Challenge:

A large consumer wireless company needed to purchase and integrate six wholly-owned subsidiaries within an 18-month timeframe.

Whitaker & Company Solutions:

1. Created a sustainable, repeatable integration model, timetable, and IMO (Integration Management Office) reporting to the company C-suite level.
2. Conducted due diligence that escalated integration hot spots so they could be triaged and resolved early.
3. Created clearly defined integration leadership and decision-making processes.
4. Designed and implemented a well thought out and comprehensive communications strategy. (Remember: you can't talk to acquired employees enough!)
5. Retained key personnel.

Results:

Budgeted controllable synergies came in within 5% of goal and acquired employee satisfaction surveys consistently met or exceeded targeted expectations. All integrations were completed within targeted 100 day timeframe and 18 month schedule.

Challenge:

A large multinational hotel operator had just commissioned a consumer segmentation study, and had also purchased new technology to transform the way it managed its external communications with its 63 million member customer base. This transformational strategic initiative affected virtually all of the company's major functions and properties, and was going to take nearly a full year to implement. The investment was substantial, and the company needed help in making sure the initiatives took hold and delivered business value sooner than later.

Whitaker & Company Solutions:

1. Created a comprehensive Change Management and Communications plan to insure all stakeholder groups were identified and communicated to with the right messages throughout the implementation process.
2. Created and led a PMO (Project Management Office) to organize and track all of the workstreams involved in implementing the consumer segmentation strategy and marketing technology.
3. Recommended key organizational effectiveness measures to enhance the company's Loyalty Marketing Department so they could become a more robust internal resource to support the implementation efforts.

Results:

This project is still in progress, but to date all communications and implementation timelines are on schedule and early indicators show success across key stakeholder groups. Additional results will be posted to this site in early 2Q at the conclusion of the project.

Challenge:

A mid-size B2B financial service company had lost touch with its brand. Many of the key stakeholders had varying definitions of the company's "brand promise", and customers were confused as well. Worse, some key competitors had beefed up their advertising and message strategies to take advantage of this weakness.

Whitaker & Company Solutions:

1. Conducted a thorough marketplace scan to clearly identify competitive positioning and key strengths and weaknesses.
2. Conducted internal stakeholder assessments and interviews to inform process.
3. Conducted strategic road mapping sessions to create a unified brand positioning with supporting core benefits that everyone could agree on and that the organization could deliver on.
4. Assisted in creating advertising and campaign planning initiatives to communicate the new brand message in the marketplace.

Results:

Solidification of brand positioning and supporting advertising campaign for key products resulted in a 2% year over year market share gain; a jump from #8 to #6 in competitive product feature rankings; and a solidified positioning strategy.

Challenge:

A large telecommunications provider had a very dysfunctional marketing organization. People were working extremely hard and diligently, but it seemed that every product and pricing plan launch was a contested, frustrating process that took too much time, wasted resources, and always resulted in sub-par execution.

Whitaker & Company Solutions:

1. Functional strategic assessment:
   Helped articulate and communicate a clearly defined marketing strategy so all marketing functions were operating from the same playbook.
2. RACI Assessment (Identification of who's Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed for all essential marketing activities)
   Created a RACI matrix to describe the roles and responsibilities of various teams or people in delivering a project or operating a process. It was especially useful in clarifying roles and responsibilities in cross-functional/departmental projects and processes.
3. Launch Window Planning and Governance model
   Created a marketing planning calendar with a set amount of launch windows, deadlines and a clearly defined governance process to manage marketing program prioritization and capacity planning needs.

Results:

Client realized a 20% reduction in overall programs through formalization of the annual marketing calendar and prioritization process. Created a sustainable governance model for ongoing marketing program management.

Challenge:

A large consumer durable goods manufacturer (top three in its industry), was beginning to notice an up-tick in consumer complaints regarding product quality. The complaints were mainly focused around some specific product quality issues, but a large percentage of the complaints also reflected dissatisfaction with HOW these complaints were being handled. To make things worse, the trade press had started picking up on the problem as retailers were complaining about returned merchandise and customer complaints.

The CEO had finally heard enough, and ordered a deep dive into both the product quality problem, and how the organization was going to create a more robust customer response process.

Whitaker & Company Solutions:

1. Comprehensive audit and categorizations of all quality complaints.
2. Distribution channel assessment to address retailer concerns.
3. Pain Points Assessment(sm) to articulate, prioritize and detail root causes for each product and complaint resolution issue.
4. Complaint process resolution recommendation and augmentation of Customer Service function.
5. Establishment of short term project management team to tackle issues and report to senior management at regular intervals.

Results:

A 20% reduction in product returns and a significant improvement in all key customer satisfaction categories from the previous year.

SAMPLE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PAIN POINT ASSESSMENT