Our client are the global leaders in language provision for non-native speakers, operating a global footprint delivered through a business model that comprises a combination of franchise partners and company-owned operations.

The business recently went through a change of ownership, which has necessitated a re-orientation of the organisation’s customer management – moving from a reactive new business approach to a proactive market strategy-led approach.

Customer Attuned utilised the business capability builder (BCB) assessment to ascertain the development start point and implementation workstreams.

There were several significant challenges for this organisation in the pursuit of becoming Customer Attuned:

• The first challenge came from within the organisation. Having been focused on developing the existing franchise partners and re-acting to new business on an ad-hoc basis the organisation wasn’t structured for effective and proactive new business acquisition of franchise partners in new markets.
• The second challenge came from determining where and how to start – accelerating new business development whilst maintaining existing franchise partner growth

Our insight to action approach provided the leadership team with an understand of how to address the two challenges. Using the business capability builder to uncover the current level of customer management and develop the recommendation in a systemic way that the business could easily develop and deploy across their current and new markets.

Our experience of developing insights and turning them into practical and pragmatic actions ensured the organisation followed a systemic approach to customer management. The rapid implementation of significant organisational change. The split of new business from existing business enabled a more concentrated, accelerated and strategic approach to new business development. Delivering a proactive approach to not only new business acquisition, however also to the development of existing business through accelerating language centre expansion. The BCB assessment highlighted 7 core workstreams for them to pursue in order to become customer attuned.

We provided blueprints for key workstreams and monthly mentoring support to keep the project on track prior to re-assessment. Our management experience, both leadership and operational provided the necessary gravitas and credibility to the customer management and leadership team to engage in the customer management programme.

Our coaching capabilities allowed us to activate the project leaders as workstream owners and coaches to engage the organisation towards the changes required.

What did we deliver?

We introduced, at pace, three phases to the transformation programme;

Insight through the Customer Attuned Business Capability Assessment – the introduction of a systemic approach to customer management and new business development. Providing a start point for the change journey.

Working with the leadership team through an interactive workshop. Sharing the feedback insights to develop action plans each with a project owner and champion.

Actions from Insights – 7 workstreams focused on the acceleration of the existing franchise partner business and creation of new business through franchise partners in new territories. This provided the platform for business development through existing market language centre development and targeted new market development.

Outcomes

• A market-based strategy and plan for existing and new business development.
• Markets segmented allowing prioritisation
• A new business and existing business organisational focus.
• A transformation journey, providing commonality and consistency of approach to all the markets
• Functional Leaders engaged to support the journey
• A proactive approach to new franchise /partner and market development
• Clear pipeline of new franchise / partners and existing partners, allowing growth and capacity planning.