Welcome to CPO Rising’s all-new feature, the Future of Work Influencer series, which will highlight innovative voices in the evolving world of work. This exciting new series will be a go-to spot for progressive thoughts on how technology, transformational thinking, and revolutionary ideas are changing how work gets done. Be sure to check out past articles in this series here.

This week’s Future of Work Influencer article features a conversation with Curt Paquette, President of Managed Service Provider (MSP) Pipeline Talent Solutions.

Christopher J. Dwyer: Curt, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a part of the industry.

Curt Paquette: Thanks for including me. I am proud to be a part of Pipeline Talent Solutions, a newly-launched company with a different vantage point when it comes to workforce solutions. We believe that companies are looking for a strategic partner to help them solve their non-employee workforce challenges. Many of our target clients aren’t sure what they need, or even what they have, so Pipeline provides the counsel and services to solve these challenges, sometimes in a matter of weeks.

As the company’s president, I have the opportunity to form an incredible expert team that allows us to offer an array of services and solutions for clients that are quite different from the traditional MSP or strategic workforce company. We offer some non-traditional services and solutions, including an employer brand assessment. This provides insight into the image of the organization and uncovers how improvements to the brand can improve talent attraction and retention.

I’ve been in the staffing/talent acquisition industry for almost 30 years, with the last two decades in the MSP/VMS space.  I had the pleasure of being a part of one of the first VMS technology companies to go to market. I saw first-hand how individuals were starving for a simple, automated solution to free them from what was a very labor-intensive and time-consuming manual requisition process. Listening to the client’s needs is critical, and then we can focus on the specific functions that will increase longevity and success. It’s not practical or necessary to solve every variation.

That experience spawned an interest in solving clients’ talent-acquisition challenges. So, it was natural for me to get into the MSP world – I moved to a large staffing company to start up their own MSP. I was the third employee, which gave me the opportunity to learn all aspects of the business; this quickly became one of the top MSPs in the marketplace. I remember as if it were yesterday, sitting in a Manhattan office, waiting for a call from a potential $2 billion-in-spend client. When we were chosen as the client’s MSP, I would have done a back flip at that moment if I could have.

I also had the opportunity to lead another MSP as the company worked to develop additional tools and services to bolster its philosophy of innovation. We were early implementers of talent clouds/communities, which allowed us to create redeployment strategies that improved time-to-fill and quality issues. The thrill for me is in supporting companies regardless of the challenges they face with talent acquisition and workforce strategy. I can’t imagine being in any other industry.

CJD: You and I recently spoke about the evolution of the MSP model. Why do you feel that these traditional solutions need such high levels of innovation?

CP: There is so much to talk about, so in the interest of time, here are a few key thoughts. Twenty years ago, MSPs were created to fill a void and provide smaller staffing companies a defensive strategy to protect themselves from many of the large staffing providers. They needed to ensure their business was protected. Since the only real support for MSPs was a VMS, the other services and solutions had to be created by the MSP provider itself. Companies needed ways to manage their statement of work (SOW), independent contractors, and compliance, amongst other things. They also needed better ways to integrate analytics. This still lingers as a problem, putting many of the large MSPs into a difficult situation where they have to manage a large infrastructure that is challenged to be nimble and flexible. And, it seems most aren’t succeeding. In recent years, I have heard so much feedback from clients about their MSPs, which aren’t innovative, nimble, flexible, or even strategic. This is especially true of mid-market clients that normally have between $15 and $50 million in spend.

Today, the industry has created huge opportunities for peripheral or supplemental services that provide very cost-effective ways for MSPs like Pipeline to offer solutions. For many mid-market clients, the standard MSP model is still an option, but now, 20-years removed, it doesn’t offer the breadth of available solutions. Clients and prospective workers have more access to technologies and expect MSPs to integrate those. By employing cost-effective methods with greater access to data, companies find themselves in a position to make better-controlled, outcome-based decisions.

