Rebuilding customer operations for
a global automotive manufacturer
context
A multi-brand automotive manufacturer running customer operations across five international centers in four countries, with roughly 2,000 customer service representatives and four tier-one outsourcing providers underneath. Cost was rising faster than service quality, and accountability was distributed across so many parties that no single owner could be identified.
role
Senior Client Global Transformation Leader, IBM Consulting. Held the managed-service-provider function on the program, governing the four outsourcing providers and the technology teams supporting them.
what was done
Rebuilt the operating model rather than renegotiating the contracts. Set clear responsibility assignment across the providers, installed risk registers and key performance indicator frameworks, and put executive governance and real-time dashboards over the whole estate. Scope grew from $700M to $2B as the model proved out and more of the manufacturer’s brands moved onto it.
outcome
33% cost reduction. Customer satisfaction rose to 72%. Net Promoter Score improved by 10 points. Lawsuits fell 5%. A $10M service level penalty exposure was resolved in full by renegotiating an ambiguous contract term and offsetting it against client-originated downtime.
why it matters now
Multi-vendor accountability is the same problem enterprise artificial intelligence estates have today - many parties, shared outcomes, and no natural owner. The governance machinery is what made the difference, not the technology.
figures
$700M; $2B; 2,000 representatives; five centers; four countries; 33%; 72%; 10 points; 5%; $10M.