Back Office Operations Transition for a European Telecom Firm

Client

The client is a prominent European telecommunications company operating in in 4 countries in the Baltic Region, providing mobile and fixed connectivity, telephony, data network services, TV, streaming, and global Internet of Things services. Their goal is to reduce emissions and harness the potential of technology by ensuring unlimited connectivity and possibilities for everyone. They are actively implementing sustainability practices within their operations and are dedicated to minimizing their environmental footprint throughout their value chain, encouraging responsible resource usage by vendors, and promoting customers’ reuse and recycling behaviors.

Challenge

A growing customer base and the necessity to update their current services and technologies prompted the client to seek ways to optimize their existing operational costs. This, in turn, would enable them to reinvest in advanced technology and infrastructure solutions, passing on the benefits to their end customers. The overarching strategy involved outsourcing B2B and B2C back-office processes while maintaining in-house control over managing escalations and servicing high-value contracts due to specific language requirements. The business objectives included:

• Enhancing operational efficiency for a competitive edge.
• Elevating service quality through value-added enhancements and ongoing improvements.
• Offering a transformation roadmap.
• Executing the business migration with minimal impact on end customers.

Solution

With a well-planned strategy, Hexaware adhered to key principles that ensured a smooth project execution with minimal issues and delays:

• Collaborative Approach: Defined service objectives and goals in contractual agreements, fostering collaboration from the outset. Proactive risk and issue identification led to quick resolutions, nurturing strong relationships at all levels.
• Transition Strategy: Implemented a well-established framework and divided the transition into smaller phases based on business lines and process complexity. Initial phases prioritized less complex processes for a faster transition, followed by more complex ones. Detailed planning and knowledge transfer were central to this phase.
• Language Constraint Mitigation: Overcame language barriers by creating an English glossary for application menus, buttons, and fields, serving as a reference guide.
• Process Standardization: Documented and shared in-scope processes for review with client SMEs and managers, incorporating automated knowledge capture tools.
• Volume Ramp-Up and Process Stabilization: Developed realistic volume ramp-up plans to minimize business impact. A gradual ramp-up, spanning 4 to 6 weeks, allowed for a smoother transition and post-transition service level consistency.
• Governance: Implemented a robust governance structure with defined service level objectives and a clear communications plan to maintain alignment between both parties.
• Change Management: Employed a customized change management framework from day one, addressing all changes through formal records and a Change Advisory Board (CAB) that reviewed changes and their impact.

This comprehensive approach facilitated the successful transition of over 250+ full-time equivalents (FTEs) across two countries, encompassing a wide range of processes in a phased ramp-up approach, all while minimizing disruption to the client’s existing business environment. Lessons learned from each phase were instrumental in mitigating risks during subsequent transitions.

Benefits

• 100% of the in-scope processes transitioned within the agreed timeline
• 100% on-time completion of onsite and offshore knowledge transfer
• 12% profitability enhancement through increased retention
• Up to 30% reduction in Total Cost of Ownership
• Minimal escalation during transition
• Maintained consistent service levels from Day 1
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Established a basis for process optimization and automation initiatives

Summary

Hexaware’s well-executed migration strategy was built on key principles: a collaborative approach with clearly defined service goals, a phased transition strategy based on process complexity, and tools to mitigate language barriers. The process standardization and knowledge transfer ensured a seamless shift. Gradual volume ramp-up and robust governance guaranteed service consistency. The customized change management framework handled changes systematically. This approach led to a successful transition of over 250+ FTEs across two countries and achieved the goals without service disruption, also enhancing customer satisfaction and setting the stage for future process improvements.