Why a Great Day Out Needs a Plan: Just like the Service Take On Process

By Zaki Abbas, Professional Services Manager, T-Tech 

Let’s be honest, whether you’re planning a day out with friends or onboarding a new client, success rarely happens by accident. You’re organising a train trip: you need to check train times, buy tickets, decide who’s bringing what, and coordinate meeting points. If you don’t have a plan, things get chaotic fast. Someone misses the train, someone else forgets their tickets, and before you know it, the day isn’t quite what you hoped for.

This analogy sums up why, as our company and customer base have grown, we need to always take a structured approach to our Service Take-On (STO) process. Just like planning a bigger day out with more friends, growth brings added complexity, more moving parts, more expectations, and a greater need for coordination. To ensure every journey is smooth and enjoyable for everyone involved, having a clear plan with strong, consistent and regular communication has become more important than ever. 

Structured Planning and Clear Communication 

So, how do I, as the professional services manager, make sure this process as seamless as planning that perfect day out? 

• Breaking Down the Journey: We split the requirements into small, manageable “task lists,” each assigned to a specific team member. This way, everyone knows exactly what they’re responsible for. 

• Building a Consistent Team: We assemble a virtual STO team: a project manager, up to two platform engineers, a service delivery manager, a service desk engineer, and the account manager. These same people work on every STO, building expertise and consistency. As their skills grow, we rotate in new members to keep the team agile and fresh. 

• Getting Ready Before We Board: We gather all the pre-requisite information from the client before the project starts to ensure we hit the ground running. 

• Ownership and Accountability: By assigning clear ownership of each task, we can reduce the need to project manage; service take on is a well-coordinated and agile process. 

• Efficiency and Focus: We’re able to reduce the number of resources needed, focusing on a team that’s customer-centric, and strong in communication and documentation.  

Making Every Trip a Success 

Just like a successful day out, our STO process is all about teamwork and communication. Everyone knows their role, updates are shared regularly, and if someone hits a snag, they escalate it straight away. No one is left guessing, no question is too small, and nobody is left behind. Regular updates in our project channels and tracking tools mean everyone, including stakeholders, can see progress in real time. 

The result? Service runs smoothly, clients are happy, my team is happy, and the team can deliver a great service from day 1. 

Final Thoughts 

Continuous improvement is at the heart of what we do. By treating our STO process like planning a great day out, we’re able to make it structured, transparent, and manageable for everyone involved. And just like any good trip, the journey is better when everyone knows the plan and works together. 

If you’re looking to upgrade your own processes, start with a clear plan, build a strong core team of talented colleagues, assign roles, and keep the lines of communication open. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.