self-discovery and helping them uncover hidden insights about how they work. You’ll also be well on your way to making strategic changes that drive real results and enable your MSP to create a difference.

So, what are you waiting for? Join the Produce8 partnership program today. Let's start transforming the way we work, one client at a time.

In recent years, MSPs have been receiving frequent requests from their clients to help them understand their employees and improve productivity in remote, hybrid, and digital work environments.

We’ve spoken with hundreds of MSPs who feel pressured to source solutions for their clients because they are unaware of alternative options. This problem often translates to using employee monitoring tools, which don't actually address the root problem of productivity.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Employee productivity has become a notable concern ever since COVID-19, and it’s led to clients turning to their MSPs to recommend solutions. However, consistently suggesting employee monitoring tools to solve productivity problems just doesn’t feel right.

At Produce8, we offer work analytics that empower individuals, teams, and organizations to tackle productivity issues with a completely different approach. We’ve designed our product to help you and your clients understand factors that impair productivity while giving individuals complete control over their data.

Understanding Your Clients’ Productivity Needs

Giving your clients what they want and what they need is not always clear, especially when it comes to productivity. While some clients want employee monitoring tools or traditional productivity trackers, others may want more actionable insights their employees can learn from.

Take a look at your current client base. They probably sit in one of these five buckets.

If these client groups look familiar, we can help you re-engage them and offer a solution that sets your MSP apart from competitors. To do this, we must come to understand the challenges they face and address why employee monitoring tools and traditional productivity trackers are not the right solution.

Employee Monitoring Software Is Not Useful for Solving Productivity Issues

At its core, employee monitoring software isn't designed to boost productivity. Its primary aim is often more about oversight than optimization. Sure, it can give managers a bird's-eye view of what employees are up to, but that doesn't automatically translate to a more productive workforce.

As you may have experienced, some clients recognize that employee monitoring leads to fear as a motivator, which is not great for culture or productivity. They also know that employee monitoring doesn't address challenges that high performers face (such as overworking, which can lead to lowered productivity), doesn't create dialogue, and often misinterprets the workday.

Clearly understanding productivity is about far more than tracking what every employee is doing. Many MSPs (like yours) are searching for a tool that balances organizational objectives with employee productivity and well-being.

Achieving this all starts with giving employees the data they need to make informed changes. In other words, we must enable them to understand their workday.

Understanding and Solving the Real Problems

Your clients might want employee monitoring tools—but they might not.

What you need to do is help them determine whether they want to protect their company from time and property theft or if they want to empower their employees and help them understand what is impairing productivity. To do that, we need to understand the source of the real problem.

In the last four years, digital distractions have been on the rise. It's no wonder people are having a hard time focusing on their work.

Then there's collaboration overload. Thanks to all these new communication tools like Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, it feels like meetings have taken over our entire calendar.

Oh, and let’s not forget broken workflows. You know, when your employees spend a huge number of their work hours searching for documents and information.

All in all, it seems like everything's a mess. So, it’s not surprising that your clients believe there is a productivity problem. There is. And the first step to solving this problem is understanding how the team works — not with employee monitoring, but with analytics that can be accessed collectively. Then the team can work together to make changes and measure whether they’re effective.

Produce8 Can Help You and Your Clients

MSPs have a golden opportunity to make a difference for their clients by tackling these modern workplace woes head-on. Instead of slapping on another Band-Aid solution like employee monitoring, MSPs can offer work analytics that empower the whole team.

Rather than equipping managers so they can watch what everyone's doing, work analytics dive deep into how teams actually work. It's all about understanding work habits, identifying pain points, coming together to have real discussions, and then making real, effective changes that enable everyone to do their best work.

Choose work analytics. Avoid employee monitoring. It’s just that simple.

Ready to lead your clients and help them finally solve their productivity challenges? Allow us to share our plan to help you re-engage them by providing the data they need and want.

Let’s revisit the different types of clients:

After segmenting your clients and their specific needs, we recommend re-engaging them with the following approach:

Reach out to those in the Client 4 group first. They understand that productivity is a big factor in their team’s success and that work analytics can help them immediately.

Next, start the conversation with those in the Client 5 group. These are new clients who haven’t made requests yet, but they are primed to have that conversation around analytics.

Afterward, reach out to the Client 3 group, and then the Client 2 group. These customers have already purchased employee monitoring tools, and while one is happier than the other about the solution, they are still ready to hear about the alternatives. 

