Our Work

The client had a private ATM network with $100 million in revenue and $99 million in direct expenses.  The business, one of three major players in the private ATM network sector, was operating as a separate division within the Client organization and was on the Balance Sheet for $85 million.  The Client doubted they could sell the business for a profit in its current state.  The division management wanted to expand the business, which required significant capital investment with a high risk outcome and the plan was based on internal assumptions not backed up by competitive analysis or sound revenue projections. The CEO asked LoBue to review the strategy of the Business, assess the competitive situation and recommend possible solutions for the dilemma.

LoBue performed a survey of the industry and major competitors, and a scan of small to medium competitors.  The analysis showed the business proposition going forward was clouded by the significant trend to cashless payments, such as 60% of Starbucks purchases moving to plastic.  Other trends suggested that the ATM private network business would be a mature commodity business at best.  Further, LoBue conducted an assessment of the internal operations of the business and found a somewhat inefficient operation.

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The parent company CEO took the LoBue analysis to a major competitor and, with the restructure plan as an aid, sold the division for $155 million. The new capital allowed for the purchase of a card based enterprise that was growing at a significant compound rate.  This materially improved the company's Market Cap.

LoBue recommended that the plan for expanding the business be abandoned as it was too costly.

LoBue recommended a restructuring of the Business based on the internal assessment,  targeting a $7 to $8 million expense reduction while maintaining the current revenue base.  Strong belief in this proposition led LoBue to offer to purchase the business for book value if the management could not find another solution.

A  business process outsourcing firm providing direct to Consumer and  Business- related contact center and back-office processing solutions for major global brands needed to re-structure its organization and rationalize its processes, with the  objective of developing a “best- in-class” operating model across  its global  outsourcing network.

LoBue conducted a comprehensive analysis, redesign, and implementation initiative for the organization, covering operations consisting of over 3,000 management and staff across eight facilities in the United States, Canada, and India.

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The initiative resulted in direct savings of over $10 million in annual operating costs for the organization.  In addition the program yielded the following key achievements across the business globally.

Delivery Model Enhancement

• Designed and implemented a global operating model, resulting in the consolidation of operations centers and the migration of call volumes and processing functions to more cost-effective facilities.
• “Insourced” voice-based processes and associated call volumes that had been contracted out to an external service provider for business continuity, overflow, and escalation purposes.  Key activities included the phased migration of call volumes to multiple internal facilities; design of a new internal business continuity plan; development of training programs and facilitation of training for new Agents; and, up-skilling of select Agents to reduce call volumes requiring escalation. Total call volumes migrated from the external service provider were in excess of 500,000 monthly.  Implementation resulted in the reduction in the cost per call in excess of 50%, as well as increased control over service delivery.
• Migrated multiple voice and data-based processes and volumes from three U.S. locations to the organization’s India facilities, as well as consolidated U.S.-based operations, including the closure of one U.S. operations center.  Key activities included definition of the onshore / offshore delivery model; evaluation of regulatory, reputation, and risk considerations associated with the offshoring of sensitive processes; rationalization and improvement of all processes prior to migration; phased migration of processes and volumes to multiple locations; development of Key Performance Indicators to track and monitor success of process migrations;  development of training programs and facilitation of training for new Agents and Processors; and, creation of a change management and communications plans for impacted U.S. staff.  Total workload equivalent migrated to lower cost facilities was in excess of 200 F.T.E.  Implementation resulted in the reduction in the cost per call/transaction, greater ability to leverage economies of scale, and standardization of service delivery through centralization of processes.
• Designed and implemented an enhanced customer care platform to support B2B customer service functions, including identification of opportunities to more effectively leverage decentralized service units, as well as development of a support framework for performance management and quality assurance.
• Designed and implemented a centralized and integrated contact center support model to service IT-related user problem and service request reporting, as well as perform user administration management.  Implementation resulted in the consolidation of numerous decentralized internal help desk functions, (both formal and informal), thereby creating a single point of contact for end-to-end problem resolution and service request fulfillment within the organization.
  

