Actalent Helps Ensure Quality Branding While Freeing up 28% of Client’s Time

Client Profile

Our client is a world-leading food service brand with locations in over 100 countries.

The Challenge

Our client was launching a sweeping new brand initiative. The plan called for significant updates to the interior and exterior of all their locations worldwide. This included making standardized changes to restaurant color schemes, equipment and kiosk placement, and parking lot designs, along with adding mobile carry-out features. Success depended on the client’s ability to implement these changes uniformly at thousands of franchise locations within a limited timeframe.

Actalent was engaged as a partner to help the client find talent to augment their quality team, which was responsible for this initiative. Initially, the client preferred that one of their quality managers oversee the onboarding and engagement of our consultants. This was problematic, mainly because the quality managers were regularly being promoted to higher level positions mid-project. That constant vacancy led to inconsistent onboarding and a general lack of guidance and oversight. As a result, it was taking our consultants up to a year to become proficient on the project.

Performance and engagement were floundering and the client was only getting six months of full impact from our consultants due to 18-month tenure limits.

Unless the client found a solution that allowed them to find, train, retain, and engage the necessary talent to achieve this initiative, they risked the success of the project and harm to their global brand.

The Actalent Approach

First, we needed the client to agree to utilize Actalent as an outsourced services provider. This took some time, but through our established relationship with them along with our knowledge of the branding initiative, the client agreed to allow us to manage the onboarding process for our consultants. Because we were now a services vendor for the client, we were no longer bound to the 18-month tenure limit that made consultant onboarding and retention so difficult.

Our consultants drafted floor plans and drawings using computer design tools to map out where various pieces of new equipment would fit into the existing kitchens and dining areas for each location. We assigned our own team lead to the project dedicated to streamlining the onboarding process, managing monthly meetings with client stakeholders, and providing constructive feedback to and from our consultants.

By streamlining the onboarding process, consultants were following the same procedures, reducing the chances of error and driving consistency when designing new floor layouts for different store locations. The team lead was also tasked with providing updated job descriptions for the roles involved. This eliminated any misinterpretations of job responsibilities while also removing that task from the client stakeholder’s workload.

Because the team lead was selected from Actalent consultants already on the project, consultants had an opportunity for career advancement, therefore driving satisfaction and engagement.

The Results

By allowing Actalent’s team lead to manage the onboarding process for consultants, the client stakeholder’s time was freed by 28%. This opened up resources and enabled them to focus on core business development initiatives. They trusted that Actalent could perform quality control and guarantee that updated branding was properly adopted, regardless of location.

The client was impressed at our ability to restructure and take over the onboarding program quickly and efficiently, resulting in the successful graduation of nine consultants. Additionally, our team lead increased consultant satisfaction and engagement by providing structure, consistent feedback, and support. Over the course of this project, we have promoted four Actalent consultants to team lead positions, opening career development opportunities for our consultants.

The client recognizes and appreciates the care and dedication we put into the work we do. The strong relationships we have established with this client promote trust, communication, and collaboration between all participants.

Expertise

• Architectural Design – Brand Review
• Sr. Architectural Design – Brand Review
• Kitchen Facilities Design

Tools

• CAD
• AutoCAD
• Bluebeam