Powerful Results

Clients Keep Returning for More

Stratfield’s dependable delivery of top quality work means our clients come back to us again and again.

We always roll up our sleeves to take on whatever needs to be done, and our results speak for themselves. If you read our case studies below, they’ll speak to you too.

Customized Consulting Engagements

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Customized Consulting Engagements - Case Studies

Fast Forward: Modernizing Retail Store Systems

CLIENT: Multi-billion dollar, global automotive aftermarket distributor with retail and commercial sales channels

Situation

Our client embarked on a three-year drive to modernize various systems to generate revenue, gain efficiencies and reduce costs.

These efforts included multiple initiatives, such as the migration of retail store systems (front and back office) to an alternate platform, creation of a comprehensive omnichannel experience, and the transition of various responsibilities from third-party vendors to internal teams, including software development, hosting and support.

Added complexity was introduced when a third-party partner became a vendor. Client leadership hired us to provide outside evaluation of go-forward plans.

Approach

Conducted in-market research and interviews with managers across the network to verify new system benefits and identify any meaningful legacy gaps.
Evaluated corporate technical leadership proficiency with retail store systems.
Collected, synthesized and prioritized key contributing factors culled from interviews with members of the executive leadership team.
Formulated research and evaluation framework to score viable options and inform go-forward plan, timeline and costs.

Results

Secured leadership alignment based on our recommended go-forward plan, which included discussions of risks, challenges, costs and timelines.
Client hired us for follow-on work in connection with evolving technology stack, including the formulation of more detailed budget estimates and refinements to various deployment approaches.

Customer Service Program: Modernization & Redesign

CLIENT: Leading quick-service restaurant chain

Situation

Our client's existing central customer service program was antiquated. 100% human-based, the complex program could not keep up with the volume of calls, was consistently going over budget and did not provide a positive experience for store owners or customers.

The client brought us in for expertise, thought leadership and project management of a complete program redesign, including facilitating and merging management processes of design thinking innovation and agile.

Approach

Developed deeper understanding of the core issues to ensure we were solving the right problem.
Leveraged technology to automate every step possible and enhance functionality, integrating with client’s existing platforms and tools.
Adapted project management and design processes to meet needs of 3 different teams: marketing, software development, and the 3rd party vendor.
Developed new customer service program, including support tiers to allow store managers to customize service level needed from headquarters; trained third-party call center agents on new processes and tools.
Modernized customer feedback channels to enable frictionless experience.
Partnered with client analytics team to build reporting tools to generate insights from new data stream captured by solution.

Results

Reduced touch points, reducing resolution time.
Reduced call center volume by double digits.
Reduced store manager time and complexity to resolve customer issues.
Realized significant cost savings – millions annually.
Increased store manager and customer satisfaction with customer service experience.

Going Big or Go Home: Creative Agency Expands Services

CLIENT: Regional, East Coast agency serving Fortune 500 companies

Situation

Our client, an established creative agency, needed to develop business and operational strategies for its rapidly emerging digital offerings, which were often in conflict with its existing, internal creative processes.

Approach

Conducted in-depth market analysis (target customers, market sizing, competitive analysis, industry trends, etc.).
Formulated interview framework and conducted internal and external interviews with key stakeholders and Subject Matter Experts.
Evaluated existing and potential business models based on interview findings, market insights and financial analyses.
Assessed internal cultural and process implications with different business model options.
Partnering with our client, developed and delivered findings and recommendation to their leadership team.

Results

Client gained approval to launch major new digital service offering based on our recommendations.

Dialing It In: Responding to Market Changes

CLIENT: Billion dollar fast food restaurant with growing market share

Situation

Our client experienced tremendous growth in their mobile business. This had the unintended consequence of straining in-store service at the store level due to the lack of space, creating the need for new equipment, processing and training. We were brought in to lead an innovation project focused on revamping customer-facing in-store operations

Approach

Developed overall project and testing strategy as well as detailed, integrated work plan involving numerous internal cross-functions and third-party vendors.
Partnered with insights and field operations teams to gain input from key stakeholder groups, including customers, store managers, and associates.
Coordinated with design and testing teams to prepare in-store designs, review with store managers, and plan installations.
Designed, tested and sourced custom equipment to help increase capacity, streamline operations and provide contactless order delivery.
Partnered with client training team to develop training strategy, detailed plans and related materials for both in-person and e-Learning programs.
Developed and executed communication plan targeting store managers and their associates.

Results

A solution for contactless customer interactions and enhanced client capabilities and customer appeal in a post-COVID world.
Stellar test results enabled client to bypass additional market testing and accelerate launch.
Increased efficiencies enabling the redeployment of associates to other responsibilities.