Workforce Optimization

• Designed and implemented a cross-functional multi-skilling model across select voice-based processes to more effectively manage real-time Agent utilization during intra-day and intra-month volume peaks and troughs, as well as to allow for call volume queue overflow.  A process complexity and skills requirements analysis was performed to ensure multi-skilling across like processes.  Total cross-trained staff across the impacted processes exceeded 20%.  Implementation resulted in a 15% reduction in staffing requirements and a 30% increase in Agent utilization within the impacted process.  Additionally, the organization achieved enhanced scalability, improved ability to meet contractual service level requirements, and new career-pathing opportunities for staff.
• Designed and implemented part-time staffing models across select voice-based processes to better align staffing levels to business demands.  Total part-time staff across impacted processes exceeded 15%.  Implementation resulted in a 10% reduction in staffing requirements and a 20% increase in Agent utilization resulting from more optimal staffing within the impacted processes.
• Established a real-time adherence / floor management function to monitor and manage service level delivery, line requirements, Agent breaks, intra-day resource allocation of multi-skilled staff, and crisis / emergency situations.
• Rationalized, standardized, and centralized resource planning for all voice and data-based process, including volume forecasting, capacity planning, and shift schedule design.  Desktop procedures were developed for each function to ensure on-going management and standardization of the methodologies employed.
  

Process Improvement

• Conducted a process rationalization review across all locations within the outsourcing organization to identify productivity and efficiency opportunities, as well as eliminate non-value add activities and identify areas for standardization.  Rationalization included the documentation of all key processes within the organization globally.
• Designed and implemented a data entry automation initiative to eliminate manual printing of data records, institute exception-based processing, and reduce redundant data entry functions.  Key activities included the design of functional specifications, facilitation of technology development activities, execution of user acceptance testing, and technology rollout.  Implementation resulted in a reduction in process time per transaction from 90 seconds to 20 seconds, resulting in productivity improvement in excess of 60 F.T.E., as well as a reduction in error rates.
• Developed and implemented a comprehensive problem management process for effective escalation, tracking, and reporting of customer problem resolution activities.  The model included standardization of problem severity level classifications, definition of organizational roles and responsibilities, design of escalation paths, and implementation of a problem ticketing tool to support the process.
• Standardized the Customer experience by delivery channel to eliminate unnecessary and inconsistent activities between voice and online services.  Additionally, implemented e-mail and fax alternative channel delivery options for processing of bulk requests previously handled by Agents via the telephone.  Implementation of both initiatives reduced Average Handle Time for Agents within select processes.
  

Organizational Alignment and Staffing Enhancements

• Developed and implemented “Centers of Excellence” to facilitate the centralized support of:  1) Business Analysis / MIS / Capacity Planning; 2) Quality Assurance and the Customer Experience; and, 3) Training and Development.  Implementation resulted in enhancements to the organization’s ability to more effectively leverage best practices, create ownership for the utilization of world-class methodologies, and standardize delivery of support function services.
• Conducted a complete organizational analysis, including position rationalization, review and modification to management to staff spans-of-control, and development and implementation of career-pathing models.

• Established attrition management and retention programs, including redesign of recruitment, hiring, training, and retention processes.  Activities included identification of the prospective employee experience, re-sequencing of decisioning activities within the hiring process, prototyping of psychometric testing tools for candidate short-listing, and analysis of compensation plan modifications and enhancements.
  

Performance Measurement and Management

• Standardized and enhanced the performance measurement and management system across the global organization, including definition of Key Performance Indicators designed to drive appropriate staff behavior; development of scorecard / dashboard reporting; definition of  performance targets; establishment of upper and lower controls (tolerance levels) to focus analysis time and effort on the areas of performance weakness; and, institution of root-cause analysis methodologies.  Additional objectives included the following:
• Improvement in the availability and quality of information needed to drive management decisions, thereby eliminating the need to constantly design reports and decide what to measure.
• Minimization of staff time associated with gathering, verifying, documenting and interpreting data, as well as time spent preparing various reports and distributing them (estimated reduction in time equivalent greater than 50 F.T.E.).
• Leveraging of new performance metrics, including analysis of intra-day and peak time performance versus merely reporting end-of-day and monthly averages.
• Definition of “early warning signals” for potential threats to performance, including the development of “leading” indicators to support the more typical “lagging” indicators.

