Articles
Notes from running the work.
Plain-spoken writing on governed AI agents, outcome pricing and what it takes to prove a back-office result.
AI agents are scaling. Profits are not. What CFOs should measure instead
2026 surveys from McKinsey, KPMG and Gartner show agent use climbing while profit impact stays flat and controls slip. Why adoption is the wrong scorecard, and five measures that show whether agents pay.
Insurers are tightening up on AI. What agencies should do now
More states have adopted the NAIC's AI bulletin, regulators are building a register of AI vendors, and carriers are filing AI exclusions. What it means for independent agencies and the businesses they insure.
Outcome pricing went mainstream in 2026. What buyers should take from it
HubSpot, Zendesk and the big outsourcers all moved toward charging for results this year. Outcome pricing is only as good as the definition of the outcome and who checks it. Six questions to ask.
The AI rules US companies need to be ready for by January 2027
Colorado's replacement AI law and California's automated decision rules both start on January 1, 2027. What they cover, what back-office work they leave out, and why human review is the common thread.
Your outsourcing contract was priced before AI. Time to reprice it
The big outsourcers are moving away from per-head pricing, writing down old businesses and cutting forecasts because AI is lowering the cost of the work. If you still pay per FTE, the savings are going to them. What to ask at renewal.
AI roll-ups are buying service firms. What it means for buyers
Investors are buying accounting firms, MSPs and call centers to run them with AI. How the model works, where it is heading and what customers should watch.
Assumed resolutions, and why verified outcomes matter
Some AI vendors bill for outcomes that may not have happened. What an assumed resolution is, why it matters, and what to ask any outcome-priced provider.
Governance is the real barrier to agentic AI
Technical skills are not what is holding agentic AI back. Governance is. What regulators and auditors will ask, and how to answer before they do.
Offshore BPO vs AI agents for insurance agency servicing
How outsourced servicing seats compare with AI agents for agency back-office work: cost model, speed, control, licensing and what each is best at.
Outcome pricing vs per-seat pricing for AI services
Why per-seat pricing breaks when AI does the work, where outcome pricing works and where it doesn't, and the hybrid that holds up in practice.
Service-as-software explained: buying work, not tools
What service-as-software means, why investors size it in trillions, how it changes what businesses buy, and what to check before buying it.
The small-agency AI gap
Large agencies have adopted AI; solo and two-producer agencies mostly haven't. Why the gap exists, why it matters, and how smaller agencies can close it.
What agentic AI means for MSPs and VARs
Transactional resale is shrinking and outcome-accountable services are rising. A realistic timeline for the IT channel, and what survives.
Why agentic AI projects get cancelled, and how to avoid it
Gartner expects over 40% of agentic AI projects to be cancelled by 2027. The three causes it names, and the practical choices that avoid each one.
Why AI agent services need a human exception desk
No agent is right every time. What an exception desk is, why it makes outcome guarantees credible, and how to tell whether a provider really has one.
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