Connext

As managed service providers grow, I have seen support get more complex fast. More tickets, more client demands, and more pressure to stay responsive without losing quality. I have seen offshore teams work extremely well in this environment, but only when they are built around the real needs of the operation. In this case, an MSP holding company partnered with Connext to build a dedicated offshore support team that could strengthen service delivery, improve efficiency, and scale with the business. The goal was not just cost savings. It was building the right structure to support growth. What made it work was how the team was designed. It gave the business 24/7 support coverage, aligned with existing workflows, and created a smoother process for knowledge transfer and day-to-day collaboration. That led to stronger performance, greater flexibility, and more consistent customer experience. This is what I have learned over time: managed services teams scale when support is structured properly, integrated well, and built to protect the customer experience as the business grows. #ManagedServices #OffshoreTeams #CustomerExperience

Not long after arriving in the Philippines, I had the honor to play an exhibition 9-ball match against the legendary Efren “Bata” Reyes. This month, I was reminded of that experience and of one of his many accomplishments, including his April 2005 Asian 9-Ball Tour title. I really wasn't that good, but he found ways to skillfully let me win the two games. I never played 9-ball again after that, so I have jokingly referred to myself ever since as the “Undefeated 9-ball Champion of the Philippines”. If you look closely, the guy in the pink shirt (shades hanging from shirt), standing behind Efren, is Jerie Cataquian, Connext Sr Director of Client Onboarding.

When analysts and leaders understand the story behind the data, they produce reports that help teams make better decisions, identify risks early, and take clear action. Today, I facilitated a session on Utilization, Productivity, and Quality for Connext Operations Center’s Power BI Reporting Team and Manager. The goal was to align them on the metrics that define team member performance and move beyond just calculating numbers. We covered how to define utilization and productivity, analyze the data, recognize the factors that drive these metrics, and understand how quality completes the picture. This helps ensure our reporting supports clearer decisions and more consistent execution across Operations. #ConnextTheBest #ContinuousLearning

What Multi-Site Leadership Teaches Us About Consistency When you work across multiple sites, you get a pretty honest view of how consistent the business really is. A process may look fine on paper. A standard may sound clear in a meeting. But once you see how things are working across locations, you find out pretty quickly whether those things are actually being applied the same way. That is why consistency matters. I travel between sites fairly often, and one thing that stands out is that growth works best when expectations, communication, and culture travel with it. If they do not, the gaps show up. The strongest operations are the ones that keep standards clear and apply them with discipline across the business. That kind of alignment takes structure, accountability, and leadership that stays close to the operation. My experience at Connext has reinforced my belief that you cannot scale well unless consistency is part of the model from day one. #Operations #Scalability #MultiSiteLeadership

Most people still view offshore customer service teams as limited to basic support functions. That is not what I have seen in practice. Some of the strongest teams we have built at Connext are doing much more than answering calls or handling simple tickets. Today, our largest client team has more than 60 people. They operate in the mobile payments space, and the work includes technical support, software development, and architecture support. We also have another client team of more than 50 people focused on back-office customer service and employment verification. That is what stands out to me. The scope of these teams is much broader than most people expect. Yes, there are traditional customer service roles. But there are also teams handling back-office support, data entry, outreach, IT help desk work across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3, and other specialized B2B functions. The real point is this: high-performing offshore teams are not defined by a narrow job category. They are built around the actual work the business needs to do. That is where the value starts to open up. #CustomerService #OffshoreTeams #BusinessOperations