"System Setup" vs "Implementation" vs "Process Coach" | Service Provider Job Titles, Explained

For better or for worse, software and business are now going hand in hand. There are tools for everything out there. And if you haven't already, you're probably very soon going to be in a position where you need to think, do I really have the time to set up that software? If you are in that position, you're probably looking around thinking, wait, I keep seeing all of these advertisements about people who do systems setup, and maybe that's why you're watching this video. In this video, I, as someone who's gone through the different ranks of systems system setup providers, I'm going to unpack for you the difference between how system setup works at different levels and almost skill levels of service providers. So if you're looking to hire someone to help you set up your software to implement it in your business, whether you're a team of 1 or 100, hopefully this video will help explain kind of the different things to look out for. In this video, I'm going to go through three categories as I see them in the system setup industry. But important to note is that this industry is still very, very new. It's not really established, and the terms I'm using to describe each category aren't really industry terms yet since things are so new and changing around, you'll hear different terms thrown around for similar, similar levels of care. So keep an ear out for what the intent of each term is rather than latching on to keywords because they might be different depending on the service provider's website that you're on. So to begin, I want to start with the lowest skill level, not necessarily the lowest price, but the lowest skill level of support that you can get when it comes to having your software set up. And this category is really more about just getting extra hands than it is extra brains, although you of course are getting some of that too. That is the system setup space. So this is typically a virtual assistant or a freelancer who categorizes themselves in that kind of freelance space who knows a piece of software really well, many, many times, multiple pieces of software, and they go out to their friends or they go out to the market and they say, hey, I know how to set this up. I know how to set this up correctly and quickly. Want me to set yours up? And that is kind of the system setup space. You'll be able to recognize that you're dealing with that kind of category by words like setup. Typically, these kind of providers also give more of a numeric qualification for each thing they do. So rather than talking about we're going to set up your kajabi. They'll say we'll set up one landing page, two of this, three of that and that'll help you kind of identify what mindset they're thinking in the these providers typically do some kind of intake interview. Whether it's a one on one thing or maybe it's some pre work. They do some information to figure out what exactly you need and then they take all your passwords and they do it. Then they give it back to you and they say good luck because these are usually very affordable service providers. Usually there's some kind of rules about making revisions or amendments. But what's important to note about these is that these people are helping you get the thing done done. They're not typically there to give you strategies about what's the best way to do it. From that high level thinking. They're there to execute on your plan, which sometimes is exactly what you need. So if you are looking for someone who will take your vision and put it into kajabi for example, or dubsado or whatever and not really question things, that is exactly what the system setup space is for. And I highly encourage you to reach out to a system setup provider who, if you are a system setup provider, comment below and plug yourself. All right, so that is category number one. And then I want to jump to the other extreme of the system setup space that's up here. And these are the systems coaches. Systems coaches are people who do the opposite in many ways of the system setup providers down here. These systems coaches are more about helping you change the way you're thinking about your business to help you figure out what do you even need. They're typically doing no execution when it comes to your system. So they are not going to get your passwords. They might not even care about what specific software you're using. They're more focused on your big bigger business strategy, your big picture goals. What is your process for this, your process for that. They're going to be talking mostly in terms of workflows and not so much in terms of the technicalities. You'll probably find that these two groups are referring to each other very often or more so. The coaches will be referring you to Vas who can sometimes set things up, whether that's through their agency or or just as a straight referral. These coaches, what's great about them is that they're going to question everything. The nature of a coach is that your question is responded to with a question. It's kind of like therapy so you can really expect them to dig into everything you say and make you challenge everything that you think you or you thought you knew about your systems. These people up in this category that are doing software coaching, you might also hear them called process coaches or process consultants because they really are focused on the big picture processes, the strategies that you're putting on your processes or the strategies you're turning into processes and not so much on the technology. Okay, still with me. Cool. If you are someone who is prone to, you know, digging in too quickly or rushing through a decision and just doing it, then a coach might be a really good option for you to think about kind of the big picture, to challenge your thoughts before you start implementing. Whereas down here, if you're someone who has a lot of ideas and fails to implement, this could be a better choice. So those are the two categories so far. We're on the spectrum now let's dive into the middle here. And there is one middle section which I want to talk about again, this is a full spectrum, so it's not like you're going to be able to look on someone's website and see, oh, there's 75% a coach and 25% execution. Unfortunately, that's