GUILD Consulting

Hawaii's leading management consulting firm

Insights

by on

by on

Pricing for a Service Offering

Size
$200M+

Situation
The client wanted to offer an applicant tracking software (ATS) as an add-on service to its existing customers who were charged on a PEPM (per employee per month) model.

Approach
GUILD broke down the cost of software and labor into its various components, like setup and training, integrations, licenses, admin support, etc.

We then organized clients into different brackets based on employee count, and incorporate a minimum allowable profit margin.

Finally, we created a tool to allow salespeople a range of pricing options on PEPM-basis, and the ability to charge for implementations upfront or over time.

Results
Client successfully introduced the add on service and increased its revenue and profitability from some of its largest accounts.

 

We have anonymized some information to retain clients’ confidentiality. The results are real and we will be happy to talk to you about our past work. Email us at [email protected] or call (808) 729-5850.

by on

by on

Post-Acquistion Integration

Size
$200M+

Situation
The client acquired its largest competitor. However, due to a legacy of aggressive competitiveness, contrasting cultures and vastly different processes they were having a tough time integrating and plugging an exodus of top talent from the acquired firm.

Approach
“GUILD created an integration project team comprised of personnel from various departments of both organizations. We rapidly created high-level AS IS and TO BE process maps for various processes and developed a shared, final state process.

Then team after team, we trained the staff on the new processes. We also worked closely with the operational leaders to ensure the two teams were ready to work as one going forward.

Finally, we set a target date to sunset the technology platforms supporting the inherited processes, and by doing so, set the end date for those processes.”

Results
The staff in the acquired organization valued the clarity of our methodology and knowing what the end goal was. The entire organization benefitted from weekly updates on the progress and what was still outstanding. Top management was able to support the project team with major roadblocks. The integration was formally completed within 1 quarter of project start.

 

We have anonymized some information to retain clients’ confidentiality. The results are real and we will be happy to talk to you about our past work. Email us at [email protected] or call (808) 729-5850.

by on

by on

Revamping the Talent Assessment Process

Size
$200M+

Situation
The client wanted to improve the quality and consistency of the talent assessment process. The existing assessments were annual, very labor intensive for the managers and the ratings were quite inconsistent across managers. The client also wanted to have more frequent assessment cycles and add succession planning as an annual activity.

Approach
“GUILD engaged two experienced performance appraisal experts to redesign the assessments. We agreed on 3 cycles a year, including an annual succession planning process for mapping individuals on performance vs potential using the 9-box.

The 6-month assessment cycles began with an employee self-assessment. Then the manager evaluation process started with the CEO providing feedback to the executive team, who in turn provided feedback to the directors, and so on down the organizational hierarchy. The senior managers (starting with the CEO) used their feedback session as an opportunity to coach their direct reports on how to do better evaluations.

Finally, we designed a weekly check-in process for every employee with their managers aimed to provide more real-time feedback and take out any surprises from the assessment cycles.”

Results
“Executive team accepted all recommendations with minor changes.

The first assessment cycle began immediately after our project ended. It was an efficient process which led to good feedback from the managers and employees alike.

Client was shopping for an automated tool to streamline the weekly checkin process.”

 

We have anonymized some information to retain clients’ confidentiality. The results are real and we will be happy to talk to you about our past work. Email us at [email protected] or call (808) 729-5850.

by on

by on

Simultaneous Migration of CRM and Accounting Systems

Size
$5M – $10M

Situation
The client was using a customized, on-premise version of SAGE MAS 200 – a mid-market accounting system. This system was integrated with a proprietary database that they sold subscriptions to. Due to heavy customization, the accounting system had been unable to keep up with the updates to the software and consequently, had developed several technical glitches over time.

Not only did the client want to replace the accounting system, but they also wanted to move from their existing CRM (Customer Relationship Management software) to SalesForce, and integrate it with the new accounting system and their proprietary database. In addition to solving current issues, the client wanted to start offering pay-per-use services to self-service customers and accept real-time payments from them.

Due to the complex integrations and simultaneous implementations of both – accounting and CRM systems, the project had several reversals before GUILD was engaged to manage the project.

Approach
GUILD put all technical work on hold to first get buy-in from all stakeholders on the new process workflow. We spoke to the process owners to arrive at the AS-IS and TO-BE process views (with automated and manual steps). These were then presented to the entire team and we facilitated a rich discussion on what changes must happen.

Once the TO-BE process was agreed, we worked with the client’s in-house technology architect to create the visual representation of the technology stack. Due to the complexity of the project, the TO-BE map and the technology stack had Phase 1 and Phase 2 versions.

Once Phase 1 scope was final, we provided the technical team with the business requirements and limited our activities to advisory work.

Results
The buy-in for process changes and the phasing of the implementation provided the much-needed alignment for the technical team to break the stakeholder logjam.

The documents and diagrams created by GUILD served as business requirements for the technical implementation team.

 

We have anonymized some information to retain clients’ confidentiality. The results are real and we will be happy to talk to you about our past work. Email us at [email protected] or call (808) 729-5850.

by on

by on

How Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) Bridge Strategy and Execution

In real life, the strategy is actually very straightforward. You pick a general direction and implement like hell. ―Jack Welch

Strategic planning involves tedious preparation – poring over spreadsheets, designing surveys, revising the agenda for maximum engagement, and usually, planning logistics for an “offsite” as well.

Continue Reading →