- Do businesses really pick IT providers through ChatGPT?
- More every quarter. The person choosing an MSP is usually a non-technical owner or office manager, and conversational AI is exactly how non-technical people research technical decisions: “what should I look for in an IT provider, and who's good near me?” The engine answers both parts at once, with two or three names. Referrals still close deals, but the AI answer decides who gets the first call.
- We rank well on Google Maps. Doesn't that cover us?
- It helps, but it isn't the same system. Map rankings feed some engines for “near me” queries, but AI answers also draw on Clutch, UpCity, G2, review text, industry rankings, and your own site's structure — and each engine weighs them differently. We routinely see MSPs in the local pack who never appear in ChatGPT's recommendations. Tibly shows you exactly where you stand on each engine, not just one.
- What sources actually get an MSP recommended by AI?
- In our tracking: Clutch and UpCity profiles with recent reviews, Google review volume and text, G2 listings, recognitions like the Channel Futures MSP 501, Microsoft and other vendor partner directories, and site pages that name specific industries and compliance frameworks. Tibly shows the exact citations behind each answer in your market, so you invest in the surfaces engines actually read.
- Can we track specific niches, like healthcare IT or CMMC compliance?
- Yes — and you should, because niche questions are where AI answers are most decisive. A prompt like “IT provider for a dental office that needs HIPAA compliance” returns very few names, and the firms with dedicated pages for that exact situation win it. Tibly tracks any question you add in plain English, so your best verticals are monitored alongside the broad “managed IT near me” queries.
- What does it cost?
- The first report is free: we run your market's buyer questions across the major AI engines and show you who's being recommended today, including whether your firm appears at all. Continuous daily tracking starts at $49/month with no contracts — a rounding error against the lifetime value of one managed services agreement. Run the free report first and see the gap for yourself.