Internal Strategic Hub — Confidential
Systemise the Ordinary.
Smile Through the Extraordinary.
The complete strategic direction, operating model, and execution plan for Smile Group 2026–2028. This is how we become an experience-led technology services company.
Strategic Direction
Smile IT stands at a strategic junction. This hub defines how we become an experience-led technology services company, not just a bigger MSP.
"If we make these decisions cleanly, the strategic trajectory of the business changes from incremental improvement to category-defining design."
— Peter Drummond, Visionary
What We Are Choosing to Become
An experience-led technology services company. AI removes ordinary work, humans own the moments that matter. Staged path to the 10-minute meaningful human response promise for SMB.
What Changes Immediately
Smile Industrial becomes a true operating business. SmileTel transitions into Smile IT as Communications & Connectivity practice. Business Systems formally owns SmileFlow.
The Core Decision
Two operating businesses, one shared engine. Separate by market where economics and delivery differ. Integrate by capability where the client should experience one relationship.
Three-Year Picture (By End 2028)
Smile IT = known Brisbane 10-minute support company with measurable, credible human-first experience
Smile Industrial = separate, respected industrial services business with local field presence and strong industrial P&L
SmileTel fully migrated into Smile IT as communications and connectivity practice
SmileFlow runs both businesses with shared standards, automation, dashboards and quality loops
Paid vCIO clearly packaged and sold; TBRs tight, valuable and commercially disciplined
Systemise the Ordinary. Smile Through the Extraordinary.
This is not a tagline. It is an operating filter. Every decision, process, and investment must pass through this lens.
Systemise the Ordinary
Every recurring, predictable task must be classified and handled by the system, not by people. If a human is doing the same thing twice, the system has failed.
Classification Framework
Smile Through the Extraordinary
When a human is needed, they must be brilliant. Not rushed, not under-informed, not buried in routine noise. The system creates the space for humans to be exceptional.
What This Means in Practice
Engineers are never clearing password resets. They are solving complex problems with full context.
Clients never wait in a queue. They reach a capable human who already knows their environment.
Every human interaction is a brand moment, not a cost centre.
Four Strategic Choices
Separate by market
Where economics, delivery, and leadership differ (Industrial vs SMB)
Integrate by capability
Where the client should experience one relationship (SmileTel into Smile IT)
Treat SmileFlow as the operating system
Not a tool, not a dashboard. The system that runs both businesses.
Stage the 10-minute promise
Only go public when the operating system proves it internally first.
Two Businesses, One Shared Engine
Not three parallel businesses. Two operating businesses with distinct P&Ls, delivery models, and leadership, powered by a shared engine that compounds advantage.
Smile IT
Integrated SMB Growth Engine
Market
Brisbane SMB, law firms, accountants, medical, retail, professional services, not-for-profits
What Smile IT Owns
Delivery Model
Remote-first with on-site visits as needed. Blue and Yellow support teams. Path to 10-minute meaningful human response.
SmileTel Integration
SmileTel transitions into Smile IT as the Communications & Connectivity practice. Dedicated Practice Lead maintains specialist depth. Client experiences one unified relationship, not two vendors.
Smile Industrial
Distinct Industrial Operating Business
Market
Mining (coal, gold, minerals), oil & gas, construction, maritime, remote infrastructure
What Smile Industrial Owns
Delivery Model
Hybrid: dedicated on-site presence (minimum 3 days per fortnight for mine sites) + Brisbane-based industrial NOC + remote support. Mackay office, fleet of utes, local field team.
Why Industrial Separates
Customer reality, economics, and delivery are fundamentally different. Mining ops managers buy differently, expect differently, and need a different service model. Cosmetic separation is not enough — real P&L, real leadership, real accountability.
Shared Engine
The shared engine compounds advantage rather than recreating overhead. Both businesses draw from the same operational foundation.
SmileFlow
Service operating system
Business Systems
Standards, automation, instrumentation
Finance & People
Finance, HR, controls
Growth Operations
Pipeline, pre-sales, market messaging
SmileFlow™, 7-Stage Service Operating System
Our proprietary seven-stage engine. Every recurring task is classified as eliminate, systemise, expert, or extraordinary. Stage 06 feeds back into Stage 01, creating a continuous improvement loop. Stage 07 sits above as a premium advisory layer.