• Conducted a call center benchmarking analysis against the Purdue University (U.S.) Benchmarking Database to identify major performance and operational gaps and identify solutions for implementation.  Activities included facilitation of internal data collection activities and definition of desired peer groups for comparison and analysis.
  

Technology Infrastructure Evaluation and Implementation

• Assisted with vendor evaluation / selection and implementation of critical call center technologies, including Workforce Management Software and Call Quality Monitoring Software.
• Installed an automated tracking, monitoring, and management tool to organize and present all Agent and process service performance information from a single source and compare actual performance data to established targets.
• Evaluated additional call center technologies and performed cost-benefit analyses for Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and speech-enabled IVR technology.
• “Insourced” the on-going management and maintenance activities for an externally managed IVR application and data transcription technology.  Total call volumes handled by the IVR exceeded 100,000 calls per month and included multi-language requirements.  Implementation resulted in a reduced cost per transaction, more effective control over service delivery and trouble-shooting activities, enhancements to functionality, and savings in excess of $500,000 annually.
• Analyzed and implemented enhanced system and telephony infrastructure requirements to support call migrations between facilities and the insourcing of externally managed contacts.
• Designed and implemented an enhanced imaging technology infrastructure to facilitate migration of paper-based processes between facilities.

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A major money center Trust and Investment Bank was experiencing lost revenue opportunities due to insufficiently trained sales staff in their Unit Investment Trust Business.

The high technical requirements for successful sales persons were inhibiting recruitment of new sales persons and limiting the Business expansion opportunity.

LoBue Group was engaged to review and evaluate how to improve on existing sales persons productivity.

The implementation of all recommendations was completed in 6 months with the following results:

Existing Sales person productivity was improved by 100%.

Reduction in lost sales created a 30% increase in new business volumes within 12 months.

The centralized processing facility supported the elimination of redundant positions resulting in a 20% productivity improvement in operations functions while absorbing increasing volumes.

With a significant reduction in cost of sales, new pricing flexibility was achieved while improving margins.

• Redesign the sales support functions into one centralized support function and move non-sales activities from sales persons to the centralized unit.
• Optimize workforce model for smarter resource effectiveness and leverage.
• Improve key operations processes for maximizing efficiency and reducing customer turnaround time.
• Redefine organizational model to support business scaling and expertise enhancement.
• Re-engineer the client on-boarding process.
• Define a performance measurement and management process for excellence sustainability.

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One of the largest banks in Middle East was faced with an organizational structure unable to scale with its current business let alone its strategic objectives.  Duplicated functions, inappropriate span of controls, lack of customer focus and major businesses all running in silos were all factors impeding growth.  More detrimental was the bank was not easy to do business with for both its customers and employees.  

In support of its objective of being the number one bank in its market in terms of: Profit, Revenue, Customer Experience and Employer of Choice, management engaged LoBue to assist in restructuring the entire organization.

• Improved customer focus and service delivery. Designed and achieved clear separation of front office customer facing responsibilities from back office and support functions which allowed for total customer focus.
• Created consistency and standardization across Operations, IT and support functions.  Activities included consolidation of all Operations, Administration and IT functions into Shared Services units.  Additionally all budgeting, planning, training, recruiting and risk activities were merged into appropriate support groups.
• Costs optimized. Restructuring activities achieved greater than USD15MM run rate savings.
• Significantly improved span of controls. Spans were optimized across the entire organization including the top line reporting from 17 to 10.
• Functions consolidated. Over 150 misaligned functions were consolidated into organizations including IT, Process Operations, Administration Services, Enterprise Project Delivery, Human Resources, Strategy, Risk and Finance.
• Forced end to end accountability. Restructuring created focused points of customer, cost and process accountability across all major functions bank wide.

