Operations Case Studies

Client Background

A Houston-based mission advisory company found that most of their advisors’ time was spent on administrative follow-ups related to trip details and instructions. These repetitive tasks, though essential, diverted attention from more strategic responsibilities. The client sought a solution to reduce the burden on their mission advisors and improve overall operational efficiency.

• Excessive Time Spent on Follow-ups: Mission advisors should have spent less time on backend administrative tasks, such as following up on trip details and instructions, limiting their ability to focus on high-value advisory work.
• Resource Allocation Issues: While these tasks were important, they didn’t necessarily require the expertise of mission advisors and could be easily handled by a different, dedicated team.

The organization required a transformation partner with proven business aviation experience, to optimize adoption and improve process integration.

Global Wave Dynamics proposed an outsourcing solution that would offload these repetitive follow-up tasks to a dedicated team, allowing mission advisors to concentrate on more critical activities.

• Process Carving and Mapping:

  Global Wave Dynamics worked closely with the client to identify and segment the various backend processes related to follow-ups. By carving out these tasks, they could clearly define what could be outsourced and managed by a separate operations team.

• Action List Creation & Monitoring Mechanisms:

  A clear and structured action list was created for each task, detailing steps for follow-up and assigning responsibility. Monitoring mechanisms were also set up to track progress and ensure task completion without errors or delays.

• Task Prioritization:

  Not all tasks were equally urgent. Global Wave Dynamics established a task prioritisation framework, ensuring that the most urgent and time-sensitive activities received immediate attention. This allowed the outsourcing team to manage the workflow effectively and ensure that high-priority tasks were completed on time.

• Urgent Tasks in Chronological Order: While many tasks were initially sorted chronologically, urgent issues frequently arose, requiring the team to shift priorities quickly. Balancing routine tasks with urgent ones required robust task management systems and flexibility.
• Communication Between India and Houston: As the outsourced operations team was based in India, there were challenges in ensuring clear and timely communication with the Houston-based client. Time zone differences also posed obstacles to quick response times for urgent issues.

• Pilot Success and Full-Scale Expansion: The outsourcing initiative started with a small pilot team of five individuals handling specific backend action lists. Over time, this expanded to a team of more than 35 professionals, working around the clock (24x7) to manage various operational tasks, including high-stakes processes like obtaining permits.
• Effective Monitoring and Escalation Systems: Monitoring mechanisms were set up to ensure continuous oversight. A designated supervisor was always available to make quick judgment calls and manage escalations, ensuring smooth workflow management even during unexpected challenges.

• Increased Focus for Mission Advisors: By offloading repetitive administrative tasks to the outsourced team, mission advisors were able to refocus on their core responsibilities, leading to better client outcomes and more strategic input.
• Scalability and Operational Continuity: The operations team grew from an initial 5-member pilot to over 35 team members, offering the flexibility to handle increasing workloads and maintain operational continuity around the clock.
• Cost and Time Efficiency: Outsourcing these tasks resulted in significant cost savings for the client while reducing the time mission advisors spent on non-strategic activities.