Approach

What the problem looked like: A need to increase the prices to customers to restore profitability.

What Compass actually discovered: Lost revenue and margin because technicians were not filling out job sheets completely or legibly; poor preparation causing technicians to attend jobs without necessary parts / materials prepared and available.

Resolution: Implemented standardised, simple job sheet and prep list process. 

Results: Vastly improved communications between technicians and front desk; average job time reduced; productivity increased; strengthened bottom line; hourly rate change became an option rather than a necessity.

What the problem looked like: Clients refusing payment.

What Compass actually discovered: Poor quality control at both production and warehouse meant shortages - missing and damaged - so customers naturally blocked payments.

Resolution: Worked in situ with production and warehousing teams to implement processes that enabled them to spot shortfalls and quality issues early, and correct them before shipping.

Results: Strengthened income and cashflow, better customer relationships, reduced complaint administration workload.

What the problem looked like: Cashflow and profitability.

What Compass actually discovered: Poor sales scoping resulted in low-profitability customers, and missed opportunities to maximise margins on hardware and services.

Resolution: Overhauled sales process to scope prospects correctly, identifying and focusing on those that could be mapped to a higher-margin, all-in-one service model

Results: Faster, more profitable conversions; strengthened sales morale; healthier revenues and margins; improved cashflow.

What the problem looked like: The product range was generating poor sales.

What Compass actually discovered: The stores were too big, visual appeal was spoiled, and the cost of merchandising the stores was too high.

Resolution: Closed one entire floor of the store to create a smaller environment with more concentrated visual product presence, and more accessible customer care.

Results: Reduced costs, improved retail appeal; increased sales.

What the problem looked like: Merger and acquisition not delivering expected benefits.

What Compass actually discovered: Poor initial due diligence had failed to properly identify integration priorities.

Resolution: Post-acquisition process to rigorously identify which assets could and should be combined, which should not, and bring working groups together to deliver on each combination,

Results: Unification of assets delivered better purchasing power, reduced duplication of effort and associated costs, and produced results more in line with post-acquisition expectations.

What the problem looked like: Persistent cashflow shortage.

What Compass actually discovered: Flawed quotes and poor recording of ‘extras’ systematically eroding revenues and margins, and causing costly stock control errors.

Resolution: Per-product coding for accurate quotation and stock control, accessible to relevant system users; rigorous rules and processes for quote creation, checking, signoff, and actioning.

Results: Strengthened revenues and margins, coordinated with cost-effective stock control and new flexibility in both hourly rate and stock item pricing; cashflow issues eliminated.