CJD: Whenever the “Future of Work” is discussed, “hot” solutions like artificial intelligence (AI) or digital staffing are typically highlighted. Why should MSPs be part of that Future of Work discussion?

CP: MSPs should definitely be a part of this discussion – viewed both as a viable solution and an active participant in the dialogue. One of Pipeline’s differentiators is our foundational principle to provide workforce strategy advice and support. We see this as vital as companies work through the challenges of the right mix of AI, robots, and other physical machines to assist workers, and the human element. Based on my experience, research, and observation, companies are still struggling with the changeover to AI and digital staffing. There is an acknowledgement, but slow planning. As this continues to grow and move forward, a company’s strategy will need support from companies like Pipeline. The human workforce will remain an integral part, but the overall strategy will likely need to shift. New strategies will ultimately include MSPs with the support of the technology and supplier communities.

CJD: So, tell us about Pipeline Talent Solutions and what you hope to accomplish with this new solution. 

CP: At Pipeline, we bring a different mindset to the industry. Our experience has taught us that the typical MSP client is not getting the expected (or, often times, promised) value out of its program.  Clients have a desire for innovation and strategy that isn’t being met. With that in mind, we have created a network of service providers and solutions that joins our collective MSP expertise to disrupt the market.

Through a focus on being strategic workforce advisors instead of providing the traditionally-expected MSP services, our clients will finally receive the attention and expertise they’re looking for. Our network of partners also allows us to be much nimbler and more flexible, implementing solutions more quickly and using a more disciplined process. We certainly understand our disruptor mentality isn’t new, but the difference in “talking about it” and actually “doing it” is substantial.

We want our clients to view us as an extension of their business achievement objectives. Much like a pit crew for a NASCAR driver, our team is composed of the specialists who manage individual issues, resulting in complete MSP program success. Organizations in today’s dynamic market that would be better served by outsourcing the non-core functions may often be reluctant to do so unless the trust factor exists. At Pipeline, we see trust as integral to every program. That’s a competitive advantage for us.

To ensure we succeed, Pipeline has something many companies do not: executive support. Our parent company, AtWork Group, has fully-committed to the vision and realization of Pipeline Talent Solutions.  Because of this, we have attracted a uniquely-qualified leadership team that is equally-committed to client success and partner-driven operations. Our focus on mid-market clients is also supported by our leadership, as most of our collective industry experience comes from this sector.

CJD: How do you see the world of work continuing to evolve in the year ahead? What’s one big prediction you have for 2019? 

CP: It’s anyone’s guess as to what 2019 will hold given the acquisitions we witnessed last year, and most M&A firms don’t seem to be slowing their pace. As the trend continues, I suspect we’ll see more acquisitions and/or alignments within the smaller market segments, because so many VMSs are being marketed directly to the end-user. Cross-pollination is always a concern, but the reality is if staffing firms don’t employ the appropriate personnel to run the program, no value will be realized. I’m also interested to see if the range of “Chief Contingent Workforce” corporate positions actually gains traction over the next three-to-five years.

AI and digital staffing are generating so much interest, but at the same time, there seems to be an equal level of uncertainty. No one has demonstrated a willingness to give up full control to a “machine.” So, while this has gained some traction, there is much more to be gained. The acceptance of AI, machine learning, and digital staffing will continue to grow. With that, new strides in the functionality and relatability of these innovations will allow them to gain momentum, and more companies offering these solutions will emerge in our industry.

Here’s the big prediction: Aside from Pipeline dominating our sector, we believe there will be a greater dependency on aggregate data within mid-market MSP programs. As a result, there may also be a greater emphasis on retention, retraining, and redeployment within smaller companies (especially end-users). The US economy is strong right now, but the slow adoption rate of these new processes by mid-market MSP clients may unfortunately result in larger corporations taking the lead.

Connect with Curt on LinkedIn, or visit www.pipelinetalent.com for more information on Pipeline Talent Solutions.

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