Stephen McCarthy Advisory

Managed AI Operations for Mid-Market Businesses

A live AI or automation system still needs an owner. Someone has to watch exceptions, keep the knowledge current, decide what to change, and report whether the workflow is doing its job.

Managed AI operations here means ongoing operating advisory for the businessnot AIOps, not a data-center monitoring stack, and not a help desk for every prompt your team types.

AI Operating Systems for Real Businesses.

Book an AI Fit & Direction Call

What this retainer is (and is not)

It is continued oversight after something is live: one workflow, a small set of systems, or an initiative portfolio that already has a purpose. Typical work:

  • Performance review against the measures you agreed
  • Exception analysis and limited refinements
  • Adoption support so the system does not quietly die
  • Governance: who can change what, and when a human takes over
  • Vendor and tool coordination inside the agreed scope
  • Prioritization of the next small improvement—not an unlimited backlog

It is not unlimited implementation, unlimited revisions, company-wide training, or new builds by default. Major changes, new assistants, integrations, custom development, or additional departments are scoped separately.

It is not Fractional CAIO. That offer is executive ownership of a company’s entire AI agenda, for a different buyer and a different fee. This retainer is operating ownership of agreed systems after they exist.

It is not manufactured recurring revenue glued onto a one-off project. Every diagnostic and build should stand on its own. You add a retainer when the live system actually needs sustained attention.

Primary fit

Established owner-led, executive-led, or mid-market businesses where a workflow or assistant is already in use—or about to beand leadership wants it managed as an operating system, not as a science project.

Initial focus: regulated, high-trust, service, and call-intensive work. Fit is the value of what is live and who will own it internally—not a headcount gate.

You are a fit when:

  • A system is live (or clearly scoped) and nobody is accountable week to week
  • Adoption is weak, exceptions pile up, or the knowledge behind the system is drifting
  • You want a defined meeting cadence, response window, and list of what is included

You are not a fit when you still cannot name the workflow or the outcome. That is a Workflow Opportunity Assessment, not a retainer. You are not a fit when you want a full-time technical team or a cheapest-possible chatbot with no governance.

How cost is structured

Managed AI operations is priced as an ongoing operating retainer—not a software subscription and not an unlimited help desk.

Commercial shape (discussed on a Fit call, not published as a rate card):

  • Named systems, users, meeting cadence, and response window
  • Included improvements defined in writing; major changes and new builds scoped separately
  • Tighter scope (one simple assistant, basic checks) is a different engagement than advisory across multiple workflows with scorecards and vendor coordination
  • Implementation of new systems stays separate

Fee tracks scope and accountability in the business. Fit and commercial shape are confirmed on the Fit & Direction Call. No dollar prices on this page.

What managed” looks like in practice

  • Named systems and named internal owner on your side
  • A regular review of whether the workflow moved the number you care about—response, follow-up, missed handoffs, consistency—not vanity usage stats
  • A written boundary: what the system may do, what it must escalate
  • Small, agreed improvements inside the retainer; everything else quoted

Stephen McCarthy works as an operator: Call Lead Solutions since 2011 is the source of how routing, qualification, and follow-up actually fail or work. No invented AI case studies, ROI guarantees, or headcount claims.

How this sits next to other offers

  • Workflow Opportunity Assessment — paid diagnosis when you do not yet know which workflow to fix
  • Implementation — building or changing the workflow after diagnosis; priced when scope is clear
  • Managed AI operations — this page; keep a live system honest
  • Fractional CAIO — when the portfolio outgrows a standard retainer and you need an executive owner of the whole agenda

Stephen McCarthy Advisory

Start with a Fit & Direction Call

A free 15-minute AI Fit & Direction Call is qualification and routing only. It is not a diagnostic, not a free month of managed ops, and not a roadmap session.

If a live system needs sustained ownership, we will say so on that call and scope the retainer. If the starting point is still unclear, we will route you to the assessment instead.

Book an AI Fit & Direction Call