A $1 billion telecom company experienced rapid growth, resulting in disparate systems and an inefficient cost structure.
The Challenge
- Manual and inefficient processes
- A high volume of errors and billing issues resulting in tension with clients, lost revenue, and increased DSO
- High level of rework and redundancy necessitated higher headcount in numerous departments
- Disparate and outdated systems were failing to provide the information necessary to manage the business
- Management lacked experience in systematic process design and quality management
- Inexperienced workforce overwhelmed by the volume of issues functioning in a reactive mode
- High level of stress and turnover throughout the organization
The Solution
- WilliamsMarston led a company-wide assessment of processes using Lean and Six-Sigma methodologies
- Met with key process owners and other personnel in various departments including order processing, customer services, account management, network operations and information technology to identify root causes of errors and inefficiencies
- Evaluated department personnel and made recommendations on personnel training and changes
- Developed a remediation plan based on best practices to automate processes and reduce duplication and errors
- Oversaw the implementation of numerous process improvement recommendations
- Developed monitoring and reporting mechanisms to measure, incent and reward on-going process improvement
- Advised senior management on long-term scalable solutions to create and promote sustainable, continuous improvement in various mission-critical departments
The Result
Dramatically lowered the volume of errors, duplication and rework resulting in a company-wide headcount reduction in excess of 100 people and over $6 million in annualized recurring cost savings.