Recognising the evolving role of managed service providers
As law firms’ needs change, managed service providers (MSPs) must evolve into strategic partners, providing comprehensive assessments and digital transformation roadmaps, says Quiss head of professional services Nick Hayne
Traditionally, a managed service provider (MSP) delivers services, such as network, application, infrastructure and security operations through ongoing and regular problem-solving support, with varying levels of active administration for customers.
The service and support is technology-focussed. Despite some tailoring of the service required depending on each client’s unique needs, the general purpose is to keep the client’s systems working and leave them to get on with their business.
If and when the client recognises a need for improvement, typically the MSP will be a first point of contact. However, the emphasis is on the client to identify solutions to their challenges, then approach the MSP with a request for help.
Change in the legal sector is driving the need for the role of MSPs such as Quiss, to evolve into something new. Less emphasis on supporting the ‘business-as-usual’ activities of their clients and more on being a trusted partner, helping them shape the future of their business.
In an increasingly competitive legal market, focussed on data-driven outcomes, privacy requirements, disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and technological advancements, there is a growing demand for proactive advice, delivered more quickly and more cost-effectively. The new MSP must reflect this change in their clients’ behaviour.
Shifting client needs and expectations
It is now clear that modern law firms are seeking more than just problem-solving and technology deployment. There is a growing need for strategic guidance and consultative services, provided by those that understand the context in which they are to be delivered.
Demand for tailored solutions aligned with business objectives is growing from law firms as they develop new success strategies that are increasingly based on expanding their services to include non-legal offerings, attracting new clients and selling more to existing clients.
To survive and succeed, the modern MSP must become a strategic partner. It will conduct comprehensive assessments of client businesses and analyse their processes. It will develop roadmaps for digital transformation and provide ongoing advisory and optimisation services.
The trust in the partnership will come from the demonstrable deep understanding of law firm client’s unique needs and challenges. The evolved MSP will demonstrate an ability to drive sustained value and competitive advantage for the law firm client, with a shared benefit realised from a long-term, collaborative relationship between equals.
It will become increasingly evident that the evolving role of the modern MSP will help shape the digital future of legal services. Otherwise, there is a risk that the MSP as we know it today will be a thing of the past, with some services taken directly by large vendors and others lost to rampant AI.
The ability to adapt and continuously innovate will mark out the best modern MSP, who will be able to move readily from a business that just transacts, with little or no engagement with clients to a partner actively recommended to others by a client that has become an advocate.
As a business and a formerly traditional MSP, here at Quiss we have recognised the role we play has changed and our commitment to the legal sector will see us recruit talented individuals who understand our clients’ needs from a commercial, rather than technical perspective.
