COMPLEX & RAPID PROGRAM DELIVERY
The client organisation, a large national institution, needed to bring a new support workforce rapidly and securely online, working from home, with the flexibility to scale in step with Australia’s progress in ‘flattening the curve’ of COVID-19.
In response, Kirsty Hunter as program director on behalf of leading IT/Professional services company Datacom, led the establishment of an Australia-wide service, among the largest work-at-home contact centre network in national history. The program was also among the most rapid for its scale – deploying agile management principles and a methodology adapted for speed, the service was established within two weeks of commencement, sourcing 1,400 workers across Australia and setting up the secure technology platforms, systems and processes to enable working from home, with provision to triple in size if required, and cater to a range of possible event scenarios workshopped with the client. It continues to be unknown how long the COVID-19 pandemic will take to resolve, nor how widespread it will become among the Australian population, and the solution needed to accommodate that uncertainty.
Kirsty oversaw a partner eco-system of multiple technology, consulting, and talent acquisition organisations to deliver the end service, exceeding the client’s expectations. The workforce was quickly redeployed from COVID-19-affected industries, with over 9,000 hours of training delivered in a two-week period. The program included delivery of a world-class CRM solution and bespoke ticketing system, a supporting knowledge base and telephony technology. All systems were cloud-enabled and hosted on a custom-built virtual desktop solution in compliance with stringent security requirements. A Virtual Assistant was also designed in readiness to triage and support members of the public with local, state and territory-specific information.
The complexity of the partner ecosystem was magnified by the urgency of the client’s need. Kirsty’s collaborative approach enabled the creation of a service delivery partner network, including reaching out to organisations with existing contact centre capacity in order to deliver at scale and on time. Adam Sharpe, Head of Customer at Datacom Connect, commented that “Kirsty’s leadership, straight talk and warmth were crucial in bringing so many players together to deliver the solution. She really lived the partnership mindset and helped everyone else involved to bring that to life too.”
Amidst the pace and complexity of the undertaking, Voice of Employee surveys indicated frontline employees’ approval ratings of the leadership and culture aspects of the program at over 90%, and the effectiveness of technology tools provided was rated at 84%. A project team member described the program as “the most exciting, dynamic and fast-paced work of my twenty-year career in contact centre management”.
Datacom Connect director Stacey Tomasoni said “We are very proud of the work we delivered to this delighted client, and Kirsty’s ability to lead through the complexity was at the heart of that success. Kirsty provided calm and decisive action and built capability in our operations and leadership teams as she went. The strengths of that project are now shaping our other client engagements, which is a lasting legacy for us”.