SmileFlow Design Rules
The most efficient support interaction is the one that never needs to happen. Design ensures every client environment, workflow, and system is built from the outset to minimise friction, maximise automation potential, and align with SmileFlow's operational requirements. Projects must hand over cleanly into service through standards, documentation, and workflow design.
Standardised endpoints, Microsoft 365, managed security, cloud backup, monitoring agents. Bring every client to a baseline SmileFlow can operate against. TBR inputs feed back into design improvements.
Network architecture for remote sites (Rajant, Cambium, Peplink, Starlink), OT monitoring deployment, safety-critical system integration. Site-specific design documents for every mine.
Outcome
Every client environment is 'SmileFlow-ready', standardised, monitored, automated, and designed for the experience promise to function from day one.
Stage Runbooks
Practical, actionable runbooks for each SmileFlow stage. These define how each stage operates day-to-day across both business units.
New Client Onboarding (Transformations)
- Pre-sales handover: Solutions Architect provides scope, environment audit, and agreed standards
- Transformations Manager assigns project lead and creates onboarding checklist
- Environment audit: document current state, identify gaps against SmileFlow baseline
- Standardisation: deploy monitoring agents, security stack, backup, M365 configuration
- Documentation: create client runbook, network diagram, escalation contacts, site-specific notes
- SmileFlow activation: configure monitoring thresholds, automation rules, and routing preferences
- Handover to Service: formal handover meeting with Service Delivery Manager, all documentation in PSA
- 30-day review: check SmileFlow is operating correctly, adjust thresholds, confirm client satisfaction
TBR Process (Technology Business Reviews)
- TBRs are a managed service commitment, not free consulting. They sit inside the service rhythm.
- Client Success Lead owns the TBR schedule and preparation
- Review: current environment health, open issues, automation performance, upcoming needs
- Output: action items fed back into Design (Stage 01) for environment improvements
- If strategic advisory is needed beyond TBR scope, escalate to Advise (Stage 07) as paid engagement
Industrial variant: Design includes site survey, safety induction requirements, OT/IT boundary mapping, satellite link planning, and field access protocols. Every mine site gets a dedicated design document.
Path to the 10-Minute Support Company
For covered SMB support requests during defined support hours, Smile IT aims to deliver meaningful human response within 10 minutes. We earn this right through operating discipline, not marketing.
Definition: Meaningful Human Response
A capable person has context, takes ownership, and begins moving the issue forward. This is NOT a hollow acknowledgement designed to game a KPI. The person who responds must be able to help, not just confirm receipt.
Five Capabilities That Must Exist First
Rollout Sequence
Measure current TTH across all SMB clients. Establish the starting point.
Select 5-10 SMB managed clients. Run the 10-minute model with this group.
3 months of consistent delivery. Review quality, margin impact, team health.
Go public only when the system proves the promise consistently.
The 10-Minute Promise is Delivered Through Three Stages
Stage 03 Solve
Automation handles the predictable instantly, freeing human capacity
Stage 04 Elevate
Smart routing gets the right human to the client within 10 minutes
Stage 05 Smile
The human interaction is exceptional because they are not buried in noise
Accountability Chart
Clear seats, clear ownership, clear decision rights. Every seat has a defined scope and the person in it owns the outcomes.
Visionary
Peter Drummond
Direction, energy, relationships, breakthrough thinking. Sets the strategic vision and ensures the company stays true to its doctrine.
Integrator / Managing Director
TBC
Drives cross-functional execution, priorities, and accountability. Owns the operating cadence. Five direct reports.
GM, Smile IT
SMB P&L, integrated client experience, service quality, projects, connectivity, growth by retention and expansion.
GM, Smile Industrial
Industrial P&L, industrial MSAs, projects, field model, local presence, strategic industrial relationships.
Head of Business Systems / SmileFlow
Service operating system, standards, tooling, automation, instrumentation, QA, continuous improvement.