As for the Client 1 group, there is no rush to re-engage them. However, when the opportunity arises, don’t hesitate to bring up a new solution to help their workers improve their workday with analytics.

How to Introduce Produce8 to Your Clients

As an MSP, engaging with your clients effectively means providing them with tools that empower and enhance their productivity without compromising trust. Produce8 is designed to do exactly that. As a digital work analytics tool, we’re helping employees understand the work experience through personal data insights.

These insights address productivity barriers such as meetings, messaging, email, task switching, and skipping breaks. By tracking improvements, Produce8 tackles major causes of low productivity in knowledge work, enabling clients to streamline workflows, optimize collaboration, and eliminate digital distractions. This approach builds a culture of continuous improvement and learning, shifting the focus from monitoring to meaningful engagement and understanding.

What sets Produce8 apart is its commitment to privacy and transparency. Unlike employee monitoring software, Produce8’s digital analytics software requires everyone to opt in, ensuring they are always aware of the data they share and retain full control over it. Employees only share interactions with work tools that are relevant to what they want to measure, avoiding invasive practices like random screenshots or keystroke tracking. This results in insights that inform better workdays without the feeling of being spied on.

Once the team understands their work patterns, they can make changes that lead to smoother workflows, better collaboration, and fewer distractions. This data-driven approach sparks conversations about the impact of these changes, ensuring positive outcomes for productivity and employee satisfaction.

Partner With Produce8

Produce8 allows everyone to get on the same page and focus on solving the same problems.

The next time your clients come to you with a request to find a monitoring tool to help their team with productivity, you can instead steer them away from products that just don’t work and towards Produce8, a platform dedicated to helping everyone have better workdays without creating a culture of mistrust and fear.

Currently, the biggest productivity challenges involve employees being distracted by the very technology you support for your clients. Improving the employee experience can boost productivity and is rapidly becoming a new and differentiating strategy for virtual chief information officers (vCIOs).

If you truly care about helping your clients conquer the chaos of the modern workplace and unleash their full potential, it's time to join the Produce8 partnership program.

By teaming with Produce8, you're equipping your team to guide your clients on a journey of self-discovery and helping them uncover hidden insights about how they work. You’ll also be well on your way to making strategic changes that drive real results and enable your MSP to create a difference.

So, what are you waiting for? Join the Produce8 partnership program today. Let's start transforming the way we work, one client at a time.

MSPs, Are Your Clients Asking You For Employee “Productivity” Monitoring Recommendations?

Most employee monitoring tools are designed to enable HR departments and organization leads to manage or terminate employees based on performance metrics. These tools are not designed to empower workers or improve collaboration. Worse, they do not foster a space for conversation within an organization.

If you are considering getting an employee monitoring software to help your team work better. Hold on — and keep reading this article to learn how we can help!

There is a reason employee monitoring software exists. If you want indisputable evidence that allows you to terminate or discipline your employees, surveillance is useful. But if you want to get the most out of your team, 

, and gain an understanding of what impairs productivity, employee monitoring tools are ineffective.

Employee monitoring is designed to protect the business from having time or property stolen. If you are having such problems, surveillance will help. However, employee monitoring tools are not designed to empower and motivate employees or 

create a shared space for open conversations

. If you’re looking to improve those areas, you’ll need something else.

Luckily, Produce8 is here to help. Follow along as we discuss why employee monitoring tools are ineffective for productivity and teamwork. And share our solutions.

Employee monitoring doesn’t improve productivity

Employee monitoring tools collect a wealth of data. However, a lot of that data may not help in improving productivity or enhancing team performance. Instead, it primarily serves as a tool for disciplinary action or compliance. This undermines positive organizational success.

Unlike employee monitoring tools, Produce8’s digital work analytics platform provides practical insights that enable individuals and teams to set goals and drive intentional change. For example, if analytics reveal certain meetings are lengthy, teams can restructure and set a goal in Produce8 to reduce daily meeting durations, thus freeing up time for more valuable activities. Or if data shows that employees are consistently overworked, managers can work to help balance workloads and prevent burnout.

Employee monitoring is a failure of communication

If your team is consistently failing to meet expectations, resorting to monitoring tools will not help. Such tools do not facilitate the discussions needed to understand why employees are underperforming or how you can help them. Instead of creating an environment of open communication and trust, this approach sends a message of distrust.