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• Implement a “manage, support, control” organizational model to ensure customer first focus and appropriate function to skill alignment.
• Reorganize business lines in support of a customer segment versus product centric market approach.
• Purify business line functions to shift focus from activity to results management.
• Create centers of excellence for support / operations and consolidate like functions throughout the organization.
• Recommend an authority/responsibility model for production and service functions consistent with industry best practices.
• Implement a staffing/capacity planning process to allow for appropriate and controlled organizational sizing

Economic and competitive pressures, combined with strong workforce regulatory obligations, have adversely impacted the rapidly growing Latin American division of a major credit reporting agency. Following years of strong growth, a national economic downturn created pressures on company revenues due to diminished consumer sales and competitive price discounting.  Additionally, expenses continued to mount attributed to extensive regulatory requirements imposing increased workforce obligations on employers.   Faced with these challenges, the client turned to The LoBue Group to evaluate and implement opportunities to improve operational inefficiencies, sales and customer service, as well as identify and enact cost savings opportunities.

• All Sales Support functions were centralized, network processes were reengineered and a Branch Service platform was implemented, improving MIS intelligence for service and staff management.
• Deployed performance management training program to all Contact Center agents, outsourced low-value high-effort activity away from Contact Center Back Office, root-cause identified and corrected system issues, and reengineered key processes.
• Successfully implemented LoBue recommended Data Operations organization structure meeting company global best practice for all operations functions to be realigned under respective Data Operations, Data Analysis and Shared Services business units.  All Data Operations processes were reengineered, service agreements established, performance and management indicators established, enhanced triage and scheduling practices implemented and facility layout was optimized.

Through full implementation of the recommended program, the client received enhanced service and operational platforms with re-engineered processes across all functional areas, demonstrating a reduction in overall operational capacity by 20%. These efforts yielded significant run rate savings, producing 24 times ROI over three years.  Additional benefits are expected to be derived from improved client service initiatives, enhancing the customer experience to strengthen revenue opportunities.

After a thorough analysis, our recommended solutions centered on re-engineering the Data Operations and Client Services divisions, focusing on three key areas: Branch Network, Contact Center and Data Operations.  This intensive program included an organizational re-design, functional re-alignment, process improvement, development of staffing models and performance management training in addition to:

Branch Network

• Centralization of Sales Support functions.
• Rationalization of Product and Sales Support processes.
• Implemented comprehensive branch service platform - expanded market intelligence for service and staff management.

Contact Center

• Performed contact distribution analysis and robust staff modeling to match work force strength against call arrival rates, improving work force utilization and stabilizing performance on key service indicators.
• Developed training for multi-skill contact center agents to improve load balancing, workforce utilization and reduce headcount requirements.
• Improved Contact Center shrinkage, productivity and customer experience through refined system access management.
• Established technical help desk for system support providing dramatic internal and external customer benefit.
• Deployed extensive performance and service management program for Contact Center agents and managers.

Data Operations

• Restructured Operations with robust shared service, analytic and autonomous operational platforms.
• Performed facility layout plan aligning end-to-end process groups for improved scheduling and workflow management.
• Instituted “Best Practice” manuals documenting recommended process, procedure and service standards for all operation functions.

A new CEO was assigned responsibility for two organizations whose combined efforts was to provide custom solutions and fulfillment in a highly regulated environment.  These organizations were accommodating significant annual growth in volume at a very high level of quality.  Operational and technical challenges were limiting their ability to continue to accommodate the increases in volume and pressure from competitors was increasing as they leveraged technology to improve turnaround time and offer lower prices as a differentiation strategy.

Internal capacity had to be improved and costs reduced so that savings could be re-invested in building capacity within the organization.

