What do you really know about the team you have entrusted with delivering your MSP solution? 

Your MSP provider often chooses your account team, and you are at their mercy on who is assigned to lead your program. Frequently, these assignments are based on the size of your program and not on the best person in the MSP organization to deliver a value-driven experience based on industry expertise, strong knowledge of acquiring the skillsets you need, and strong relationships with the key suppliers that are bringing the talent into your organization today. For this reason, some MSP providers have a high turnover on their account teams!  So, will the MSP team they put in place be a great fit for your organization, and will they be here tomorrow?

You should evaluate several critical areas about the team your current or potential MSP partner recommends. This isn't a list where you get two or three of them and be happy with them. This should be a mandatory approach for anyone who tells you they can deliver the talent program you need.

Are they respectfully challenging?

While it's nice to hear yes, you should pause if all you hear is yes. Clients know their business, understand their needs, and bring excellent ideas; there's no doubt about that. But if you always bring the ideas and there's no bidirectional flow of expertise and innovation, what are you paying your MSP partner for?

Do they have the skills and team size to manage the changes you will inevitably need proactively?

The pace at which the talent market and business changes continues to pick up momentum. Once you've fallen behind, it's nearly impossible to catch up without incurring costs, losing productivity, and a host of other less-than-optimal outcomes. Partnering closely and understanding your business and the impact your organization's strategies will have on the talent you need to bring into your organization and matching that with industry-leading intelligence and insights on what is going on in the market creates the perfect collision of proactively adapting to stay ahead of the curve. An expert team with both breadth and depth can deliver on this, which should be your expectation.

Do they understand the importance of interacting with your hiring managers?

Working with hiring managers and understanding their needs should never fall by the wayside. Hiring managers know their area of the business, and they know the attributes that will make talent successful within their organization. They know the role better than anyone else and are committed to bringing in the best talent to support their needs so they can achieve organizational goals. They may be focused on speed, cost, quality, or all of the above. How will you know what's needed if the hiring manager isn't the focal point in the process? Some MSPs prefer to work through tech only, have less interaction, and speed up the process to decrease their internal costs of supporting the program. This doesn't help you enhance your business or your talent.

Do they have a solid and tenured team you can trust to be authentic and to be there tomorrow?

At WilsonHCG, we assign the right team from the start – with a turnover rate of only 6%. But what does that mean for you directly? It means that our team working on your program are all industry experts who will challenge you, proactively manage your program to adapt to the market and value your hiring managers. You will trust them to be there for you and your talent needs both today and tomorrow.

To truly understand how the WilsonHCG team is different, let's introduce you to Michelle Waller, our Senior Director of Contingent Workforces Solutions.

Let us introduce you to Michelle so you will understand how the WilsonHCG team is different.

Meet Michelle, CCWP – Senior Director on our Contingent Workforce team!

Michelle has two decades of staffing expertise. She started in a highly regulated federal staffing program and moved to the provider side in 2012, joining WilsonHCG ten years ago. Her areas of expertise include client partnership engagement, program development, change management, analytics and technology, strategic sourcing, and team coaching and development. Below are some insights from Michelle:

Q: What contingent program accomplishment are you most proud of, and why?

A: I take great pride in every contingent placement, believing that even staffing a single person can have a tremendous positive impact on an organization.

One of the most significant moments in our contingent program delivery was during the pandemic. With the lack of job volume from clients and the unfortunate layoffs of recruiters, we were determined to get this group back to work as soon as possible. We built a skills pipeline with over 2,000 talent acquisition professionals across the country, a testament to our resilience and commitment. Then opportunity struck. We had previously worked with a major Canadian retailer and learned they were planning to decentralize their Talent Acquisition team to meet regional store staffing needs. They required high-volume recruiters with regional presence, industry expertise, and varying language skills across Canada. We were prepared for this and, over two years, successfully placed more than two hundred recruiters in meaningful jobs. This example is typical of the journey we take with our clients, where support and partnership evolve.

Q: Describe your partnership approach.

A: The contingent environment has given me the opportunity to collaborate with hundreds of clients across various industries and categories, each with its own unique style. I believe it’s crucial to understand your audience and be ready to deliver for them, whether they prefer detailed data and facts, storytelling, or casual conversation. I adapt to ensure clients feel we are an extension of their culture, building trust in the process. My approach to partnerships is characterized by open, direct, and friendly communication, along with a strong commitment to meeting their needs. Our clients repeatedly choose us not only for the quality of our candidates but also for the exceptional experience they have working with us.

Q: What’s the one question you wish every client would ask?

A: Does my/our hiring process align with the market conditions today?

In competitive markets where skilled talent is scarce, our clients are vying for the same candidates. They should seek ways to streamline their processes to achieve greater impact in less time. I enjoy reviewing and consulting on hiring practices, as there are often inefficiencies that can be optimized to significantly enhance the attraction and retention of future star employees.

If you are ready to talk more, we would love to—connect with us here!