Case Studies

Case studies provide real-life examples of our client work. View our case studies to see examples of how individuals and organisations have benefited from our work below. You can also view and save PDF versions in the right hand column:

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• Sales and Account Management Programme in Safetell

  Client Description
  
  Safetell Limited is a leading designer, manufacturer, installer, and maintenance provider of physical security products including bullet resistant and anti-attack security screens and bespoke security products.
  
  Safetell provides a range of low cost cash recycling and cash management safe products for the banking sector and other cash-in cash-out operations.
  
  Safetell was founded in Australia in 1984 and started UK operations in 1987 in collaboration with Tate & Lyle Engineering. The company transferred its headquarters to the UK in 1989 with Australia becoming an operating subsidiary and subsequently a licensee. Newmark Security PLC acquired the Safetell Group in 2000. Licensees and distributors have installed Safetell Eclipse Rising Screens in USA, South Africa, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Uruguay.
  
  Challenge
  
  Having undergone a management change and approaching its next phase of the company’s growth, a selection of Managers and Sales Executives were identified as in need of a comprehensive programme of learning which would not only refresh and enhance the skills of the team but provide a platform for greater synergy and innovation within the team.
  
  Solution
  
  GP was selected to provide a modular programme of learning across a three month period, that included the following elements:

  • Module One Sales Training. A one day programme enabling the team to refresh their existing skills and to introduce the forum for ideas exchange on enhancing the customer experience of dealing with Safetell
     
  • Module Two Selling Scientifically. Building on Module One, this module explored the customer profiles of the existing customers. Considering account penetration, customer relationships, horizontal and vertical marketing and lead generation
     
  • Module Three Managing Accounts. This event introduced the models for identifying the customer segmentation within the organisation, using real-time customers to forecast the potential from current lapsed and as yet untapped customers
     
  • Module Four Managing Time. Far more than basic time management, this module was designed to create discussion around processes and systems used within the Sales process inside the organisation together with a focus on the cost of time spent supporting customers within margins

  The GP team designed and delivered this training between May and July 2011 and will be working closely with Safetell in evaluating the impact and behaviour changes;
  97% of delegates would recommend this course to others:
   

  
   

  
   

• Leadership Development Programme with Leading Retail Bank
  
  Challenge
  
  The core aim of which was to improve the capability of the leadership population in order to most effectively deliver the service proposition and move forward to being the UK’s best bank.
  
  Solution
  
  Our solution consisted of three core elements:
  
  Research and Development - Initial research consisted of visits to 40 participants to conduct structured interviews in order to develop a base of first hand information about current leadership capabilities. Following this research and referencing the banks competency sets a detailed proposal was developed and presented to the Client Sponsor. The programme consisted of a pre event, 360^o appraisal evaluation followed by a 2 day development centre and field coaching visits for all senior participants.
  
  The Development Centre - This was run for 100 Area Directors and 230 Senior Branch Managers and contained individual coaching sessions, psychometric profiling, and syndicate exercises around 5 five core competencies of effective leaders. Particular attention was paid to developing and delivering an inspirational vision and on performance coaching skills with presentations and coaching sessions to improve skill levels. To ensure high levels of individual attention each cohort of 10-12 delegates was supported by 4 coach/facilitators. The average delegate feedback over all 32 events was 92% approval.
  
  Follow Through – Each of the Area Directors had a one day field coaching visit to provide individual coaching on the implementation of their development centre action plans into working practices. The coaches provided coaching records and further development guidance for each Director.  It was only budgetary constraints that prevented this approach being limited to one day as it was extremely well received by all.
  
  To assist line management support each Regional Director was provided with a 12 page report on their ADs performance, development needs and action plans.
  
  Outcomes
  
  Following the success of this programme we were engaged by the bank to work with a number of Head Office functional teams at senior level to improve leadership team effectiveness.  
   
• Customer Experience and Sales Programme
  
  Client Description
  
  Our client a leading provider of childcare was established to provide exciting, innovative care for children, in an environment that presented plentiful opportunities for play, interaction and development, simply to give them the best possible start in life.
  
  Offering a nursery environment that is safe, with sophisticated resources and learning opportunities, employing dedicated staff with passion, enthusiasm and a never ending commitment to the children, parents are always assured that their child was happy, because their interests are nurtured, and their individuality respected.
  
  Challenge
  
  Within an overriding interest in children and their future, it was identified that the staff were not always as focused on the need to maintain good business practices regarding occupancy levels and client conversions. Aligning the needs of parents and children with those of a successful business model were key determinates in their choice of GP as their chosen provider.
  
  Solution
  
  GP was selected to provide a UK-wide programme of management workshops across a three month period that included the following elements to cater for two hundred nursery managers:
  
  

  • Values of the Brand. Using the UK wide branding Managers were encouraged to make the necessary connections to their individual propositions. Recognising their strengths and individuality and what they had to offer in their respective markets
     
  • Recognising the Customer Choice. Putting choices to potential customers in a more well-rounded formulae to overcome the concerns of cost and comparable service enabled managers to handle the competition elements better
     
  • Handling leads and enquiries. Encouraging managers to maintain their empathy and personable style whilst still collecting customer data for marketing purposes, saw the teams explore their “order form” habits exposed with excellent ideas and suggestions put forward as to how to capture information without the grilling
     
  • Maximising the occupancy rates. Following through and taking control of the next steps was for most a new concept having preferred in the past to leave the potential customers to make the next move. Recognising the need to manage demand when times are good so as to protect against peaks and troughs

  
  Comments

  The GP team designed and delivered this training between June and August 2011 and will be working closely with the client in evaluating the impact, occupancy levels and behaviour changes.
  
