Gerry was engaged to turn around an international leisure operator's underperforming back office team and return a major product to profitability. Her work was cut out for her with a high overhead base, unclear direction and dissatisfied customers. In short, a full scale business transformation was required.
Gerry initially reviewed all processes end to end, automating, simplifying and documenting them. She then worked on winning the trust of the staff through the three C’s – Communication, Care and Change – empowering individuals to take ownership of their remits and escalate issues more easily.
There was a large amount of wastage, and Gerry identified staff costs as too high. However, instead of blanket redundancies she was able to identify knowledge gaps and re-train individuals to move them into new areas. This was applied to 75% of ‘at risk’ individuals who were redeployed into a diverse range of roles around the business, retaining vital company knowledge and maintaining morale.
With streamlined processes and capable staff, customer satisfaction improved rapidly with a 60% reduction in complaints within the first month of the process enhancements. Furthermore, pan-European membership of the product increased by over 200% over the following 6 months. The departmental headcount savings were in excess of £600k pa, with 14 existing vacancies within the business being filled by ‘at risk’ staff. Non-headcount efficiencies amounted to £250k, an ongoing annual saving for the business.
The Global MD of this business unit was exceptionally impressed with Gerry’s turnaround, commenting: “She took an underperforming business unit to one of complete harmony. She was a total inspiration for all other management in the business and was very well respected. She conducted a major turnaround project for the company that will never be forgotten.”
