We recently sat down with two senior members of our MServ team: Wendy Genery, Service Delivery Manager, and Paula Inman, Solutions Expert. They work with new and existing 
TRACK and myTrack customers to help them get the most out of MServ, our global managed service offering.
MServ, offered by Management Controls, is a managed service designed to optimize and streamline contractor management processes for businesses. It combines advanced technology with expert support to ensure that companies can effectively manage contractor performance, compliance, and costs. With MServ, companies get real-time data and analytics to make better decisions and 
improve operations. It helps reduce risks, boost productivity, and save money by making contractor management transparent and streamlined.
Let’s dig into some best practices and how we help our customers get the most value from MServ:
Q: First, can you explain how MServ works?
Wendy: MServ is like a third-party managed service company. However, we provide it rather than an outsider. MServ aims to level-up our client’s processes and get them to the Maturity Curve faster. Our Maturity Curve model lays out a roadmap for success where customers master key concepts and initiatives within each level of the journey to strengthen and optimize their business.
The key to making it work is for clients to embed us within their organization. Typically, the more they do this, the more they see what we can offer. We bring our findings to them and make recommendations.
Q: Can you describe the vendor onboarding process for MServ users?
Paula: We have an experienced team of people who are used for onboarding; it's what we do. Our collective experience is significant. It includes former clients who’ve used our solution for over 10 years. I’ve used the system since 2000.
As experts, we can onboard vendors much quicker than clients, especially those who have never done it except during their product implementation.
Wendy: Client setup also impacts the onboarding process. Overly complex workflows can slow it down. Ultimately, we can onboard vendors as quickly as the clients allow us.
Q: Are there other benefits the experienced MServ staff bring clients?
Paula: Definitely.
When we run the tool, we can quickly catch anything that might look off in a material audit, for example. We can go to the material module, dump the data into Excel, find the inconsistencies, and prioritize the items that need to be audited.
Wendy: Clients may think no news is good news. That's typically true. If you're waiting for no news, it means everything is running smoothly.
But in the MServ world, we can't assume no news is good news. Things that need monitoring are continually happening behind the scenes.
We fight a lot of battles behind the scenes. However, we make sure that our clients are aware of all the information. We present them with metrics and introduce dashboards so they can gain a greater perspective.
For example, for one client, we sorted through 1,800 tickets or email threads. We use Zendesk to track the email requests from end users to the MServ team. By going through the tickets, we can ensure that the process is going smoothly and identify any areas of improvement or optimization for the client.
Q: It sounds like MServ is a time-saver for clients. Correct?
Wendy: Definitely. But there’s more to it than that. We talk to many customers. They say ‘Yeah, I'm working so hard just to check my baseline boxes. There's no way I have enough capacity to level up or think about Insights (our powerful customized analytics service).’ Even if they are the right person to do it, it takes a lot of effort.
That's where MServ comes in. We drive the process and offer different variations of report outs, depending on the client’s wants and needs.
We constantly review and utilize Insights, which can help customers drill down into detailed analytics and metrics, so they understand trends and opportunities. During client stakeholder meetings, we explain what we see and what’s happening, so the stakeholders are exposed to the data they need to improve and optimize their business.
If they work with MServ, we can run TRACK or myTrack for them. And they would never have to worry about it again.
Q: What about clients who don’t have MServ?
Wendy: Most of our clients struggle to find the time to research the value of Insights. They need to have regular Insight meetings.
They still get value from the software, but it’s not as much as they could. If you don’t know how to interpret the data or don’t have the bandwidth to focus on it, you can’t utilize the information to make valuable decisions.
Again, we regularly have discussions with our Insights team. We know how to interpret the data, drive best practices, make improvements, and help clients optimize the program. When this occurs, they can reap significant benefits.
Q: myTrack and TRACK are all about data. How does MServ set up and govern master data within the platform to ensure data consistency and integrity?
Paula: Our approach depends on the client type. We work with clients who are new to our product and those currently using the software.
When working with new clients, our Implementation Team sets up the master data per our best practices. So, right off the bat, we gain a good grasp on how they operate.
We enter master data into the system. Then, when something new needs to be added, our managed services team enters the data and oversees what goes into TRACK or myTrack. This ensures there’s no fluff or junk in the system.
When each new client location becomes a user, we mimic how we organized the first location. This way, we have consistent data when we start reporting on the data.
That's where it's important for data consistency and integrity because you want to report on it the right way.
For those clients who have been using our software but not MServ, they may have gone through several different product coordinators, so they've established processes.
Sometimes, the processes are clunky, and the data is unclear. We investigate and try to find inconsistencies between their contracts. We review all the data and decide which part of the master data we want to tackle first.
We develop suggestions for our best practices and determine a timeline to implement any changes to help clients with the overall governance of their master data. Finally, we go to the client and propose the changes. We never make changes without the client's approval.
We see this as a partnership, like everything we do with our clients.
Q: What specific processes and protocols does MServ follow to maintain strict adherence to the Daily Process?
Paula: We approach every situation, hurdle, and obstacle to get ourselves up the Maturity Curve in the same way. We analyze the process.
Whether the issue is inconsistent schedules or pay formulas that need to be adjusted or standardized, we ask questions such as:
- What are the processes right now?
- How can we streamline the processes?
- How can we make things easier?
- What are the client’s pain points?
Our approach is to listen, ask questions, and do an internal analysis with multiple people.
We ensure everybody on our team fully understands what needs to happen and then present our findings to the client. The goal is to move our client up the Maturity Curve—from automation and compliance to proactive management.
Wendy: Exactly.
We developed a model and determined what helps a client get the most value out of myTrack or TRACK. We use the model as a driver with our best practices to help move our clients forward.
While the speed of the process improvement varies depending on the client and their goals, they will progress if they follow the model. We want our clients to follow what we consider to be the best practices so they can experience the results they’re after.
Q: Can you talk more about the best practices?
Paula: A best practice and something we regularly stress to clients is that they need to do their Daily Settlement Process, which is a daily process that automatically determines net billable hours and costs. We want the vendors to allocate their time daily to give us real-time hours and dollars. When they adhere to the daily process, it allows our clients to have their actuals the next day, and for a client’s authorizer, this means the approvals are fresh on their minds. That’s transactional excellence, which is the goal.
After implementation, many clients don’t stick with the daily process because they don’t know how to get the support they need to make it happen.
Another best practice is to only have vendors begin work with a Purchase Order (PO). If vendors don't get a PO before they start the work, it could lead to a gap in the process, and it goes downhill from there.
This may sound obvious, but it happens a lot. Consider this scenario: There are 10 requisitioners at a site that are issuing jobs to the vendors, and they work under a master agreement. The requisitioner is pushing that work out to the vendor, and the vendor is trying to figure it out.
Well, if the vendor has a relationship with the vendor, the vendor might start the work before they even get the PO.
Wendy: Other best practices include setting up what governance will look like. It’s one of the first things that MServ does. We force people to be identified as stakeholders from all aspects of the business, from escalation points to things of that nature.
We provide the structure and support that MServ needs to conduct day-to-day business. Structure is the only way clients can maximize their benefits.
Take the Next Step with MServ
MServ’s expertise and industry-leading best practices can streamline operations, ensure compliance, and drive efficiency. Seize the opportunity with MServ to unlock your organization’s potential and propel your business toward success.
Read our solution brief to learn more now.
You can also contact us today to learn more and embark on your journey toward operational excellence. Get in touch with your Sales Representative or Account Executive today.
