WHY SERVICES TEAMS MUST LEAD (NOT FOLLOW) THE AI CONVERSATION
- Robbie Burnell
- 44 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Despite Services becoming revenue drivers in many organizations, Professional Services Delivery teams continue to battle a stubborn misconception: they are cost centres over strategic revenue drivers.
Now, of course some are, but today AI presents the biggest opportunity in a generation to rewrite that narrative, yet Services leaders must lead this conversation. Of course AI is not the silver bullet solution; leaders will still require vision and resources, so simply “adding AI” is not a strategy in and of itself.
But at Precursive, we believe Services organizations must own the AI agenda because no other function has the same access to a customer’s reality end-to-end. From Implementation workflows to success outcomes, they [should] have the data required to make AI meaningful. The companies plus the people leading these teams that win will be those where Services leads the shift, not those that follow it or do nothing.
AI CAN CREATE VALUE, BUT THE TRUE VALUE STILL LIVES WITH DELIVERY
Across SaaS and technology companies, AI is already reshaping product and delivery experiences. Yet the truth is that most revenue and adoption outcomes still depend on a predictable, scalable delivery engine. Features don’t create value, implemented outcomes do.
Services teams sit at the heart of this value creation. They understand:
Customers are looking for trusted advisors, not simply tools and feature sets
Where friction occurs, has occurred and will occur in onboarding and beyond
The effort and time required to deliver outcomes
What the patterns are that predict successful adoption or churn (something that’s becoming very important in the world of Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs))
AI becomes exponentially more powerful when paired with these insights. Without context, you get disconnected automation. With it, you get a launching point for AI to work from and create truly usable and sustainable value.
STOP WAITING FOR A COMPANY-WIDE AI STRATEGY
Many organisations are frozen, waiting for a corporate AI mandate before taking action. From feedback we’ve received from the Services Delivery Alliance, Services teams are no different; their leaders cannot afford to wait. They already own the processes that AI can improve today, so they can be the foundation of the mandate by:
Exploring the building blocks of the AI already used internally
Predicting delivery risk
Surfacing data and where the docs lie (and if AI already has the access?)
Accelerating enablement across the business
In short, Services hold the operational cards that determine whether AI becomes a competitive advantage or a missed opportunity. Leading the AI conversation means defining the use cases that matter, building lightweight pilots utilizing it, and proving measurable value.
This is the moment for Services to step forward, not sit back.
AI TURNS SERVICES INTO A REVENUE ENGINE
With the right strategy, AI strengthens all the commercial levers that make Services a revenue driver:
1. Faster Time-to-X = Higher Net Retention
Whether it’s time to value, first value, outcome, milestone or money, if generative AI can automate project setup, documentation, and knowledge transfer, thus reducing onboarding timelines and accelerating the moment customers see value, more revenue is retained.
2. Surfacing Data = Margin Expansion
Data is being recorded consistently throughout a sales cycle and well into delivery but it often doesn’t get into the right hands. Use AI to uncover, refine or repackage that information and get it to the right people.
3. Data-led Services = New ARR Streams
AI helps uncover optimum delivery workflows, making it easier to launch repeatable service offerings and support partner ecosystems. Whilst it’s great that this can expand capacity without growing headcount, where its value truly lies is in not missing opportunities; AI surfaced data can put to bed risks before they occur, but also highlight other customer needs that result in more services requirements…and more money from delivery!
4. Predictive PS Insights = Stronger Executive Influence
When Services brings AI-powered foresight to the table, say risk prediction, demand signals, skills forecasting, it stops being seen as reactive. It becomes essential to strategic decision-making.
WHY SERVICES IS THE NATURAL OWNER OF AI TRANSFORMATION
AI is only as valuable (and accurate) as the data it’s fed. If AI is about using data to drive better decisions and better delivery, then Services is sitting on the richest data asset in the business: the real story of what it takes for customers to be successful.
Services leaders are uniquely positioned to:
Turn delivery data into predictive insights
Operationalize AI into day-to-day workflows
Identify where automation amplifies (not replaces) human expertise
Drive cross-functional alignment around customer outcomes
Product teams bring innovation. Sales brings demand. But Services brings the engine that realises the promise.
THE TOOLS THAT HELP AS AI CATALYSTS
The biggest challenge is not accessing AI; you may have the tools already. The problem lies in having the right operational data to power it. This is where the tools you use become essential.
