Success Stories
More Success Stories available upon request
Source4Teachers
Profitability and Satisfaction Project
Challenge: Company was being crushed with client billing errors (40% error rate) and payroll errors (20%) because the back of the house finance systems were manual in nature and showed no ability to scale or even keep pace with the current or future growth/new sales requirements. This was causing major client satisfaction issues, employee issues and driving DSO to over 90 days.
Action: Established cross function team (ops, finance, IT) that determined a process that included hiring an outside vendor to partner with our internal team to build a proprietary utility we named the BUS (Business Utility System) that effectively automated the entire payroll and billing process that was developed it in a way to enable and provide for scalability and new functionality.
Result: The team created operational system within 6 months for 80% of business operations reducing payroll errors to zero and billing errors to less than 10% with the ability to reduce billing errors to zero by start of new fiscal year. This enable major reduction in finance overhead cost, enabled ability to get paid for all services and eliminated $300k in payroll errors that could not be recovered from either clients or employees. Improved client satisfaction score in this area.
Sodexo
Change Management/Turnaround Project
Challenge: The northeastern region of the university market ($1B in Rev) was the education divisions lowest performing region with regards to new revenue growth and retention metrics in the division for +5-years.
Action: Develop process for aligning all cross-functions into one cohesive unit by establishing a clear set metrics, building communications protocols and expectations to ensure team align and collaboration while building a best in class growth team that included all functions with the sales/retention personnel being the driver of the process. Received alignment, buy-in and sponsorship from senior executives to further enable change management.
Result: The region lead the division and company-wide new sales growth for two years running by winning some of the largest accounts in the divisions history while retaining all the most prestigious reference accounts in the portfolio. Reversed the path from previous yearly status.
Spirit Cruises
Turnaround Project
Challenge: Spirit of Chicago was the lowest performing cruise operation in the company against most measures and needed to re-establish itself in second most competitive market (NYC being the first) to maintain key client relationships and contracts that worked across the entire company.
Action: Reviewed and aligned all senior managers toward one vision, restructured sales and marketing leadership and built a strong comprehensive but specific marketing plan against each targeted industry segment to meet each segments unique needs to gain long term and consistent contracts for business. Embarked on a complete review of ship board operations and service delivery to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Result: Completely overhauled the food format and moved from plated lunches and dinners to buffet lunches, and a combination of buffet options for charter groups and plated dinners with multiple options for dinner that significantly reduced food cost while greatly improving quality. Created many enhancement packages that drove revenue per person and further enhanced profitability per cruise. Group sales soared with specialized offerings by segment especially for the tour and corporate segments with long term contracts with minimum passenger guarantees on price. This increase sales by 18% and profitability by 121% while increasing customer satisfaction scores.
Source4Teachers
Sales and Marketing Project
Challenge: Company was rapidly growing based upon being first to market with little to no competition in their primary states of NJ and PA, but in June 2015 the company began to experience competitive pressure both from strong establish competitors, other regional players moving into these territories and new entrants into the market space. This was lowering margins and forcing the commoditization of the market. Goal was to be best at proactive delivery of service for the highest competitive pricing. (meaning not winning on low price but a price within range of acceptability)
Action: Conducted and reviewed client surveys, market research and known best practices from historical won/lost bids to establish an organized sales and marketing strategy architecture that was based on value drivers that allowed for best pricing (value over price), optimal allocation of resources against targeted accounts and clear proven value differentiators among our competition that would drive new sales and account retention. Backed up sales strategy with operational strategy to deliver proactive engagement by client that was valued and proven in the view of client that would assist with our value to price position.
Result: Grew sales revenue by 51% and 35% over last two years and maintained a 95% retention rate of current clients. Able to increase or hold margins in all states except NJ where the procurement trend is to RFB on lowest price. In additional, 50% of clients in PA and other states renewed contracts for multiple years with YOY price increases.