Managers must prioritize direct communication with their workers. By initiating constructive conversations and providing feedback backed by data that both parties can access, managers can address issues directly and work collaboratively towards solutions. This approach resolves immediate concerns more effectively, strengthens relationships, and builds trust within the team.

Employee monitoring builds a culture of fear and blame

within an organization. When employees feel constantly surveilled, they may become hyper-focused on avoiding mistakes and appearing active. This fear-based culture stifles creativity, collaboration, and ultimately performance. Moreover, when issues arise, employees may deflect blame onto the monitoring tools or each other instead of taking ownership and working towards solutions.

You must foster a safe culture and environment in which employees can take risks and learn from mistakes without fear of punishment. Great leaders encourage employees to undertake initiatives like implementing 

 or establishing workplace guidelines. With the right tools to support and measure the effectiveness of change, individuals, teams, and the entire organization can take accountability and contribute to creating better workdays.

Employee monitoring is an obvious work culture risk

Capturing screenshots and tracking keystrokes and mouse activity represents a significant invasion of privacy for workers. Constant surveillance of every action can create a sense of unease, destroying trust and potentially leading to workers gaming the system and compromising the data to conceal what they are actually doing.

Workers have a right to privacy. Everyone should have control over what data is shared, including the tools they use, the meetings they attend, and the events in their calendar. By allowing workers to choose which data they feel is relevant to measure, they will become more likely to engage in making meaningful changes. This approach gives them ownership of the data and their workday.

Employee monitoring is inherently reactive

Employee monitoring relies on collecting data to identify areas of concern or non-compliance. While this information can be valuable for addressing specific incidents or behavior patterns, it does little to prevent similar issues from arising in the future.

Instead of waiting for problems to occur, organizations must take proactive measures to support a positive work environment and address potential issues before they escalate. You and your team can do exactly that by gaining insights into overwork, distractions, and other productivity-impairing factors.

Another drawback of employee monitoring is that the data collected is often restricted to a select few individuals (typically management or HR personnel). This is especially true if the tool is silently installed, as most employee monitoring tools are. By restricting access to data, organizations miss out on opportunities to engage the entire team in identifying areas for improvement and working together toward solutions.

By protecting individual privacy and providing relevant data to individuals, teams, and organizations, meaningful improvements can be made. With specific data, each group can take action and drive positive change. Individuals gain insights into work habits and personal productivity challenges. Teams access valuable collaboration data and come to see communication patterns. And organizations can analyze trends to optimize resources and implement strategic initiatives. 

Produce8 is built for productivity and teamwork

We built Produce8 in 2020 when remote work became more prevalent and teams needed a way to 

collaborate while working remotely and asynchronously

. There was a demand for a product that could help teams work better together, and after speaking with hundreds of business owners and leaders, we discovered that employee monitoring wasn’t the answer.

Since then, we’ve added many features that support all levels of an organization, from individual contributors all the way up to the CEO. We understand that everyone’s workday and work styles are different and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to effective collaboration. That’s why we provide unbiased data to help users understand how they work and identify factors that impair productivity.

Employee monitoring tools and digital work analytics are entirely different products. If you want to protect IP or find a reason to terminate a low-performing employee, then employee monitoring tools may be right for you. But if you want to build a team of high-performers, it’s time to invest in Produce8. 

Summary: 

Most employee monitoring tools are designed to enable HR departments and organization leads to manage or terminate employees based on performance metrics. These tools are not designed to empower workers or improve collaboration. Worse, they do not foster a space for conversation within an organization.

If you are considering getting an employee monitoring software to help your team work better. Hold on — and keep reading this article to learn how we can help!

There is a reason employee monitoring software exists. If you want indisputable evidence that allows you to terminate or discipline your employees, surveillance is useful. But if you want to get the most out of your team, build better collaboration processes, and gain an understanding of what impairs productivity, employee monitoring tools are ineffective.

Employee monitoring is designed to protect the business from having time or property stolen. If you are having such problems, surveillance will help. However, employee monitoring tools are not designed to empower and motivate employees or create a shared space for open conversations. If you’re looking to improve those areas, you’ll need something else.

Luckily, Produce8 is here to help. Follow along as we discuss why employee monitoring tools are ineffective for productivity and teamwork. And share our solutions.

Employee monitoring doesn’t improve productivity

Employee monitoring tools collect a wealth of data. However, a lot of that data may not help in improving productivity or enhancing team performance. Instead, it primarily serves as a tool for disciplinary action or compliance. This undermines positive organizational success.

