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Transform for faster and easier business: GCG Q2C HW and SW Squad

Company: IBM, Armonk, NY
Company Description: IBM is the hybrid cloud and AI technology and services company, focused on providing client value through a combination of technology and business expertise. IBM solutions draw from an industry-leading portfolio of capabilities in software, consulting services and a deep incumbency in mission-critical systems, all bolstered by one of the world’s leading research organizations.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Team Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Support Team of the Year - Technology Industries
2023 Stevie Winner Nomination Title: Transform for faster and easier business: GCG Q2C HW and SW Squad
  1. Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2021 of the nominated team, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
    Written answers to the questions
  2. If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.

     

  3. Briefly describe the nominated team: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):

    Total 180 words used.

    IBM Quote to Cash (Q2C) organization is an internal sales support function to provide service of quotation, proposal, contract, billing and invoice, AR collection to IBM business team and fulfil compliance control mission throughout a lifecycle of IBM transactions. Q2C Operations has been the trusted partners of our Business Partners and Sellers, the backbone and engine of all IBM transactions. 

    GCG Q2C Hardware and Software team is the squad formed to support IBM Mainframe, Power, Storage, AI Applications, Cloud platforms as well Security Services which are the core Technology Group business of IBM GCG.

    Team’s strategy is to build ourselves to be the Trusted Business Advisor in respective core functional area, drive productivity through adoption & improvement on tools, processes and technology and build organizational capability across our teams.

    The team continuously strives to deliver exceptional experience for its customers, focusing on two key areas:

    • Standardizing business processes with respective uniqueness for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan Markets.  
    • Being nimble, delivering operational resilience, faster turnaround, and expertise required to provide on-demand support to the dynamic and fast changing business requirements.
  4. Outline the team's achievements since July 1 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):

    Total 234 words used.

    The following actions have been taken in response to the above organizational strategy.

    • Transform support structure and integrated system and platforms to make it simpler for sellers and business.
    • Drive process simplification solution and enable automation to reinvent workflow and eliminate manual activities.
    • Build cross-functional skills with client centric spirit to enable operational resilience.

    Drove process alignment between China, HK and Taiwan and integrated the support squad into one GCG team with single platform to interface with sellers, enable a one stop service and maximize productivity of the team.

    Deployed AI tools to integrate pre-sales activities and processes in one platform, and automated order-to-cash activities, reducing unnecessary handoffs between sellers and operating parties.

    Supported new feature deployment for the existing systems to improve the level of automation and achieved 20% improvement in the transaction processing cycle time.

    Meanwhile, the team has been aiming to constantly reinvent itself with focus on professional and personal growth to adopt to the changing business requirement and improve the ability to lead the business transformation:

    1. Productivity workshops were initiated with bold, yet feasible ideas identified and agreed among team, project plan worked out and deliverable generated as RPA solution or process simplification solution to improve business efficiency.
    2. Followed IBM Garage method to actively engage in leveraging IBM watsonx, the most up-to-date AI tool launched by IBM, to solve business issues and create models to expand to wider business scenarios.
  5. Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
  6. Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the team's past performance (up to 250 words):

    Total 142 words used.

    • The team has successfully deployed the GCG Support structure integration with one single interface platform with sellers and connected the GCG business processes to maximize organizational productivity with generated savings of more than 10,022 hours.
    • The team has supported various tool deployment to improve level of automation on end-to-end process, especially pre-sales activities with generated savings of more than 5,000 hours。
    • The team has accomplished more than 16,859 saving hours through development of RPA solutions to reduce manual efforts in transaction processing.
    • The team has achieved more than 5,172 saving hours for the major operational process including proposal and contract management.
    • The team has achieved great improvement in the team utilization with iNPS score staying “Exceptional” throughout the year.
    • The team has acquired 536 skill badges (average 13 badges per staff-member), completed more than 2460 hours of learning.
Attachments/Videos/Links:
Transform for faster and easier business: GCG Q2C HW and SW Squad
PDF Appendix_2022_2023_RPA_and_Process_Simplification_Summary.pdf