From delivery risk to recurring revenue

Recognising the opportunity

I became involved when delivery problems began affecting customer satisfaction. I introduced immediate measures to stabilise delivery, then used root-cause analysis and lessons learned to identify the issues. I uncovered gaps between customer expectations and the service being delivered, establishing the case for systemic change.

Conversations across the customer base revealed a broader opportunity. Some were already relying on third parties or contractors to administer and configure their systems. But beyond technical expertise, customers needed a partner who understood their business, could advise on best practice and help align their use of the platform with their wider business objectives.

These conversations showed customers were open to a more comprehensive, ongoing service combining practical support with strategic guidance. The opportunity was there, but delivering it would require a different way of working.

Designing something customers would buy

I shaped the proposition around three areas. The first two, system administration (Keep it Running) and configuration (Continuous Improvement), are common Managed Services offerings. The third, strategic advisory (Strategic Alliance), was the differentiator.

There was some internal scepticism about whether strategic advisory belonged in Managed Services. Having already seen its value while leading Customer Success, I believed it could work, provided we defined the scope carefully enough to make it commercially and operationally sustainable.

Drawing on years of working with prospects and sales teams, I designed it to sell, not just to deliver. The three areas gave Sales and Marketing a clear way to position the offering and made it easy for customers to see where the service could make a difference. Crucially, customers had the flexibility to draw on different areas of the service as their needs evolved.

I established clear commercial boundaries between Managed Services and Professional Services, keeping implementations, complex integrations and rollouts as separate projects. Pricing reflected the type of work, organisational scale and delivery complexity, with longer-term contracts supporting the recurring-revenue strategy.

I piloted the proposition with three paying customers, using early experience to validate and refine the commercial and delivery model while developing the marketing and sales enablement needed for wider rollout.

Building the delivery capability

I began very simply, establishing visibility of customer commitments, structured delivery planning and clear accountability. As demand grew, I developed these foundations into an operating model covering onboarding, delivery governance, capacity planning, service levels, escalation paths and commercial oversight.

The timing was challenging. Contracts were being secured before all the dedicated capacity was in place, and the acquisition brought additional organisational uncertainty. I remained hands-on with delivery where necessary, drew on adjacent teams, recruited junior colleagues with some platform knowledge and an eagerness to learn, and coached both new and existing colleagues as they took on new responsibilities.

With the backing of the acquiring company's leadership, I extended the service across the combined organisation. I defined the go-to-market approach and established a repeatable sales process, from opportunity identification and qualification through scoping and onboarding. The service also became a lever for closing new business: it took the risk out of deployment, removed the need for prospects to hire specialists, and gave their PMO an experienced partner to guide them.

I created the sales enablement materials, ran training sessions and joined customer conversations to build the team's confidence in selling the service. In parallel, I brought delivery teams together and established common ways of working to enable wider rollout.