Produce8's solution: 

Unlike employee monitoring tools, Produce8’s digital work analytics platform provides practical insights that enable individuals and teams to set goals and drive intentional change. For example, if analytics reveal certain meetings are lengthy, teams can restructure and set a goal in Produce8 to reduce daily meeting durations, thus freeing up time for more valuable activities. Or if data shows that employees are consistently overworked, managers can work to help balance workloads and prevent burnout.

Employee monitoring is a failure of communication

If your team is consistently failing to meet expectations, resorting to monitoring tools will not help. Such tools do not facilitate the discussions needed to understand why employees are underperforming or how you can help them. Instead of creating an environment of open communication and trust, this approach sends a message of distrust.

Produce8’s solution:

Managers must prioritize direct communication with their workers. By initiating constructive conversations and providing feedback backed by data that both parties can access, managers can address issues directly and work collaboratively towards solutions. This approach resolves immediate concerns more effectively, strengthens relationships, and builds trust within the team.

Employee monitoring is a failure of communication

If your team is consistently failing to meet expectations, resorting to monitoring tools will not help. Such tools do not facilitate the discussions needed to understand why employees are underperforming or how you can help them. Instead of creating an environment of open communication and trust, this approach sends a message of distrust.

Produce8’s solution: 

Managers must prioritize direct communication with their workers. By initiating constructive conversations and providing feedback backed by data that both parties can access, managers can address issues directly and work collaboratively towards solutions. This approach resolves immediate concerns more effectively, strengthens relationships, and builds trust within the team.

Employee monitoring builds a culture of fear and blame

Reliance on monitoring tools creates a culture of fear and blame within an organization. When employees feel constantly surveilled, they may become hyper-focused on avoiding mistakes and appearing active. This fear-based culture stifles creativity, collaboration, and ultimately performance. Moreover, when issues arise, employees may deflect blame onto the monitoring tools or each other instead of taking ownership and working towards solutions.

Produce8’s solution: 

You must foster a safe culture and environment in which employees can take risks and learn from mistakes without fear of punishment. Great leaders encourage employees to undertake initiatives like implementing productivity challenges or establishing workplace guidelines. With the right tools to support and measure the effectiveness of change, individuals, teams, and the entire organization can take accountability and contribute to creating better workdays.

Employee monitoring is an obvious work culture risk

Capturing screenshots and tracking keystrokes and mouse activity represents a significant invasion of privacy for workers. Constant surveillance of every action can create a sense of unease, destroying trust and potentially leading to workers gaming the system and compromising the data to conceal what they are actually doing.

Produce8’s solution: 

Workers have a right to privacy. Everyone should have control over what data is shared, including the tools they use, the meetings they attend, and the events in their calendar. By allowing workers to choose which data they feel is relevant to measure, they will become more likely to engage in making meaningful changes. This approach gives them ownership of the data and their workday.

Employee monitoring is inherently reactive

Employee monitoring relies on collecting data to identify areas of concern or non-compliance. While this information can be valuable for addressing specific incidents or behavior patterns, it does little to prevent similar issues from arising in the future.

Produce8’s solution: 

Instead of waiting for problems to occur, organizations must take proactive measures to support a positive work environment and address potential issues before they escalate. You and your team can do exactly that by gaining insights into overwork, distractions, and other productivity-impairing factors.

Employee monitoring limits transparency

Another drawback of employee monitoring is that the data collected is often restricted to a select few individuals (typically management or HR personnel). This is especially true if the tool is silently installed, as most employee monitoring tools are. By restricting access to data, organizations miss out on opportunities to engage the entire team in identifying areas for improvement and working together toward solutions.

Produce8’s solution: 

By protecting individual privacy and providing relevant data to individuals, teams, and organizations, meaningful improvements can be made. With specific data, each group can take action and drive positive change. Individuals gain insights into work habits and personal productivity challenges. Teams access valuable collaboration data and come to see communication patterns. And organizations can analyze trends to optimize resources and implement strategic initiatives. 

Produce8 is built for productivity and teamwork

We built Produce8 in 2020 when remote work became more prevalent and teams needed a way to collaborate while working remotely and asynchronously. There was a demand for a product that could help teams work better together, and after speaking with hundreds of business owners and leaders, we discovered that employee monitoring wasn’t the answer.