From Store to Door: Automating Service Delivery

CLIENT: Multi-billion dollar restaurant chain with locations coast-to-coast

Situation

Our client needed a partner to manage a highly complex project designed to automate customer order processing for national food delivery partners down to the local store level. The goal was to create a seamless system that would enable orders to enter the queue at each individual store timed to the customer and delivery service’s needs, simplify service and payments reconciliation, and provide a spectrum of needed KPIs to key stakeholders.

Approach

Designed and managed multi-phased, multi-faceted project plan based on project objectives and scope.
Anticipated, identified and resolved issues, as needed, to mitigate risk and reduce impact on the project.
When issues did arise, provided proactive support wherever needed to ensure project success, including root cause data analysis.
Managed all project-related communications to stakeholders.
Held partners accountable to the needs of our client.

Results

Significantly increased operational efficiencies.
Designed KPI framework and metrics, and facilitated regular streamlined reporting to key stakeholders and leadership.
Our project leader was given internal client award for excellence.

Crafting the Future: Hospitality Innovation

CLIENT: Global billion-dollar quick-service restaurant brand

Situation

Our client hired us to help them envision how a key differentiating aspect of their very successful service model would evolve and continue to lead the industry over the next five to 10 years. To this end, we led a multi-year, cross-functional, full-cycle innovation project leveraging the client’s proprietary innovation process. Challenges included the need to influence leadership buy-in to a solution potentially viewed as unnecessary, while overcoming their many competing organizational priorities.

Approach

Formulated project strategy, key milestones and detailed work plans.
Developed research strategy and plan, success metrics, and surveys of customers, store managers and associates. Managed all participating third-party vendors.
Partnered with the client communications team to develop communications plan, intranet site and all communications for store managers and associates.
Partnered with the client training team to develop training strategy, detailed training plans and related materials for in-person, instructor-led and e-Learning programs.
Designed Adoption Reinforcement Program to engage and educate associates leveraging activities and touchpoints, including games, signage and other collateral.

Results

Obtained buy-in for a comprehensive store-wide program promoting client’s brand service model. Program rolled out to ~160,000 associates.
Increased satisfaction metrics, including overall customer satisfaction, associate friendliness and overall associate satisfaction.

Breaking up Bottlenecks: Improving Process Flow

CLIENT: Rapidly growing quick-service restaurant, dominant in its category

Situation

Our client’s accelerated growth created growing pains across several internal processes critical to expansion. The CIO requested formation of a cross-functional team of IT experts to quickly identify, define, codify and prioritize the most acute pain points, resulting opportunities, and solution recommendations for each. The team had eight weeks to complete the work, which included presentation of findings and recommendations to senior leadership.

Approach

Developed project management framework, team structure and execution plan.
Facilitated interviews with internal and external SMEs and stakeholders across functions.
Provided strategic thinking expertise and support to help team members review, distill and refine stakeholder input into key findings.
Developed senior leadership presentation and other internal communications in service to the project.

Results

Identified and prioritized 26 discrete improvement opportunities, each with a corresponding solution, across six areas within the IT organization. Each opportunity was assigned to a specific IT leader across the department for execution.

Connecting with Customers: Comms Redesign

CLIENT: Fast food industry leader

Situation

Our client saw an opportunity to be more purposeful about their customer messaging, driving effective restaurant communications by ensuring they provide the right message at the right time and at the right place in the customer journey – and finding new, innovative ways for client’s internal teams to reach consumers.

Approach

We were brought in to provide customer journey and messaging expertise as well as project management support.
Supported primary research and insights development on the industry, customers, competitors, technology, etc.
Provided thought leadership throughout customer journey mapping, ideation and development process
Explored and identified messaging format (digital vs. physical)
Prepared leadership communications
Provided recommendations and an action plan

Results

Solutions were provided to internal teams to incorporate into their development processes and subsequent commercialization, including:
Proposed changes to reduce clutter and costs
Improvements identified for customer way-finding and decision-making
Recommended changes to influence sales

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Tailored Staffing Assignments - Case Studies

Satisfying Demand: Bringing Food to the Masses

CLIENT: Global multi-billion dollar restaurant chain

Situation

Our client identified an opportunity to drive incremental revenue and expand local store manager influence by entering a new channel to reach and serve consumers.

Given the complexity of this initiative, we were brought in to provide project management leadership and tactical support.

Approach

Leveraging the client’s proprietary innovation process, managed and supported work delivery across eight-to-10 functional groups and five external suppliers. This work included:
Extensive consumer, store manager and channel trend research.
Concepting, prototyping and validating end solution.
Coordination of numerous activities and inputs across multiple internal and external partners.
Formulation of the chain-wide business integration plan and programming needs in preparation for national rollout

Results

Project resulted in the successful entry into this new consumer channel.
Initial market tests were promising, indicating that this new channel could result in sales on par with an existing client channel, with the majority being incremental.
Currently conducting large-scale integration work and preparing for national rollout.

