With over a decade of experience in presales at Empowered, we interviewed Mike Hill, Head of Presales about his role, where strategy meets technical expertise to deliver solutions that truly fit clients’ needs.

Over your decade with Empowered, what core principles have guided your approach to presales success?

The principles that have defined my approach have stayed consistent.

Firstly, understanding a customer’s requirement both technically and commercially. Everything else depends on this whether it’s a single router installation or a complex data centre migration.

Secondly, ensure that what is proposed can be delivered within timescales and budget without risk.

Thirdly, keep proposals clear and accurate so both Empowered and its customers understand their responsibility in delivering a successful outcome.

What best practices have you developed to ensure presales engagements deliver maximum value to customers?

The team and I always confirm the technical requirement with customers before completing any proposal. We don’t rely on assumptions or second-hand information if we don’t understand the requirement.

Additionally, the team and I make sure to involve the internal operations teams where there is ambiguity or complexity outside of our standard capability. This ensures that as an organisation, we are fully aligned to achieve successful delivery.

Furthermore, we make any proposal as clear as possible, with inclusions, exclusions, and assumptions written in plain terms. That keeps both Empowered and the customer aligned from the start minimises risk.

How do you balance innovation with practicality when designing solutions for customers?

Innovation in my role isn’t about new technology; it’s about finding better ways to deliver existing and future services. This might include creating a new capability to help a customer sell or deliver a particular product. Or it might be simplifying a process, removing unnecessary steps, or structuring work packages in such a way so it’s faster and more cost-effective for both Empowered and its customers.

Any innovation always follows key presales principles in that it is technically viable, commercially attractive and can be delivered with minimal risk.

What steps do you take during the presales process to identify and mitigate potential risks for customers?

Every opportunity starts with a detailed review of the requirement to spot gaps, clarify information, or identify anything that could affect delivery or cost.

We also look at timescales, dependencies, and assumptions to see where risk could appear. Where those risks exist, the team and I ensure they are addressed and clearly documented so both parties understand them.

A clear, accurate scope is the simplest and most effective way to remove risk before delivery begins.

Looking ahead, how do you see presales evolving at Empowered to continue minimising risk while driving growth?

Presales can remove a lot of risk through clear scoping, solid assumptions, and accurate pricing. But working in isolation can cause problems.

As Empowered continues to grow, the link between presales and the operations team becomes ever more important. Ensuring that risk control comes from how consistently those scopes are delivered in practice is paramount.

I foresee presales and the operations team continuing to work more closely. Effectively sharing feedback and tightening the link between what is put forward in any proposal and the challenges encountered in delivery.  The more connected we are, the more confidence both Empowered and our customers can have in the outcome.

What do you enjoy most about your role at Empowered, and what are you most looking forward to in the future?

I enjoy the problem-solving side of presales. Taking a complex or unclear requirement and turning it into something that can be delivered confidently.

The sheer breath of different requirements across both different environments and technologies that Empowered is involved in brings new challenges. As a self-confessed nerd, it keeps me up to date both with emerging technology and innovation!

I’m focused on our team can evolve our capability to support customers in some of those emerging technologies and refining our approach to delivering large complex multi-site opportunities.

Find out how Empowered can support your projects and requirements and get in touch at [email protected].