Since then, we’ve added many features that support all levels of an organization, from individual contributors all the way up to the CEO. We understand that everyone’s workday and work styles are different and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to effective collaboration. That’s why we provide unbiased data to help users understand how they work and identify factors that impair productivity.

Employee monitoring tools and digital work analytics are entirely different products. If you want to protect IP or find a reason to terminate a low-performing employee, then employee monitoring tools may be right for you. But if you want to build a team of high-performers, it’s time to invest in Produce8. 

Employee Monitoring Tools Aren’t Made For Productivity or Teamwork 

Meetings and messages are the foundation of work collaboration. But they're taking up too much of our productivity time.

The fact is that collaboration is affecting our ability to focus on important tasks. Our productivity is declining, even with all the apps we use. The rise of tools like Zoom and Slack has made communication easy, but we have less time for deep work. Here are a few troubling statistics:

excessive number of meetings causes missed deadlines

Today, the typical knowledge worker gets notifications from 

90% of workers dedicate up to five hours daily to checking work messenger apps such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

It’s clear we're on a downward trend. But before we talk about fixing the problem, let's figure out how we got here.

In the early 1980s, collaboration depended on landline phones, fax machines, and in-person meetings, making tasks more time-consuming. Collaborative efforts required physical presence, followed a structured approach, and were scheduled for specific purposes like project updates, decision-making, or problem-solving.

But while meetings were common in ‘80s office life, they were typically shorter and less frequent compared to the current work environment.



Meetings have been getting longer over the past 50 years. In 2017, executives spent about 

 in meetings. That’s a huge jump from the less than 10 hours they’d spend in meetings in the ‘60s. Meetings have even grown about 

As we address today's collaboration challenges, we must acknowledge the progress we've made. We've come a long way from relying solely on memos and face-to-face meetings. But distractions were also far less pervasive during that era. A colleague had to physically enter your workspace and tap you on the shoulder to get your attention.

As the ‘80s rolled into the ‘90s, personal computers became more affordable and increasingly powerful. Businesses embraced these machines, recognizing their potential to enhance productivity.

(1994-2004) The email and teleconferencing era

In the mid-1990s, the internet became a fixture in offices. Email rose as the primary mode of communication, overtaking traditional mail and fax machines.

Email enabled near-instant communication (in contrast to the days or weeks needed for traditional mail and fax). However, its popularity quickly led to email overload, with people returning from vacations to hundreds of unread messages. This is a challenge we all still face today, with the average person receiving over 

Meetings and messages are the foundation of work collaboration. But they're taking up too much of our productivity time.

The fact is that collaboration is affecting our ability to focus on important tasks. Our productivity is declining, even with all the apps we use. The rise of tools like Zoom and Slack has made communication easy, but we have less time for deep work. Here are a few troubling statistics:

One in four workers thinks that an excessive number of meetings causes missed deadlines.

Today, the typical knowledge worker gets notifications from six different applications.

90% of workers dedicate up to five hours daily to checking work messenger apps such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

It’s clear we're on a downward trend. But before we talk about fixing the problem, let's figure out how we got here.

(1983-1993) The landline era

In the early 1980s, collaboration depended on landline phones, fax machines, and in-person meetings, making tasks more time-consuming. Collaborative efforts required physical presence, followed a structured approach, and were scheduled for specific purposes like project updates, decision-making, or problem-solving.

But while meetings were common in ‘80s office life, they were typically shorter and less frequent compared to the current work environment.

Meetings have been getting longer over the past 50 years. In 2017, executives spent about 23 hours per week in meetings. That’s a huge jump from the less than 10 hours they’d spend in meetings in the ‘60s. Meetings have even grown about 10% longer since 2000.

As we address today's collaboration challenges, we must acknowledge the progress we've made. We've come a long way from relying solely on memos and face-to-face meetings. But distractions were also far less pervasive during that era. A colleague had to physically enter your workspace and tap you on the shoulder to get your attention.

As the ‘80s rolled into the ‘90s, personal computers became more affordable and increasingly powerful. Businesses embraced these machines, recognizing their potential to enhance productivity.

(1994-2004) The email and teleconferencing era

In the mid-1990s, the internet became a fixture in offices. Email rose as the primary mode of communication, overtaking traditional mail and fax machines.

Email enabled near-instant communication (in contrast to the days or weeks needed for traditional mail and fax). However, its popularity quickly led to email overload, with people returning from vacations to hundreds of unread messages. This is a challenge we all still face today, with the average person receiving over 100 emails per day.