• Annual savings of 2 million per year
• Improved internal capacity by 15 percent without additional technology investment
• Reduced cycle time by over 45 percent, providing a step-change in service delivery
• Established control points for predictable quality control and results
• With the same staff levels, the Client experienced a 50% increase in volume with no backlogs

• Integrate the two organizations, consolidating responsibility for the business process
• Implementation of change management strategy
• Improve the visibility of management data throughout the process
• Review and rationalization of all processes, end-to-end
• Creation of formal training program
• Evolution of internal and external Service and Performance Level Agreements
• Offset systemic limitations in current operating environment

• This prestigious National Private Bank did not meet regulatory requirements during the Safety and Soundness examination, and was ordered to discontinue adding new client accounts due to BSA/AML compliance violations.
• The Bank's internal staff estimated it would take 24 months to resolve the regulatory issues.
• The Board wanted to resume the bank’s revenue growth, to reestablish assurances of strong regulatory compliance and controls, and “to clean-up” all sub-standard client documentation and reporting requirements.
• The LoBue Group was hired to examine all records, fix the problem and to develop an ongoing process preventing the situation from re-occurring in the future.

• LoBue had undertaken the project and organized a team of LoBue consultant and bank personnel for execution.
• The program was rolled out within five weeks from the start and concluded after five month of execution resulting in completed client information and some discontinued relationships.
• The outside regulatory agency was invited to perform an audit 5 months ahead the next planned yearly “get in compliance audit”.
• The bank passed the external audit and was given permission to resume its new client acquisition and substantial revenue growth.
• A projected resolution of 24 months was accomplished in 5 months and regulatory issues were resolved before 1 year.

• Examined all client relationships and information retained by the bank (approximately 70,000 private banking relationships).
• Develop and execute a plan to acquire missing/unclear client information.  The plan included the hiring of 100 temporary staff.
• Make recommendations to discontinue questionable client relationships.
• Developed and implemented a new process for client acquisitions and on-boarding.
• Provide key management indicators to continually monitor and control the quality of client data (involving periodic client audits, and statistical checks to provide an early warning system).

The client needed to redesign its retail banking organization and distribution systems to unite sales and service activities in order to increase efficiency, enhance the customer experience and deepen customer relationships. The previous direct sales model approach focused on product versus relationship selling leading to a subpar in-branch customer sales process and channel conflict with various siloed sales groups targeting the same customers.  Undertaking this restructuring would reposition the bank via a “Local Community Bank” image to penetrate and serve the market.  Furthermore, end-to-end branch processes required redesign and streamlining to enhance the customer experience and improve operational performance.  The bank-wide financial goal was a 20% improvement in Human Resource efficiency.

• Sales and Service integration was achieved through organizational restructuring, functional area creation and redesign, and reconfiguring staff goals to emphasize relationship selling.
• All branch processes were reviewed and rationalized with a 45% reduction in the number of process handoffs and a 35% reduction in the number of associated documents to drive time savings.
• Branch network was reconfigured under Community Banking Model with newly formed management positions.
• Customer branch wait times in piloted community decreased by greater than 20% versus pre-rollout figures.
• Technology enhancements were instituted to drive employee empowerment at the first point of customer contact in branches while centralizing non-customer facing activities.  
• A 15% FTE savings was realized with a structured plan to reach 24% within 12 months.
• Community Banking Model was approved for entire network rollout by client management.

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• Creation of new in-branch joint sales and service positions and repositioning of outside sales force to improve customer experience.
• Redesigning the organizational structure into a Community Banking focus from the ground up.
• Reconfigure branch network structure into communities to better sell and serve to distinct marketplaces.
• Development and institution of new branch MIS reporting tied to customer wait and serve time data and sales performance results.
• Redesign of in-branch staff goals and job descriptions to emphasize customer service.
• Rationalization of all branch processes.
• Implementation of volume-based capacity plans to staff each branch across the network.
• Centralize critical non-customer facing operational activities in branches.

