IBM, Armonk, New York, United States: Productivity in action: Automating and simplifying

Written answers to the questions

Total 243 words used.

To enhance the overall execution process, the nominated team deployed new capabilities for the existing virtual assistant “Luca”, implemented two automations (‘Key Deals Tracker’ and ‘ES Custom Search’); and provided customized education to sellers so that they can take advantage of the updated processes. These enhancements resulted in improved services turnaround time, accuracy, and better experience.

The automation of the process to cross check deals closed by the Sales Team versus requests received by the Quote-to-Cash team to support those deals, brought several benefits to Quote-to-Cash team, Sales team, Clients, Business Partners and other internal functions involved. These are some of the achievements:

• Elimination of manual work and repetitive tasks, freeing up over 2,000 hours a year, that is invested in value-add activities.
   
• Streamlining the end-to-end processes to better manage the backlog and resources assignment on critical days.
   
• Closing-the-loop faster with stakeholders (internal and external), improving response time and quality.

The benefits of the initiative were visible immediately:

• Automation allows to read ~10,000 rows of data in seconds, facilitating decision making and prioritizing the work with clear positive impact on business results and employee morale.
   
• The expanding of ‘Luca’ virtual assistant functionality to send reminders and suggest actions to sellers to further enhance the process was a win-win for users and stakeholders.
   
• The streamlined process that minimizes dependencies, manual work, and repetitive inquires while delivering speed and quality on processing orders improved experience for the internal stakeholders, clients, and business partners.

Total 197 words used.

Quote-to-Cash (Q2C) Operations Americas is a global team that provides enterprise services from quote initiation to cash collection for IBM Sellers, Business Partners and IBM Business Units. Team’s goal is to drive operational excellence, leveraging power of new technologies and data to create exceptional Client and Stakeholder Experiences. The challenge ahead the organization is to motivate and inspire thousands of employees to make a difference, driving a world-class productive and innovative workspace. This is aligned with the global strategy of eliminate complexity, simplify processes, and automate manual and repetitive tasks, enabling employees to focus on high-value add activities and invest in innovation and growth while demonstrating best practices for driving business transformation at enterprise scale.

To be proactive in managing the backlog and have a clear view of the sales opportunity pipeline, we track progression of the deals and compare it with their status of requested support, focusing at first on order/contract registration and billing/invoicing. This is being done to ensure that the closed transactions are properly booked, and clients and business partners receive their supplies and documents on time with the best experience possible. This tracking process is critical for the flawless execution and order fulfilment.

Total 232 words used.

The achievements are significant due to the following key factors:

• Operational Efficiency and Scale: By streamlining the process from deal tracking to support request management, the team eliminates manual effort and enhances operational efficiency. This isn't just about improving efficiency and speed, but also about scalability, as the solution can handle large volumes of transactions and is applicable to multiple geographies. This scalability is key for global teams like Quote-to-Cash, where standardization and efficiency across regions are fundamental.
   
• Impact on Productivity: Automating the comparison of deals and support requests frees up substantial time—2000 hours annually—which allowed it to be redirected towards higher-value activities. This not only improves productivity but also employee satisfaction by reducing repetitive tasks.
   
• Enhanced Stakeholder Experience: By ensuring timely processing of transactions and better handling of backlog, the initiative directly enhances client and partner satisfaction. This focus on improving the client and stakeholder experience is crucial in competitive industries where service quality often differentiates companies.

Comparatively, within the industry, such initiatives are benchmarks of operational excellence and digital transformation. Many organizations struggle with manual processes and fragmented systems, leading to inefficiencies and delays.

The ‘Key Deals Tracker’ and ‘ES Custom Search’ automations represent a transformative shift towards a proactive, agile, and responsive services delivery.  These automations stand out due to their scope, impact on productivity, and enhancement of stakeholder experience, showcasing team's dedication and leadership in business process innovation.