PROJECTS

IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW TOOLS

I led a team of internal service desk specialists within a Digital Transformation Team. When I started in the role, requests were received in unstructured email-to-case format which resulted in duplicate tickets, support team inefficiencies, lack of clarity and poor visibility of workload, long response times, poor reputation and loss of trust with internal stakeholders.

I implemented and communicated the roll out of a new web-based Helpdesk (Solarwinds) to 600 staff across the organisation through a series of blogs, training sessions and emails to line managers.

The new helpdesk resulted in:

prioritised workflow and quick identification of bottlenecks
automated workflows within the helpdesk and automatically generate tickets for regular work
balanced workload between staff in my team and understanding of individual performance
Increased visibility with stakeholders
Quicker response times
Increased trust with stakeholders and improved team reputation
a new communication channel for urgent technical issues - eg emerging problems
a new communication channel for FAQs and guidance, allowing for the retirement of other unfit for purpose spreadsheets

TIME EFFICIENCIES

I took on a new responsibility of running the biggest regular import, a weekly data import from our fulfilment house. I quickly identified that there were significant issues with the data quality which was resulting in manual rework of data, extended import time leading to slower supporter response, and decreased accuracy in reporting and analytics.

I worked with key stakeholders to ensure buy in to the improvement process. My feedback on weekly performance brought clarity and acceptance of the issues, and paved the way for incremental improvement and operational effectiveness. Within a three month period I reduced processing time by more than 50% and reduced error rates within the data from 33% to 1.5% by identifying quick wins, tracing errors to root source and implementing data validation checks.

What was the impact?

Increased accuracy of data in the system
Better customer service through faster fulfilment turnaround times
Vastly reduced data processing times

QUALITY GAINS

Our sales teams were creating incorrectly formated income allocation codes. These codes were then being added to the finance system as well as automated external income generating plaforms. Finally, the data team were importing files to the CRM system where the codes were rejected.

This created:

Inaccurate data insight and reporting
Loss of efficiency across multiple teams due to rework
Increased error rates due to manual intervention and rework
Slower income processing meaning either greater accrued income or slower end of month accounts closure
Slower customer service and follow up process

I resolved this significant inefficiency issue by establishing a cross-department project team to identify a solution. Together we developed and implemented a sign off process ensuring that only correct codes were accepted into system.

I created a macro-enabled template with advanced features such as an income code generator for sales teams which included drop down selection options and in-cell error alerts. This template was used across teams and complete sign off was required before system changes were implemented.

...a great manager but she was also a fantastic coach and mentor. She played a vital role in helping me map out what my next steps were and how I could achieve them, when I was made redundant.

...always approachable and is willing to listen when needed. Christine was very good at keeping the team on track and was excellent in communicating what our goals and targets were for the week. She made a huge difference in the productivity level of our team through her encouragement and drive....

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

My colleague was responsible for a project that was time-sensitive, large scale and financially critical with implications for the bottom line. The work involved updates of customer status within one system which pulled across to another system. The process was manual, slow, complex and required accuracy. I identified quality assurance issues within process due to manual input.

I implemented a more robust - 100% accurate - and quicker process which took the data set, grouped it and matched it. This allowed bulk updates in the system and ensured that we met the strict and immoveable deadline.

BRINGING VISIBILITY TO DATA

I was brought into a major project six weeks prior to go-live to support recruitment and staffing needs. Recruitment data was being recorded on disparate spreadsheets with no ability to report on progress against recruitment, security clearance and training targets. The staffing manager was spending significant time fielding phone calls regarding shift patterns instead of being able to attend to other work.

I created a simple MS Access database which provided visibility and insight into recruitment levels. It was immediately apparent that recruitment had gone off track. We had over-recruited by 1/3 and new recruits wouldn't pass security clearance and training in time for go-live. I created a communication plan for the different stakeholder groups which included a letter of apology signed by the Managing Director.

Identifying this issue and communicating a difficult message brought the project to get back on track...

PROCESS MAPPING

I worked with sales teams to understand, map and improve their customer onboarding process. The existing process was undefined, without clarity on roles and responsibilities. All customers were treated equally regardless of potential income and influence.

I worked with key stakeholders to map as-is to-be processes, wrote user documentation and implemented system changes to accomodate the new process.

The changes meant that customers received more consistent service and were better served according to their needs.