GOAL
The Intel International Relocation group was facing a rapid climb in demands on their services without a commensurate increase in staffing. There was a need to find ways of  “working smarter” – using the existing resources to meet the demands of the new work load without increasing overhead. At the time I started work with this group, 70-80 hour work weeks were common.

PROCESS
In evaluating the process, one of the problems I identified was the extensive time staff spent on the phone discussing assignment details with employees planning to move overseas. I realized that most information was provided reactively in response to requests – rather than proactively.

My colleague and I developed a comprehensive guide to the Relocation Process. The guide included detailed information on what transpires at each stage in the process (e.g. in Payroll, in overseas Human Resources, in the International Relocation group) and what the employee needed to do each week starting months prior to the relocation. In addition, a substantial amount of relevant background information was included.

OUTCOME
The guide significantly decreased staff telephone time, delighted our customers, and won Intel the national Employee Relocation Council’s Outstanding Customer Service Tool Award.

This guide was one of a variety of improvements I recommended and implemented in this group. The cumulative effect was a significant increase in customer service satisfaction, coupled with a dramatic decrease in employee overtime. Intel recognized the value of my work with a Divisional Recognition Award and used the project as a best practice case study for training Intel managers on how to improve operations.