Centralising the Communications Development Process

In many organisations, processes evolve gradually and organically over time, rather than being formally and comprehensively designed. These processes can involve both internal and external interactions between leadership, staff, and customers, but because they constitute a series of actions or responses, processes are often treated as invisible systems that are known tacitly by their participants. This tacit understanding means that the full “design” of a process-based system is often never explicitly captured.


This process design project was undertaken to grapple with an internal process that had become unwieldy, and because any original intent around the design of the process had been lost over time, as new elements were inserted, workarounds created, and redundancies unintentionally introduced. In short, the process by which the organisation handled the development of communications to its 3.6 million customers had become weighted down by gradual changes that included the addition of new participants and new steps in the process. At the same time, unintended gaps where steps had been eliminated left people unsure about decision flows and governance practices. The system was inefficient and was at risk of producing outputs that were not of the desired level of quality and consistency. The challenge was to re-design the process to take into account cost, complexity, multiple channels, technology upgrades, and not least, the quality of customer experience.




As the design team began to interview people from touchpoints throughout the system, it became clear that nobody had a complete picture of the process, feeling sure of only the steps that immediately preceeded and followed the one they were personally involved in. As a result, the design team created a mapping of the communication development process, based on both the historical documentation of the process and the informal data the team collected in interviewing and observing people involved in actually carrying out the process.




This mapping was then shared with a group of 15 participants from across the organisation who were involved in critical stages of the process sequence, and through a series of workshops, the design team worked with these internal participants to co-design a new process. The design of the new communication development process also included the creation of a new team structure and new roles for participants in the process. All of these elements were shaped by direct conversation and involvement of the people whose roles, reporting, and responsibility would be affected. It was essential that the best elements of the existing system be preserved, and that participants have critical input into changes in the design of the new process, team structure, and roles.


The result was a new process design that focused strongly on both governance and the end customer experience. What was once a very ad hoc and internally-driven process was transformed into a more holistic and strategically based system focused on generating customer value, leveraging new technology, and increasing engagement and accountability throughout the process.

 

Portfolio > Service Design > Customer Communications

Client: Leading Australian Financial Services Company


My Role: Programme Manager, Design