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This expanding retail banking group needed to develop a suite of products and services that would encourage new and existing customers to maintain or deepen their relationship with the bank.  The account opening process was very complex including 19 documents, 43 signatures (internal and customer) and 34 stamps, with other services (ATM, Mobile Banking, Internet Banking and SMS) provided to the customer via separate applications and only upon customer requests.  Consumer credit origination processes were complicated with excessive documents and signatures.  Credit turnaround times exceeded all market standards rendering the bank uncompetitive with prime customers.  

The processes behind each of the products were also inefficient with redundant processing and authorizations, excessive handoffs and an inordinate number of non-value added steps.  There was also an abundance of internal bureaucracy imbedded within the processes, resulting in a high level of documentation for audit tracking purposes.

These deficiencies led to turnaround times of up to six days for some applications, but with no existing reporting mechanism in place, there was no way to track or correct these incidences.

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• Enhanced customer relationships enabled by standardization of products, processes, KPIs and SLAs.
• Automatic inclusion of various “sticky” channel products at the Account Opening stage ensuring longer lasting deeper relationships with customers as well as supporting the migration of customer transactions from high cost (branch) channel to lower cost (digital / alternative) channels.
• Reducing variability and complexity of product setup resulting in improved processing efficiency and lowered turnaround times.
• Streamlining credit approval process without degrading risk mitigation and decision making parameters.
• Significant TAT and cost savings achieved in lending processes by reducing Non Value Added steps by 90%, eliminating 22% of documents and reducing required signatures by over 50%.
• Customer TAT reduced by 46% for Account Opening and 59% for Credit Cards.
• Auto Finance TATs reduced to one day from original six with Personal Finance down to two days from original four.

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• Re-engineered product setup to ensure all new customers are automatically enrolled in SMS and Mobile banking at the account opening stage.
• All liability accounts opened with ATM card assuring lower cost ATM access and enabling Internet and IVR Registration (via the internet).
• Rationalized application forms eliminating duplicate fields, removing unnecessary information and significantly reducing multiple customer and internal signatures.
• Eliminating unnecessary stamps and duplicate checking on required documentations, relying instead on automatically captured systems records.
• Document generation initialized at deal creation stage reducing the number of required customer visits.
• Combining duplicate credit approval processes into one consolidated approval.
• Implementation of  turnaround time tracking reports in order to communicate and track service expectations to customers.
• Synchronizing internal departments work schedules and efforts by aligning auto sales offices with bank and dealership hours.
• Enhancing and fully utilizing existing bank systems to automate credit limits and capturing queuing data.

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The market leading bank of this GCC country had experienced a dramatic growth in its customer base in its journey to achieve a strategic goal of more than doubling its consumer customer base.  In addition to the focus on growing the customer base, the Bank had also installed new core banking and imaging systems.  Much of its operations had been recently centralized into multiple regional processing and head office facilities.  As a result of the significant growth coupled with the centralization and new core system implementation the Bank has been experiencing customer service issues.  These service problems have manifested themselves in the deterioration of service timeliness, especially in the Branch Network.  Customer complaints had increased and the service problems were having a negative effect on customer retention.  All of these internal factors were further exasperated by the central bank’s decision to level the playing field between foreign and domestic banks by drastically cutting foreign bank’s tax burden.  

Management engaged LoBue to address the deteriorating customer service levels so as to halt the exodus of high value customers, reexamine existing technology investments to better leverage system capabilities, continue the stalled centralization efforts to collapse the remaining four regional processing centers into one and to implement a branch focused Sales and Service Management process including organization, process and reporting.

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Within twelve months from the initiation of the project, branches representing over 60% of volume and income were implemented with new processes and organizations, all incoming branch calls were diverted to the contact center, credit was centralized with loan application processing times reduced to an average of less than 15 minutes, new automated reporting was implemented and distributed to all levels of the organization and two of the three regional processing centers were closed.