  “Very informative, lots of useful tools for improving occupancy levels.”
  Nursery Manager
  
  “Good, to the point and delivered in way that we will be able to put into practice.”
  Nursery Manager
  
  “Very exciting workshop and lots of fun practical activities.”
  Nursery Manager
  
  “Very knowledgeable on the subject, easy to listen to and engage with.”
  Nursery Manager
  
  “Great trainer, kept everyone involved and the group sets were very good.”
  Nursery Manager  
   

• Sales Management and Leadership Process and Behaviourial Assessment
  
  The view was that in a more difficult economic climate there could be a loss of market share and performance.
  
  There was a lack of process for sales and sales management and little to no coaching completed by the Sales Leadership Team.
  
  The Business Director needed clear objective external input to support strategic direction.
  
  Solution
  
  GP were commissioned to carry out the research into the distribution issues.
  
  We completed specific research into the issues faced by the business. This incorporated face to face observations of sellers, managers and leaders. This included discussion on the various roles, the business and the future, as well as profiling on individuals against the ideal role profile.
  
  Outcome
  
  Our report findings indicated clear feedback from their team that there was a strong appetite, capability and positive attitude to take on and achieve the desired massive increase in commercial lending. Our report contained:
  
  

  • A redesigned and streamlined sales process incorporating focused competencies and behaviours
  • A redesigned and streamlined sales management process incorporating competencies and behaviours
  • A report outlining the outputs from a full individual and team behavioural profiling assessment and recommendations as to the process for implementation

  As a result of the above, our client was delighted with the results of the research, implemented all of the report recommendations and achieved all targets that were set.

• Complaint Handling Development Programme
  

  A skills development programme designed to enhance individual and team understanding, knowledge and skills in successfully handling customer complaints.

  Introduction

  We were approached by a leading global bank to create a bespoke programme that aimed to help the bank become ‘a centre of excellence in complaint handling’ whilst at the same time helped to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to ‘Treating Customers Fairly’. The development of this programme was also seen as an important part of the bank’s overall ‘Best Place to Bank’ strategy, particularly enabling them to ensure that their existing customers remained satisfied with the services that the bank provided and would go onto to hopefully purchase further services.
  
  The Programme
  
  After a period of research across a number of departments and branches involving customers and staff the programme was developed. It was created in two parts, first an E-Learning pre-course module which helped to position the issue of Complaints. This was followed by a one day interactive workshop which provided learners with the skills and techniques needed to handle customer complaints and then an opportunity to use the new skills and techniques via a series of ‘case studies’.
  
  The Overall Aim of the Programme
  
  In addition to the e-learning module, this workshop will help learners to handle complaints in a compliant and customer focused way, which in turn will ensure they treat all of their customers fairly.
  
  The Course Objective
  
  Resolve complaints consistently and effectively to the standards discussed in the workshop. This will be demonstrated using a number of case studies in both group role play and discussion.
  
  The workshop started by focusing on a ‘Fairness Formula’ and what being ‘Fair to Customers’ actually meant. The facilitators used group discussions to uncover how this could be achieved whilst at the same time looking at how staff members could deliver service standards that customers would appreciate. Having discussed these important points the learners started to develop a set of staff ‘behaviours’ that were seen as crucial to the success in dealing with Complaints.
  
  The programme then looked at ‘Telephone and Enhanced Communication Skills’, this focused on our Visual, Hearing and Feeling personal communication preferences. Here we looked at the importance of identifying which communication preference customers used as this would help a member of staff when dealing with a customer who had registered a complaint. A large part of the day was given to ‘skill practice’ where the learners were provided with a number of ‘case studies’ [real complaints with names changed to protect identity]. Learners worked individually and in smaller groups to discuss the complaint and how best using the new skills and techniques they would resolve the complaint or issue.
  
  At the end of the workshop the learners were asked to create Action Plans to ensure that the learning from the programme was transferred from the classroom and back into the ‘real world’ and onto the job.
  
  Reviews and Feedback
  
  Having now completed a large number of programmes we have been able to collect a wealth of feedback from learners regarding the quality of the workshop itself, the following are just a small sample of these comments.

  • Enjoyed the course very much and taken away valuable techniques to help with my job role. Would like more of everything, very interested in all that the trainer had to say
  • I have enjoyed this course and the trainer made it fun and interesting. I was not bored at any stage which I thought I would be
  • The trainer was an enthusiastic and encouraging facilitator. He made the course enjoyable, entertaining and not overwhelming
  • Enjoyable course with lots of information all of which is relevant to my role. Enjoyed the discussions and did not feel uncomfortable in group role role-plays
  • Good pace throughout giving extra information to take into role
  • Great course, great trainer
  • Lots of information to take in, all very relevant
  • Very enjoyable and practical course
  • Very engaging course and instructor