Furthermore, the 1990s saw the rise of teleconferencing technologies, which transformed long-distance collaboration. These technologies reduced the need for in-person meetings and altered the dynamics of meeting times.
The convenience of teleconferencing increased the frequency of meetings. Since participants didn't need to travel, it became easier to schedule and attend meetings, resulting in more regular communication.

The ease of meetings ultimately led to more opportunities to take employees away from their work. Today, workers view 71% of meetings as unproductive and inefficient.

The ‘90s marked a significant technological transformation. People were beginning to grasp the potential of the internet and email, which had boosted productivity. The future seemed promising.

But as we adapted to these changes, another major workplace innovation loomed on the horizon.

(2004-2012) The handheld devices and notification era

The arrival of mobile devices revolutionized how professionals engage in meetings and messages. These devices enhanced connectivity, accessibility, and collaboration.

In the early 2000s, as mobile devices became more prevalent, the amount of time spent in meetings further increased. Knowledge workers often had packed schedules, and collaboration varied in length from quick check-ins to full-day sessions, blurring the line between personal and work lives.

In 2021, 34% of employees admitted they struggled to avoid checking work notifications at home, while 29% faced a similar challenge with personal notifications at work.

With the rise of smartphones, work was no longer confined to a specific place. Instead, it followed us everywhere, always vying for our attention. We received constant alerts for messages, emails, and events, regardless of their importance. Our focus shifted from our surroundings to our devices with every notification.

And yet in the 2000s, we welcomed these changes in how we work, even though they introduced distractions.

(2012-2020) The instant messaging era

Launched in 2013, Slack quickly became popular as a work-focused messaging app. Microsoft Teams, another work collaboration tool, followed in 2017.

These apps replaced long email threads and made communication more immediate. According to Slack, using the app reduces emails by 32% and meetings by 27%.

However, messaging apps have also led to excessive communication. As of 2020, the average knowledge worker spends more than 90 minutes in Slack every workday.

The instant nature of apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams meant quick responses were expected, thus disrupting focused work. Remote work and virtual collaboration gained traction, allowing team members to connect from anywhere. This led to more spontaneous, lengthy meetings.

While the workplace was on the brink of a significant shift in how people collaborate, nobody expected the technological acceleration that was about to occur.

(2020-2023) Zoom meetings and remote work era

In early 2020, government-imposed lockdowns pushed people to work remotely and made video call tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet vital for collaboration. Virtual meetings became more frequent and longer, and a focus on regular check-ins and team-building activities was emphasized.

But the heavy use of platforms like Zoom raised productivity challenges, including information overload and burnout. Excessive, often back-to-back video calls resulted in video call fatigue, impacting mental well-being.

A 2022 survey revealed that 37.1% of employees found Zoom fatigue was the greatest challenge of virtual meetings.

With greater expectations to be active and available — while also being productive — high performers, feeling unrecognized and isolated, experienced a general decline in their well-being.

And this is where we currently find ourselves.

We now understand that while collaboration is essential to our work, it’s not without its detrimental effects. And we’ve learned that something has been missing all along — a tool to unite the entire team. We have witnessed collaboration tools aid us in making communication frictionless. Now, we require a collaboration tool that helps us understand one another and our work habits so we can actually focus on what matters.

What will the next collaboration era look like?

We stand at the precipice of a productivity cliff.

Workers today face numerous interruptions from tools like Slack and Zoom, which was not the case a decade ago. Many organizations and leaders are making quick decisions regarding office work and meetings, but it's often a guessing game with no winners. To solve this problem, we should actually put the problem on the table — not the people.

Previously, the responsibility for productivity and well-being was placed solely on individuals. Overcoming distractions was seen as a characteristic of high performers. However, we now realize that leaving workers to navigate a flawed work environment alone leads to burnout. Sweeping changes by organizations often don't consider the individual impact, and workers are left to adapt on their own.

Fixing collaboration is a team — and often systemic — issue, not something individuals can solve by setting boundaries or taking breaks. Organizations must shift their mindset and create an environment that supports deep work, minimizes distractions, and nurtures well-being.

Understanding how different workers operate is key. One solution doesn't fit all. We need data to visualize the workday, attack the collaboration problem, and stop blaming individuals.

At Produce8, we bring teams together and empower individuals to take back their workdays. By giving people control over their collaboration tools, we can create space for great work.


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