Key statistics include:

• Branch Staffing Requirement Reductions of  24%;  Consumer operations > 10%
• Average Wait Time in Branches Reduced by 34%
• Redirect branch calls to Call Center and introduce new trans volume by > 64% with no staff increase
• Centralized credit reduced PL TAT to <1.5 Days and exception rate from 48% to < 20% in first 3mos
• Increase sales capacity two-fold through function realignment and organizational focus

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LoBue recommended significant organizational and process changes, including the creation of segment managers, focused product managers, enhanced national sales group, redefinition of branch roles, elimination of redundant processing facilities and the complete migration of credit processing and incoming telephone calls from the branch into a repurposed contact center.  Major recommendations that were implemented included:

• The definition of a new customer segmentation and segment managers to create and manage ongoing proposition
• Implementation of a full service dedicated priority banking branch model to serve these high net worth individuals
• Creation of a new Universal Personal Banker position to allow all CSRs to market the entire range retail products
• Refocus Tellers to execute all “quick” transactions as opposed to focusing on cash only
• Vastly increased utilization of the banks new business process management and imaging system to transfer and track customer requests
• Key modifications to the bank’s  core system, addressing reoccurring staff complaints resulting from the recent systems implementation
• Segregation of commercial transactions so as to provide superior service to these high value customers while removing their elongated processing times from the retail queues
• Centralize all credit processing in order to shorten branch queues and to simultaneously enforce an often overlooked credit policy
• Empower the Contact Center to solve customer issues and migrate all branch calls to this newly improved Center
• Close all regional processing centers and centralize their work into the capital of the country
• Implement a new organization structure, from the Regional Office down to the branch Customer Service Representative to assure a proactive Sales and Service Management Process.
• Design and Implement ACTIONABLE reporting, focusing on customer branch and call center wait times, item turnaround times and staff processing efficiency levels
• Physical redesign of branches to promote alternative channel usage, enhance queue management and foster a sales culture

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A merger between two large U.S. Banks had taken place. As part of this merger, the Client had to consolidate the two Wealth Management functions at an annual cost savings of $80 million. The two entities employed about 3,100 professionals and the merger had to be completed within 16 months. The lack of organization was causing serious service issues across all products and processes.

The organizational consolidation was achieved in 12 months, with an approximate annual savings of $110 million while the staff requirements were reduced by 512 FTE (full time equivalent).

Approximately 600 processes were re-engineered or eliminated and service standards were improved.

First call resolution in the Contact Center improved from 76% to 89%.

Relationship Managers were relieved from non-customer related activities, allowing for a more efficient account loading.

By the end of the program, (sixteen months), the single Wealth Management Organization was fully operational with measurable improvement in client satisfaction.

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LoBue had recommended a total re-examination of all customer facing and operational activities, to re-engineer all processes and develop a combined organization structure to yield the targeted cost reduction while improving the service provided to its wealthiest customers.

The Relationship Manger role was designed to focus on meaningful customer interaction and operational activities were stripped away.

A focus was placed on improving the processes in operations in order to reduce operational errors at the root of service issues.  At the same time, the capabilities of the dedicated customer care center were expanded to quickly handle service requests and improve first time resolution on inquiries.

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This UK Consumer Finance Business had recently acquired deposit taking authority and wanted to re-configure the Distribution system for effectiveness against Consumer Finance products and liability gathering. Additionally, the client wished to reduce direct operating costs to bring margins in line with parent peer group.

• Centralize all non-customer facing functions and create a call center for customer service functions.
• Relocate several Branch locations from undesirable locations to position them as liability gathering offices.
• Develop incentive compensation for account officers for asset product sales and liability accounts.
• Streamline all head office functions through Business Process Reengineering effort.
• Install management MIS system and monthly review process.

• Centralize all non-customer facing functions and create a call center for customer service functions.
• Relocate several Branch locations from undesirable locations to position them as liability gathering offices.
• Develop incentive compensation for account officers for asset product sales and liability accounts.
• Streamline all head office functions through Business Process Reengineering effort.
• Install management MIS system and monthly review process.