The Problem - An international management consulting firm had an opportunity to work with one of the nation's largest electronic retailers on the rollout of its new Web-based, customer service system. So whatÕs the catch? The consulting firm had just nine weeks to complete the training phase of the project. As a result, the firm sought strategic partners to staff the project and handle employment-related issues.
The Solution - BravoTECH quickly located a team of professionals that not only met the technical criteria, but also the rigorous schedule and travel requirements. To ensure success, BravoTECH was on call 24 hours a day to handle personnel issues and travel logistics, ensuring that its team was focused and productive. In less than a week, BravoTECH rallied a team of 15 trainers with the right mix of technical, customer service and communication skills for the project.
"The demands of the project were stressful. BravoTECH found qualified people very quickly and met our deadlines. Their role included handling all of their employees' personal needs so that the project stayed on course."
The Return on Investment - By allowing BravoTECH to handle the complex employment issues related to recruiting, screening, interviewing, and fielding a group of people who traveled extensively throughout the project, the firm was able to stay focused on the management of the project. As a result, the project was completed according to schedule.
"We were pleased with BravoTECH's performance. From my perspective, BravoTECH was easier to work with than other staffing firms we've used. Their managers were more flexible and sensitive to our needs. They took a true perspective that we were a business partner. I found the quality of their recruiters to be measurably better than other staffing firms."
CASE STUDY:
A.T. Hudson Company:
Consultants Partner with Bravo on a Multi-Site Technology Roll-Out
When one of the nation's largest consumer electronics retail company decided to implement a Y2K-compliant, state-of-the-art customer service system, finding the right technology was just the first step. The retailer also needed fail-proof implementation and training that would ensure a successful roll-out of the new system at more than 350 service centers and stores in 37 states.
A.T. Hudson was the management consulting firm chosen to implement new work processes and training materials, and manage every aspect of the implementation. It was a complex project at best, made more difficult by the fact that the firm had just nine weeks to complete the training phase before the onset of the holiday shopping rush.
"Due to the tight deadline, we needed technical staffing assistance to complete the roll-out," said Tom Jahr, vice president of A.T. Hudson. "We looked for reputable companies to provide qualified trainers that could start immediately."
Through the Internet, Jahr located Bravo Technical Resources, a firm that specializes in providing technical professionals for contract and full-time employment. In less than a week, Bravo rallied a team of 15 professionals with the right mix of technical, customer service, and communications skills for the project. Bravo recruiters carefully screened, interviewed and checked references to ensure that each candidate met A.T. Hudson's criteria as well as the rigorous schedule and extensive travel requirements.
"The demands of the project were stressful," Jahr said. "Bravo found qualified people very quickly and met our deadlines. Their role included handling all of their employees' personal needs so that the project stayed on course." For example, Bravo gave each employee travel instructions, coordinated the initial travel-related issues and concerns that arose, and even made direct-deposit arrangements for employees' paychecks while they were on the road.
"Because our employees were travelling nights and weekends, across four time zones, there were many situations that arose that needed to be handled immediately to keep them happy and on the job," said Andrew Jackson, Bravo president. "To handle these issues, we put a recruiter on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." The recruiter acted as a liaison between A.T. Hudson's project managers, the team members in the field and Bravo management. She was responsible for advancing travel money, helping with hotel arrangements, and troubleshooting problems.
Bravo managers also checked in with the team at frequent intervals and ran regular quality checks. "When managing a large group of people at many different sites, some problems are to be expected," Jackson continued. "Our job was to make these details transparent to A.T. Hudson, so they could focus on the project as a whole."
After a two-week training session with A.T. Hudson's training managers, the Bravo employees helped A.T. Hudson complete the roll-out in eight weeks, according to schedule. Throughout the project, Jahr found Bravo's staff to be highly professional.
"We were pleased with Bravo's performance," said Jahr. "From my perspective, Bravo was easier to work with than other staffing firms we've used. Their managers were more flexible and sensitive to our needs. They took a true perspective that we were a business partner." He added, "I found the quality of their recruiters to be measurably better than other staffing firms."