A chat with ConnectWise Control GM Jeff Bishop
Jeff Bishop spearheaded the business development, marketing, sales, and product management for ScreenConnect® until its acquisition by ConnectWise. Now, he’s responsible for ensuring that the program meets the needs of partners and end users, as the General Manager for ConnectWise Control® at ConnectWise.
Here’s what he has to say about the future of ConnectWise Control:
What are some of ConnectWise Control’s key priorities for 2016?
I think everyone will see some big leaps forward in ease of use, performance, and functionality that will be key to partner success. A lot of 2015 was spent bringing ConnectWise® and ConnectWise Control together, and bringing to market the ConnectWise platform of solutions.
Our team worked hard onboarding new colleagues, disseminating product knowledge, and putting in place processes to help us move forward quickly and efficiently. 2016 is starting off with a much closer look at partner feedback and improving existing functionality.
We never want to be the product with all the bells and whistles, simply the one that works the best.
How do you expect the remote support solution market to evolve in the months and years ahead?
The direction of tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Apple, IBM, Samsung, and Intel, to name just a few, will continue to heavily influence the industry. I also expect to see more consolidations and acquisitions of technologies as companies look to grow their portfolios.
The PC and mobile markets are changing nearly daily and with that you are seeing our industry adapting to that to keep pace with technician and end user needs. The Internet of Things is still new to most companies and consumers, but as it expands, it will open a world of opportunities in our space.
Ultimately, it will be consumers that will drive the biggest changes. As long as there are people engaging with technology, there will be a need for support, data collection, and collaboration tools.
How will ConnectWise Control plan to get ahead of these changes?
By continuing to develop our team in a way that can easily scale and be responsive to our partners’ needs. We have great people in areas of leadership and are building out strong teams empowered to be flexible, disruptive, and innovative.
Some of our short term goals revolve around the ease of use of ConnectWise Control, product performance, and integrations with other products and technologies. But in that vein of being disruptive, we have a few things on the horizon that should be pretty fun!
What everyday things do you take pride in?
Providing a great user experience. I want everything from the website and trial, to every interaction with the product and team, be a positive experience. It’s a tough area to obsess over, and it certainly doesn’t help me sleep well. But, I hope the anxiety we feel translates to a constantly improving experience for our partners.
What do you listen to while you work?
I listen to a wide variety of music. I grew up in North Carolina, so southern rock and country music are commonplace. But my go to at work is Sinatra and some of the older jazz and blues singers. But I have a 15-year-old son, so the music in the car can be all over the place.
What are you currently reading?
I probably listen to more audio books these days than I read. I currently have 3 books going:
- The Formula by Luke Dormehl
- Private London by James Patterson
- Hooked by Nir Eyal
How do you recharge?
Recharge? Wow, that is a good question. I really enjoy sitting out on the porch listening to music. In those rare times when I have a few days off, I enjoy doing some hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are some amazing trails along the rivers and the waterfalls that are inspiring.