Head of Growth
Pipeline, pre-sales, market messaging, growth discipline across both businesses.
Head of Finance & People
Finance, people, reporting discipline, controls, talent systems.
Seat-Level Rules
Smile IT owns former SmileTel capability through dedicated Practice Lead. Client relationship remains unified.
Smile Industrial owns mining support, industrial projects, and industrial MSA revenue. Real P&L boundary, not cosmetic.
Business Systems is not overhead. It is the production system that turns repeated pain into automation, standards, and leverage.
Head of Growth owns pipeline across both businesses but with vertical specialisation (SMB Growth Lead + Industrial Growth Lead).
Quarterly Rocks
The six most important things that must be completed in the next 90 days. Each rock has a clear owner and a clear definition of done.
Finalise Future-State Accountability Chart
Visionary + Integrator
Lock the seat structure, confirm who sits where, communicate to the team.
Separate Smile Industrial P&L
GM Industrial + Finance
Create distinct P&L, move industrial MSA revenue and costs, establish reporting.
Design SmileTel Migration into Smile IT
GM Smile IT + Head of Growth
Plan the transition: which clients, which staff, what changes, what stays the same.
Baseline TTH and Define 10-Minute Pilot
Head of Business Systems / SmileFlow
Measure current Time-to-Human across all SMB clients. Define pilot cohort and success criteria.
Build Top-20 Automation Backlog
Automation & AI Lead
Identify the 20 most frequent human-escalated tasks. Prioritise by frequency x time x impact.
Cleanly Separate TBR from Paid vCIO
Client Success Lead + Consulting/vCIO Lead
Define the boundary. TBRs = managed service rhythm. vCIO = paid advisory. No grey area.
Quarter-by-Quarter Roadmap
The phased execution plan for the next three quarters. Each quarter has a clear theme and defined deliverables.
Q2 2026
Decide and Design
Q3 2026
Build and Pilot
Q4 2026
Prove and Externalise
EOS Scorecard
The metrics that matter. Every metric has an owner, a target, and a review frequency. These replace traditional MSP metrics with experience-focused KPIs.
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Time to Meaningful Human Response (TTH) | Internal: 5 min / External: 10 min |
| First-Touch Resolution | 85%+ |
| Automation Resolution Rate (ARR) | Year 1: 30% / Year 2: 50% |
| Repeat Issue Reduction | Month-on-month decrease |
| Delight / Sentiment Score | 9.0+ / 10 |
| Gross Margin by Business | Per business unit target |
| Advisory Attach Rate | Increasing trend |
The Smile Lexicon
Consistent branded language across all business units. Use these terms in all client-facing and internal communications.
| Never Say | Always Say |
|---|---|
| Helpdesk | SmileDesk |
| Tickets | Moments |
| Automation | SmileFlow |
| Projects | Transformations |
| Support | Experience Care |
Issues for Level 10 and Quarterly Planning
Strategic guardrails that must be actively monitored. These are the things that could derail the strategy if not addressed.
Do not launch public promise before operating system can reliably carry it
The 10-minute promise must be proven internally before any external marketing. Premature launch damages credibility permanently.
Do not let Industrial remain only cosmetically separate
Real P&L, real leadership, real accountability. If the GM Industrial cannot make decisions about their business, the separation has failed.
Do not bury SmileTel capability during migration
Keep specialist depth while simplifying the client-facing experience. The Practice Lead, Connectivity role is critical to maintaining expertise.
Do not let TBRs become unpaid consulting
TBRs are a managed service commitment (Stage 01 Design). Strategic advisory is paid (Stage 07 Advise). The boundary must be clear and enforced.
"Smile IT should become the company that systemises ordinary work so well that our people can show up brilliantly when it matters most."
That means building SmileFlow properly, separating Industrial properly, integrating SmileTel properly, and earning the right to become the 10-minute support company. The point is not just to market better. The point is to build a business model that is more deliberate, more human, and harder to copy.
"If we make these decisions cleanly, the strategic trajectory of the business changes from incremental improvement to category-defining design."
— Peter Drummond, Visionary