Lost in translation

Managed services is becoming a top model for reducing costs and driving strategic priorities such as growth, resilience, and agility

With this increase in enterprise value, it’s no wonder that the C-suite, board, and other leaders are becoming more involved in managed services decisions.

But not every service provider knows how to translate their work into a context that’s meaningful for senior leadership: business enablement. As you explore managed services for sustained transformation, seek providers who:

• Speak both business and digital. The most capable managed services firms have board-level credibility, broad experience, and subject-matter knowledge across functions, processes, and technology domains. They don’t just execute processes; they work to understand your strategic vision—and translate it to new operating models and technology.
• Avoid technical jargon. Look for providers who communicate in a language of risks and opportunities, not speeds and feeds. What kinds of cybersecurity can protect your organization while also differentiating your customer experience? Which emerging regulatory compliance requirements could affect your expansion? As collaborators in your transformation, providers should discuss their services in the context of your growth, revenue, costs, customers, and brand.
• Demonstrate expertise in your industry. How can financial institutions grow through mobile and cloud-based channels while mitigating security threats? How are healthcare companies managing regulatory risk with connected medical devices? Choose a managed services provider who can speak to your processes and technology and your industry—including relevant challenges, threats, and operational strategies.
• Contextualize their insights. Many providers offer data-driven analytics and market insights, but leading firms customize those insights to your business priorities—with actionable recommendations. For example, should you implement the new functionality in the next cloud software update? How will it impact your processes and, ultimately, the speed to market for your key products in development? Answers to these kinds of questions come from predictive analytics and respected advisory capabilities.

Remember that the best managed services providers are strategic collaborators in the transformation journey, not transactional processors. That means they don’t speak in technobabble. Instead, their language should be one of enterprise outcomes, ongoing evolution, and competitive advantage.