Tips from the top - how to gather the backing to design and launch a successful MSP
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TIPS FROM THE TOP - HOW TO GATHER THE BACKING TO DESIGN AND LAUNCH A SUCCESSFUL MSP
Robert Moffat, our SVP Global Head of Solutions, sat down with industry leading procurement experts Al Williams and Melanie Temkin, along with our very own MSP Lead, David Spence to discuss planning and implementation of a Managed Service Program (MSP). Melanie and Al have decades of experience in the industry and, with Hays, have built one of the biggest and most complex MSPs in the US market.
During this conversation, Melanie and Al provided insights and advice on designing and preparing to launch a Managed Service Program so that others can learn from and mimic their success.
For them, contingent workers are a critical part of their workforce. It is a strategic opportunity to augment their own capabilities, while still allowing for agility and flexibility. Getting the most out of their workforce required overarching solutions that could centralize hiring processes to cut costs, improve organization, increase efficiency, and reduce non-compliance.
Building Their Team
Robert: “Talk us through the approach you took in building your team.”
Melanie: “Our first goal was to identify and understand who the key leaders were in Talent Acquisition and make sure we were aligned on our strategic goals for the program. This included defining roles and responsibilities upfront.”
Being upfront about roles and responsibilities helps set a base-level understanding of each member’s part in implementing the program. This can significantly improve an organization’s ability to navigate challenges that arise.
Melanie: “Also, it is extremely important to have a great relationship with your partners if you are running a joint program.”
Like with any partnership, it’s critical to have a foundation rooted in open communication and collaboration to be successful. A good relationship with your partners makes it easier to talk through challenges and set objectives.
Setting Objectives
Once you have your team of stakeholders, it’s important to set clear, defined objectives to keep your organization on track. Without clear objectives it can be easy to lose sight of the end goal.
Robert: “Take us back 18 months. Give us an idea of your situation and the drivers for change.”
Melanie: “We knew we needed to upgrade the program. Our main goal was to create opportunities for our Talent Acquisition team to focus on total team talent.”
The ability to free up their internal team to work on other projects was a priority. They knew that if they could outsource that process, they could increase their department’s efficiency while cutting costs and staying competitive in the job market.
Melanie: “We also knew that we wanted something that could create scale and flexibility across the board.”
An MSP from an external vendor can provide the freedom to scale up and down quickly without building a large internal department. The ability to scale quickly allows organizations to handle high demand while keeping an agile team.
For Al and Melanie, another important feature an MSP could provide was oversight.
Al: “One of our goals was to introduce governance centralization and rigor to the hiring process.”
Governance centralization allowed them to reduce risk, cost, and inefficiencies. Too many moving parts can lead to management overpaying employees, hiring non-compliant candidates, and a lack of influence and insight from HR.
With their checklist built out, they identified what was important to their team, and what they expected out of their MSP.
Building Consensus
It’s vital that all the key stakeholders across teams are on the same page. If not, you conflict could arise during implementation.
Robert: “Give us an example of the vendor, procurement, and HR working together.”
David: “I don’t think of it as three teams, it’s one function working while being aware of competing priorities.”
Melanie: “We consciously branded it as the ‘contractor network’ so we could operate the program as a holistic entity.”
This is where objectives and alignment come into play. Sharing clearly defined responsibilities and treating it as one team working on a project is key to putting organizations on the right foot.
Al: “As a tri-party team, I try to instill in our group that we need to deal in facts.”
Dealing in facts allows for one source of truth to influence and decision making. Ideas can differ between teams, but data and facts are what anchors them to the core objectives.
Change Management
Keeping delivery partners in the loop during the planning process can maximize organization-wide buy-in after launch. Navigating this change can be difficult, so it takes careful planning and consideration to be successful.
Robert: “Was change management a challenge for you?”
Melanie: “We took every opportunity to engage our delivery partners as part of the overall solution. We recommend putting together weekly sessions focused on the solution and design to ensure representation from all key stakeholders.”
However, that is not where the journey ends. Following up through implementation and building participation is important to the overall success of the MSP. It’s great to have a new system go live, but there needs to be a culture of using the system for it to be effective. Revisit your objectives and make sure to align on what will happen before, during, and after launch.
Learnings
So, what did they learn about the process of implementing an MSP? Most importantly, agility and adaptability.
Al: “If we learned anything, it was the need to move at the speed of the business.”
These programs are designed to get your team to their full potential and to do more, quicker. If you can’t adapt and make quick decisions, you could get left behind.
Al: “We learned more after going live than in any white board session we could have done.”
So, if you are worried about starting before you and your team are ready, don’t be. It’s more likely that you are a perfect candidate for an MSP. Plus, our experts will be there to help guide you through the process every step of the way. Learn more about Hays MSP services here.
AUTHOR
Robert Moffat
Global and Americas Head of Solutions, Enterprise Solutions at Hays
With a 25 year track record of designing, implementing and managing talent services Robert has a wealth of knowledge on the challenges and opportunities facing employers in maintaining a competitive advantage in talent acquisition, engagement and retention.
As Global and Americas Head of Solutions Robert is part of the global leadership team responsible for innovation and product development. Having lived and worked for Hays in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas he is able to bring a diverse range of thought and experience to the new challenges in the world or work.
He has a passion for new ideas, markets and opportunities and has been instrumental in a number of Hays’ recent global projects including the roll out of a Global Operating Method, Supplier Engagement Strategy, the evolution of our direct sourcing approach and a quick deploy RPO service for start-up and high growth companies.
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