Problem
A market-leading services business had successfully grown over 25 years, from start-up to around 1,000 employees in over 90 locations. However, in that time there was very little change to their business processes, and IT systems were limited.
Increasing legislative and contractual requirements meant that employees were spending less time with clients, in a business that prides itself on being customer focused. Year on year, margins were reducing. Smaller players were deploying technology to their advantage.
The owners of the business recognised that they didn’t have the capability or capacity to undertake the transformation of their business that they required.
Solution
An Operational Maturity Assessment was conducted to see how the organisation performed against best practice across all aspects of its business. The Directors developed a 5 year vision, defining clear objectives across four themes: Growth, Efficiency, Customer Satisfaction and People.
To deliver these objectives, a programme of over 30 projects was developed, covering just about every aspect of the organisation.
This included:
- Leadership development to prepare for significant change
- Implementing Performance Management best practices to ensure all employees were challenged to excel, and aligned to the business vision
- Digital transformation, moving all processes onto supportable, robust IT platforms
- Management systems to drive improvement in quality, information security, data protection and risk management
- Team working and knowledge management tools to break down internal barriers
Outcome
This multi-year programme is still on going – delivering such a significant transformation takes time.
However, within 18 months, the business saw an improvement in margins, as new measurement and performance management approaches helped to communicate the need for change.
There is a clarity of purpose throughout the business, from Directors down, and clear accountability to deliver the necessary business results. As digital transformation projects complete, the expected benefits are being realised.
A structured approach to change management has kept everyone involved in the journey to excellence. Throughout there have been opportunities for involvement in defining the future of the business, and key personnel have learnt new skills to make the changes sustainable.