 Client Feedback
"In the past few years we have been working with Gillian Taylor to
further develop our strategic relationship managment, which in a number
of instances has evolved in to partnership management programs. With
effective faciltation from Gillian we have seen these partnerships
develop and become increasing valuable not only to our organsation, but
also those we are partnering with."
Grant Dennehy NGC Energy Services
"SAP New Zealand engaged Taylored Solutions to help us develop our internal understanding about Partnership Charters and coach our Account Executives in how to develop them. They provided a framework that covered the Charter as part of an overall Partnering Agreement, which includes the agreed behaviours, goals, engagement model and ongoing performance management.
The work they (Taylored Solutions) have delivered to date has been very valuable and well received by the Customer we are currently developing a strategic relationship with. We plan to agree and finalise the Agreement and Charter through workshops using Taylored Solutions as our facilitator. We are very satisfied with the results delivered by Taylored Solutions to date."
Karel Driessen, SAP New Zealand Ltd
"Gillian Taylor of Taylored Solutions has over the last 12 months provided me with professional services to improve the Relationship we have some of our major customers, by focusing on the total picture of Value Management.
Gillian's input and feedback on some of our activities and approach has enabled us to modify and improve our processes and customer approach. This has also meant changes in some of our reporting to ensure we are measuring non-traditional indicators.
The feedback to date from these key clients has been positive, although initially it took some time to get their buy in, and in some cases a wait and see attitude exists.
In summary, I found the concepts and Gillian's approach to them refreshing. While the results are not instant I believe the Value Management does provide a powerful tool longer term."
Grant Olliff, Axon Computer Systems Ltd
"Electrix Limited employed the services of Taylored Solutions Limited during 2002 to introduce the principles of customer relationships to our senior management team.
Specifically, in June 2002 Taylored Solutions personnel ran a Strategic Partnering Workshop for over 20 senior Electrix Managers from throughout New Zealand. Their brief was to align Electrix management thinking on partnering and what it means to Electrix, and to introduce partnership principles, behaviours and to outline the tools and processes for effective partnering.
The outcome of this seminar formed the basis for our customer relationship strategy which we have since introduced successfully with some of our key clients.
Taylored Solutions also supported Electrix in a major tender bid in 2002 by providing the relationship message that Electrix wished to have with the client, through input into the tender response document to attending and presenting to the client during the tender selection process.
In the future Electrix will continue to move further towards introducing the Value Management System, a unique product developed by Taylored Solutions, that will enable the real value of the client relationship to be understood by all the partners.
From a personal viewpoint I have always found Gillian Taylor and her colleagues easy to do business with, and to be consistently modeling the behaviours that go towards building the long-term relationships and behaviours that businesses today need to exhibit."
Jeff Foster, Electrix Ltd
" ...a significant piece of work on how value is captured, measured and used for the alliance. The work gave the alliance executives insight into how each company viewed the alliance and what constituted value for them. Strategies were able to be amended accordingly and greater understanding of the value drivers allowed each company to play to each other's strengths. We are still using the processes that Gillian set up for value capture and measurement".
Helen Meehan, Telecom New Zealand Ltd
"The work on managing value in the alliance helped us, as representatives of the parent companies, to gain visibility of the overall value of the alliance to us. It helped us understand each others position better and hence we could hold a more meaningful discussion to resolve problems".
Paul Muckleston, Microsoft (NZ) Ltd
"The formation of the esolutions Alliance between EDS NZ, Telecom Corporation & Microsoft NZ was a major undertaking. Post start up there remained much work to document, measure and report on the progress of the Alliance in a manner which addressed the different contributions, goals and outcomes.
Gillian was central in the establishment of:
- measurement systems
- informational questionnaires
- value recognition & reporting
Alliances need to be changeable and flexible to meet the parent views, market conditions and constraints of neither being independent nor wholly owned by one party. Published literature can fore warn a person as to the types of challenges ahead, but only hands on experience can prepare and reduce the strains of learning as you grow.
Most people involved within the decision making to form and run an Alliance will do so focused on the market and how the Alliance will address that market. This leaves a large hole in the fundamental requirements and understanding of "how" disparate companies interact, how the existing internal groups perceive and act with the Alliance.
Rules around behaviour, recognition of contributions and setting of goals are the real details upon which success or failure will be measured. Results, once an agreed measurement is enforced, will most probably not fall equitably. Systems to recognise this and then deal with the implications are needed. Strong communications between parties in the Alliance and between parents are the glue to moving forward in a manner which will become acceptable to all.
Gillian has seen these matters evolve. She has implemented steps to measure, report and facilitate the growing experiences of an Alliance."
Robin Thornton, EDS NZ Ltd
"I have found Gillian to be a superb mentor whose strategic advice and insights have proven very valuable in helping me to shape the future direction of my business. She has been supportive and ready at all times to offer guidance and sound knowledge based on her own experience in the real business world. She has also worked hard to foster a networking system, providing small businesses such as mine with a useful forum for exchanging information and developing contacts. Gillian is a warm, positive and generous-spirited person who has embraced the mentor culture very effectively to my personal benefit."
Greg Hay, Hay Communications
"Gillian has been my mentor for the past year and, quite frankly, I doubt I could have been matched with a better person.
As a hands-on MD with little formal training, she impressed me with a sensitivity to my needs and level of knowledge. Instructions and discussions were undertaken in a clear, concise manner -- in plain English and with a great sense of humour, making our sessions both enjoyable and informative.
Her observations about the Business Plan always made sense in my real world and as a result I have been able to look at the company from a different perspective and actively pursue personal goals with a fresh determination."
Richard Hesom-Williams, Wordplay Design
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