just, there's not that clarity yet. However, hopefully these give you some good questions to ask. But let's dive into someone who is in the middle, the middle of the road. Service provider does implementation. You might also hear Cloud migration, systems strategy or systems Ninja. I've heard all sorts of things, but this middle road is someone that combines halves parts of each one. Usually it's someone who started in one place and ended up in the middle. So either they started out coaching and they wanted a little bit more hands on work, or they started out doing all hands on work and they realized good at thinking through this. And I want to challenge my clients more and one way, for one reason or another, they've moved themselves into the middle and that's how they position their business. So this is actually where my business is. And to be frank, I've done work on both sides of the spectrum and this is what I find to be my happy place. So I'm speaking from all of these, from experience. When you're in this middle section, when you're in implementation, your priority is to question things at the beginning and at the end. But during the actual project, you're in execution mode. Follow me. So when you're beginning a project with someone who's in implementation, their job is to make sure that you are ready for. For the change that's about to happen, that the change makes sense and that the change fits into the broader strategies of your business. So a lot of that coaching stuff, they're really asking those big questions and generally they're coming with an experience in business. Whether it's your industry, whether it's just management, whether it's technology, they're coming at it from kind of that big picture perspective. All right? Then once the project gets started, they're usually there helping you devise the plan. All right. These are the exact tools you need to execute on this big vision we've talked about that's copying a lot over here from these system setup providers once they have that plan. This is where there's some variation. You might either see an implementation person who actually sets this stuff up by grabbing your passwords, or you might find someone in the system implementation space who actually has you set things up and helps you along. So you'll see a little bit of variation here, but nonetheless, you're having that blend. Someone in implementation is worried more about change management, making sure your people don't freak out when you're changing technology, making sure your orders are still coming through, making sure that the people and the processes kind of talk to each other versus either extreme we talked about before. Over here with Coach Land, we're really just worried about the people. Over here on setup land, we're really just concerned about the process. But the implementation people, we like to stress, we like to worry. We like to have everything all neatly tied up with a bow. And so we worry about both of those things, which can be really nice. The reason I myself moved into this center space and the reason I'm kind of harping on it a little bit, is because a lot of the time this middle of the road option is a good counterpart to a broader variety of leaders. So like I said over here, if you are someone who just never executes on your perfectly devised plans, then a setup provider is great for you. But if you are someone who just executes too quickly on poorly thought out plans, you're over here. But most of us fall in the middle. Like, we're usually pretty good at executing, but not with this. Or we usually have a good sense of strategy, but we just don't know enough about technology to do it. And when you're in that middle, a middle of the road service provider can pull on opposite strengths to really balance you out and help you make a full conscious decision when it comes to these system things. So that's really the Three different kind of points on the spectrum of system support that you can look at. When you are trying to evaluate which is right for you, think about your personality and the skills you have in house. Also think about areas that you feel uncomfortable. If strategy is a real weakness for you, you definitely want someone who's on this side of the spectrum. If execution is always where you fall apart, you might want someone on this side of the spectrum. If you're pretty much right in the middle, and one day it's this and one day it's that, look for a service provider in the middle. But what's really important, and probably more important than any of this, is make sure that you talk through with your service provider what exactly they do. Where are they on the spectrum? Rank them in your head if you need to. If you're considering multiple service providers, I would encourage you to actually put them on a chart. Plot them out, keep track of where one says they like. What part of the project do they enjoy? Where is most of the time of the project going? Are they focused more on education, which would be more on this coaching side, or are they focused more on doing, which is over here? On the setup side, are they equal parts integrator and visionary? Are they more of a visionary coach? Are they more of an integrator setup? Do they call themselves a virtual assistant? Do they always or do they also offer executive coaching more of a coach? You can use these kind of words and these layered meanings to help you understand where exactly your service provider is and make sure you're finding the right one for you. If this video was helpful to you, the number one thing I would ask is that you just leave a comment below saying thanks. That means a whole lot to me. Let me know what was helpful to you and if there's anything that you particularly found interesting in this video. And of course, if you want to see more videos like this or you'd like to hear more about my journey doing this work, hit the subscribe button. It's somewhere below this video. I'm sure you can find it. That is it for this video. I hope this helps you make the right decision when it comes to finding someone to help you set up all of that software you need. Remember, it's more about the person and their skills that than it is about price or any shiny things on their website. Focus on the fundamentals and yeah, reference this video if you need to. Thanks so much for watching.