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By Bruce Morton
Change can be challenging. When organizations move from an incumbent Managed Service Provider (MSP) solution to another, the changeover period needs a thorough change management strategy to ensure there is a smooth transition.
It can be difficult to get all members of an organization on board with the reasons behind the transition, which is why we have come up with some recommendations on a few important dos and don’ts to keep in mind.
What are the dos in change management?
1. Do identify your key stakeholder groups - Start with identifying the client’s leadership, hiring managers and supplier community. This is also helpful in identifying potential resistors to change early on in the process.
2. Do encourage top-down communications - Communication is essential, but this shouldn't just be focused on those in your stakeholder groups. It's important to think about the other levels within your organization, such as the accounts payable team, who, even though impacted lightly, will still need to know about the change.
3. Do think about additional methods of communication - Create opportunities to have hands-on, forward-thinking change management strategies that go further than just e-mail communications, such as informational sessions sponsored by the client or video messaging.
4. Do insist on a supplier kick-off meeting - It’s imperative to introduce suppliers to the new MSP and discuss the enrollment requirements for suppliers, explaining how they differ to those of the incumbent solution.
What shouldn’t we be doing during change management?
1. Don't allow broad communication - Some clients only want to inform their divisions that are currently using contingent workers about the transition. However, this approach doesn’t take into account those that may need contingent staff in the near future. To avoid confusion and delays, it’s important to communicate to all potentially impacted parties.
2. Don't ignore resistors to the change - Take the time to hear resistors' hesitations about the change. By listening to their concerns, you can provide them with reassurance.
How does AGS manage change differently?
To make the transition from an incumbent to an AGS MSP as smooth as possible, here are three key areas to our approach to change management:1. A global approach and customization - As we operate on a global basis, we adapt our change management to different regional local nuances and cultures depending on the individual client's needs. Customization of our change management is driven by the customer and what they know to be a successful method of communication for their unique company culture. Although the culture and language may change from country to country, our methodology remains the same around the world.
2. An entire 'village' of support - There's a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. When it comes to successfully implementing a new MSP solution, AGS has the support and capabilities to do this with a highly-skilled team. We typically have seven to eight people involved, including a market analyst expert, solutions architect and business analyst. Each is responsible for a different part of the process, helping to make the transition seamless from start to finish.
3. A dedicated change manager - We also make sure there is a dedicated change manager assigned to oversee every MSP transition that we handle. Many providers have a project manager and analyst managing the process, but by appointing an individual dedicated to change management, they can oversee the entire transition, making sure it runs seamlessly.
After transitioning to an AGS MSP from an incumbent, a key oil and gas client sponsor said: "The best part of the AGS program is that you were able to adapt to what works for us as your client. You were flexible with being able to take everything over, but also knew when to step back and just be there for support when we needed you.”
Is your organization considering a change in your current MSP program? Learn more about our global MSP solutions and how we can help you to manage the change.
Matt Fringeli, Director of Implementation, Tyler Thraen, Implementation Consultant and Jenny Triaca, Sr. Implementation Manager at Allegis Global Solutions, also contributed to this blog.
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