Growing Pains: Improving Customer & Associate Experience

CLIENT: Top-tier international restaurant chain

Situation

Growth of our client's catering business was impacting their ability to service in-store customers. The pressure on associates to attend to catering calls while providing excellent service to in-store customers significantly increased. These competing dynamics diminished operational effectiveness and efficiency at the store level, thereby diminishing customer service levels and associate job satisfaction. We provided the client with project management support to assist them in developing a centralized order intake capability.

Approach

Co-created development and deployment strategy with client stakeholders.
Developed and managed project plan, overseeing deployment of telephony infrastructure and creation of new centralized call center. Worked cross-functionally with numerous internal and external partners.
Developed proprietary training program to train call center consultants on relevant aspects of company culture, store operations, menu selections, and performance requirements and metrics.
Managed all project-related communications with store owners, managers, suppliers and internal client leadership.

Results

Solutions were provided to internal teams to incorporate into their development processes and subsequent commercialization, including:
Launched centralized national call center for test stores in multiple markets.
Trained agents for high performance.
New service achieved 90%+ satisfaction levels with both customers and owners / store managers.
Store managers indicated they would recommend this service to others.

Meeting the Moment: New Service Offering

CLIENT: Popular, international fast food chain

Situation

Our client requested project management support to roll out a major, new service offering. The goal of the effort was to efficiently manage the acquisition and deployment of all physical assets required as part of the new roll out, which happened to coincide with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the rapidly spreading virus, the project launch date was accelerated by three months and expanded to additional locations.

Approach

Developed and managed project plan during market test and initial launch phases.
Pandemic required significant, rapid plan shifts to manage changing supply chain capabilities to preserve and, ultimately, accelerate launch.
Responded to crisis with an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure project objectives were achieved, including:
Creatively sourcing, securing and using alternate equipment and methods;
Working directly with suppliers and distribution centers; and
Communicating regularly with store personnel to optimize efforts -- all while working remotely.

Results

Solutions were provided to internal teams to incorporate into their development processes and subsequent commercialization, including:
Successfully managed accelerated schedule, onboarding 2x number of stores, and completing deployment 90 days ahead of schedule.
Service revenue from new offering grew by double digits each week.
Store managers referred to program as “a lifeline” for them and their employees.

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Professional Recruiting Services - Case Studies

Expanding Fast: Balancing Technical and People Skills

CLIENT: Large, non-bank lending institution recently experiencing double digit headcount growth

S T A R

With every assignment, we apply our proprietary STAR approach: SME-evaluated, Team-oriented, Account management-focused Recruiting

Obtaining a deep understanding of each client’s needs, review of business and project impacts, prioritization of required skills and experience and writing the job description;
Leveraging our significant network of industry experts and trusted referrals to source a pool of highly qualified potential candidates; conducting a 3-tier candidate evaluation by our recruiters, SMEs and Account Manager before presenting candidates to the client; and
Post-hire, executing our customized Quality Assurance program, including a 4-month guarantee.

Situation

Our client had an urgent need to secure a highly-skilled support resource, an individual with the technical and interpersonal skills to solve complex problems while building trust and rapport with customers.

This would ensure Service Level Agreements would be met and employees would feel heard and supported. Not one to typically use outside partners, they were referred by a client’s recommendation. The client requested three candidates.

Results

The client, very pleased with the caliber of all three candidates we sourced for them, hired their top choice candidate. A search they said would have potentially taken them months to conduct, we managed for them in days.

The client also expressed their confidence in our QA program and the four-month satisfaction guarantee that comes with it.

Cake and Eat it Too: Expertise in Marketing & Client Management

CLIENT: Award-winning digital marketing firm serving multiple clients for over 20 years

S T A R

With every assignment, we apply our proprietary STAR approach: SME-evaluated, Team-oriented, Account management-focused Recruiting

Obtaining a deep understanding of each client’s needs, review of business and project impacts, prioritization of required skills and experience and writing the job description;
Leveraging our significant network of industry experts and trusted referrals to source a pool of highly qualified potential candidates; conducting a 3-tier candidate evaluation by our recruiters, SMEs and Account Manager before presenting candidates to the client; and
Post-hire, executing our customized Quality Assurance program, including a 4-month guarantee.

Situation

Our client needed a Senior Growth Strategist to help marketers at top brands drive growth and make an immediate impact on their bottom line. Multiple capabilities were required - developing and supporting client relationships, formulating robust and measurable growth marketing strategies, and working with internal teams to make it all happen. Our client requested five candidates to interview.

Results

We presented five candidates, several were not actively searching at that time. Our client selected their favorite. Not only were they extremely impressed with the quality of our candidates and how quickly we were able to find, qualify and bring them in. Plus with our QA program and four-month guarantee, they had the confidence and support they needed from us to move forward.