Your PSA
Any PSA worth its salt should be automatically providing you with the services reporting and analytics that mean you know the (and more importantly can show) the value of services. Now what you need is to transform that data into strategies that bring in more revenue. Perhaps it’s combining the services that pay more when they operate in conjunction. Or looking at the patterns to build a forward-deployed engineer program. Or simply returning to the information stored in customer meeting notes and understanding that they actually require additional services on top of what was being explored or sold in the sales cycle.
Precursive provides:
A unified dataset across sales > delivery > success, as it is all available via Salesforce. AI can make sure every department is informed of project needs and status.
Real-time visibility into resource capacity and demand. If something is a risk, AI can tell you about it, rather than have you hunting.
Insights into delivery risk, timelines, and utilization. AI can preempt which direction your forecast and actual projects are going before you do.
Standardized workflows that AI can learn from and optimize.
AI is only as good as the data behind it. Precursive gives Services a system of record that turns AI from theoretical to practical, from hype to measurable impact.
Your Meeting Notetaker
Other functions might have their meeting notetaker, from Gemini to Gong. But is it working for delivery? Chances are you have one already, but is it one where the information captured is stored somewhere and then never seen again, or you need one built for your needs?
A services orientated notetaker can:
Record and transcribe client meetings which AI can then use to build project plans, capture all outcome requirements and highlight missing functionality.
Have the data stored intelligently so AI can create summaries and coaching moments automatically.
Have context captured so it is searchable and linked to other tools where it can be utilized, e.g. in Salesforce or your PSA.
Your Productivity Suite
The easiest place to start with AI is with what you already have, know and build information in. Chances are you're a Microsoft or Google house when it comes to your company's productivity suite of choice, and therefore when you write plans, build documents and collate information it is stored there. Each has their own AI, Co-Pilot and Gemini respectively, so it is already there and you're already paying for it.
A simple place to start is:
Have an open-ended space to ask questions
Refine and order your documentation
Cross reference files pertaining to individual clients
Combine all of the above and you’ll have a truly powerful AI based in order to build a revenue facing delivery team. How? By ensuring nothing gets missed as AI acts either as your safety net, your trusted advisor or personal assistant that highlights the optimum route to retaining existing revenue spots and uncovering new channels.
LEAD THE CONVERSATION. DON'T WAIT TO BE INVITED.
AI will not replace Services teams. But Services teams who embrace AI will replace those who don’t.
The organisations that succeed in the AI era will be those where Professional Services:
Defines the use cases that matter
Champions the data required to power them
Proves the business case
Educates the rest of the company on what AI can unlock
This is the opportunity for Services to shift from support function to strategic growth engine, permanently.
At Precursive, we see AI as a force multiplier for every delivery organisation. And the companies that win will be the ones whose Services teams lead from the front.
If you’re ready to build an AI-first delivery engine, we’re here to help you get started.
Paste the below prompt into your ChatGPT for the beginnings of a strategic AI plan matching your vision and use case. (Note: The output can be different for everyone, is not necessarily accurate and does require research to follow.)
<objective>
Help me, as a services delivery leader, develop a strategic AI roadmap and evaluate tools that will grow my services function – not just improve efficiency.
</objective>
<initial_response>
Frame the opportunity directly to me: why AI is a strategic lever for services teams, and why I’m uniquely positioned to lead the AI conversation.
</initial_response>
<analysis>
Ask me for input on:
- My current delivery model and services offerings
- What tools I already use (e.g., PSA, CRM, notetaker, productivity suite)
- Any AI already in play
- My growth targets or pain points (e.g., churn, delivery margins, NRR)
</analysis>
<templates>
Organize the output as my strategic AI plan:
1. Strategic vision for AI in services
2. Priority AI use cases tailored to my context
3. Tool categories or vendors to explore
4. Suggested phases (quick wins → long-term)
5. Key metrics to track progress
</templates>
<user_engagement>
Speak to me as a peer – a strategic leader. Give me options, trade-offs, and confident recommendations I can use to lead change across the business.
</user_engagement>
Need help, even if it’s just knowing where to start? If you’re running services in your organization then we’d recommend becoming a member of the Services Delivery Alliance, a free network that has been focusing on the AI in Services conundrum for a while now and has many answers.
We have partnered with them to run AI Workshops to help people go in the right direction. Book a 15 minute scoping call to see if we can help.
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