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 Achievement Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Achievement in the Digital Transformation of Sales Operations
 Nomination Title: iERP in ESW Business in APAC & Japan: A Transformation Milestone
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the nominated achievement since July 1, 2021, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- 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.
- Briefly describe the nominated organization or individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 199 words used.
IBM APAC & Japan Quote-to-Cash (Q2C) Operations comprises various shared services functions within IBM’s Finance and Operations, providing quote-to-cash (Contracting, Billing, Collections) and operational services to IBM’s clients, sellers, partners and stakeholders.
To be the Premier Enterprise Services provider we must be competetive in speed and quality. This is hindered by multiple legacy systems and applications as well as country uniqueness and practices in executing processes.
Previously, as we offered stand-alone solutions, our systems were configured for the workflows for different business models. Our business models have evolved. Now, we offer more cross-brand solutions and similarly, have different applications supporting different business models that are unconnected. Additionally, our legacy applications have inherent limitations.
A strategic decision was made to change the way we operate and ensure the highest level of efficiency and quality in fulfilling and serving our clients, by deploying Integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (iERP) in Enterprise Software (ESW) business across APAC and Japan. iERP is a strategic cornerstone in transforming and simplifying IBM's internal processes and upgrading our fulfilment system to improve the experience of doing business with internal and external clients. Fulfilment processes are now fully integrated, from quote creation to order processing to customer invoicing.
- Outline the nominated achievement since July 1 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 225 words used.
The iERP deployments in ESW business across APAC and Japan took years of hard work, and concluded in August of 2022 delivering 14% productivity improvement, and eliminating 83% of the manual effort associated with the end-to-end process. (See S1, S2, S3.)
ESW was the very first business unit to complete the transition in APAC & Japan – covering a total of 19 countries, each with their own uniqueness in terms of nature of the business, legal and tax requirements, language, and practices. There was a continuous and great effort in deploying iERP, market by market and consecutively. ASEAN deployment alone consisted of 8 countries in a single deployment, making it even more complex – requiring a deep level of coordination and teaming amongst the different aligned functions, from requirements deep dive to user acceptance testing until go live and hypercare support.
This incredible transformation journey was driven by Q2C Operations Team in close partnership with iERP Consultants, Global iERP Deployment Transformation Team, ESW Order Management and Accounts Receivable Team as well as aligned functions eg Customer Data Team, Brand, Techline, Legal, Tax, Accounting and Finance to understand legal, tax and business mandatory requirements, including the change impact within their functions and the overall impact to IBM and customers. This synergy greatly helped to smoothly transition our organization to a more advanced application and standard process.
- Explain why the achievement you have highlighted is unique or significant. If possible compare the achievement to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 232 words used.
Successfully deploying iERP in ESW resulted in better process efficiency and these organizational benefits:
- QUALITY – iERP changed the game by bringing the Fulfilment and Finance process workflow onto an integrated SAP based platform, offering an integrated solution with end-to-end transactional integrity and no re-keying of data.
- SPEED – Standardization of contract templates resulted in 6-fold improvement in processing time from 30 minutes to 5 minutes, making the contracts quickly available for the sellers to present to customers.
- INNOVATION – By modernizing to iERP, we laid a strong foundation for IBM’s transition to Digital, Cloud and Cognitive capabilities with S4HANA, driving our transformation into the Premier Intelligent Enterprise.
- CLIENT-CENTRIC – Different invoicing solutions catering for customer needs such as hardcopy, electronic invoicing, signed e-invoicing, all contributing to enhanced customer experience.
Qualities the team demonstrated:
- Growth Mindset – We learned to stay curious and open to feedback, and understand the process upstream and downstream of our support to better understand IBM business. We focused on solutions, not problems.
- Team Focused – We fostered an inclusive environment where the team felt safe and able to bring their opinions, perspectives, and whole selves to work – encouraging sharing, contribution, and team performance.
- Outcome Focused – We stayed well informed on industry trends and tested the status quo to achieve better results. We continually adjusted our course of action amid new data/feedback, maintaining a customer-centric approach.
- 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):
Total 27 words used.
See attached:
- S1: ANZ ASEAN ESW iERP Q1 2021 – Our iERP Transformation Journey (video)
- S2: ESW ASEAN iERP Q1 2022
- S3: ISA ESW iERP Q3 2022
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