Integration Helpdesk project
Integration Helpdesk Assistant Manager, The Co-operative Food
Brief description of project:
To deliver a high level of support to stores throughout the integration of Somerfield stores changing to Co-operative stores ensuring all store issues and queries are resolved quickly and effectively. Managing a new team effectively and getting the most out of their varied skills. Engaging the senior management team in all relevant business areas to enable you to support the stores, resolving queries and issues quickly in order to identify and remove risks from our business. Report back to the business on KPI’s and to escalate when business areas are not meeting them.
On joining our new Somerfield Integration Helpdesk and following their induction & training programme, the graduate will support the building of a team to enable us to give our promise to stores and field based teams, to have all issues and queries resolved within 1 hour on go-live days (days when the store opens as a Co-operative Food store for the first time) and 24 hours on all other days.
Building on work that has seen a team of 5 operators resolve issues for the tactical 9 stores the graduate will be joining a project that has been regarded by store based colleagues as the biggest success story of the integration thus far.
The next stage of the integration which will see the helpdesk take responsibility for the 5 pilot stores from the end of July and then the start of the rollout from September when the pace of integration will dramatically increase, with a change from the helpdesk dealing with a maximum of 4 stores opening on the same day to up to 25. During this time the team will grow from 5 to 12 giving the graduate an unparalleled opportunity on the graduate scheme to help manage and develop a team.
In addition the graduate will take complete ownership of putting in place from scratch processes and training to support the integration of 80 Somerfield Petrol stations over to The Co-operative Group.
The major output of this project are:
- A successful helpdesk that will efficiently resolve all issues from newly integrated stores.
- A vibrant team that will act as ambassadors for the Co-operative
- All former Somerfield food retail stores and field support team will contact the Helpdesk for all issues and queries. This helpdesk will be the main contact that newly integrated stores have with head office and it is vital that the helpdesk provides excellent service as this will be a significant factor in how our field based colleagues view the business in its entirety.
How this project contributes to the strategy of the department and business:
This is a pivotal part of the Somerfield Integration Project in Food Retail. The strategy is to deliver high quality service and support to our stores and colleagues in delivering the single most important project in Co-operative history.
The measurable benefits of this project are:
- A well run helpdesk will give an excellent impression to Somerfield colleagues of the Co-operative in its entirety, measurable through feedback
- Improving issue resolution time will improve customer service and improve sales
- Improved team morale, measurable through feedback, that will benefit the department