Experience from similar environments allowed us to challenge established ways of working and introduce processes that cut across locations.

The background

This global bank manage the operational processing of mortgages from four major processing centres situated in India, China, Poland and the UK.  Before we started working with the function, similar tasks were being performed in different ways at each site with limited collaboration. The client came to us with a need to shorten the time spent on each case to create cost savings and improve the customer experience.

Our aim was to build a clear understanding of the processes, people and technology in each location then apply our knowledge of best practice in similar environments to deliver significant efficiencies in time, cost and management workload. ​

The challenge

The mortgage delivery centres were spread across different continents. Practically as well as culturally, this added a level of complexity but one that we’re used to tackling (and enjoy taking on!). It was also a relatively complicated stakeholder environment – at times there was a lack of clarity around who should take the decisions that would impact all locations.

The centres and their teams were at full capacity operationally. To achieve the programme goals, we had to find ways of working with the teams that minimised disruption to operations and customer service, but ensured we got the necessary input to proceed at pace.​

What we delivered​

Hands-on workshop approach

• Engaged senior stakeholders to work through the problem and agree success measures.

• Ran practical sessions with key team members at each of the delivery centres in each country to understand the strengths and opportunities within each approach.

• Mapped current processes in each centre and identified the work that could be delivered in different locations. Designed new work flows and performance measures.

Process-based thinking – challenging established ways of working

• Proposed a new approach that allowed the teams to move from a regional model to one driven by processes where different centres could work together and benefit as a result.

• Assessed and recommended the technology needed to introduce the changes – in this instance, the client were able to use a standardised version of their existing technology.

• Built a case for the leadership team to consider restructuring the operation. Proposed a solution that maximised the value of new processes by redesigning job roles and teams.

Courage to lead in complex stakeholder environment

• Adapted our approach to build relevant and productive relationships with different stakeholders.

• When necessary, took action to move forwards with pragmatic decisions rather than waiting for consensus.

• Gained sign off for the proposal and a clear way forward that was passed to the internal team to implement.

• Continued to offer support by coaching the team through to implementation.

The results

The project delivered a 25% reduction in the time taken to process each case, benefiting customers and delivering cost savings for the business.

Convincing the leadership team to restructure the organisation meant we were able to deliver a greater reduction in headcount than originally anticipated. Not just removing duplication within roles but designing a new structure that supported the workflow and created even more capacity. Our model therefore delivered a 15% reduction in headcount, exceeding original expectations.

Overall, the delivery centres have benefited from shared processes and the structure to act increasingly as one team.