Vodafone · Telecom · 2016–2017

Turning service outlets into entrepreneurial businesses

Shifted a network of service outlets from 'employees handling requests' to owners running sales-and-service businesses.

Sales + Service
Unified outlet KPIs
Owner
New operating identity for outlets
Escalations on difficult service cases
Sustained
Way of working still in use

Duration

8 months

Industry

Telecom

Scope

Mindset & ownership interventionRole and KPI redesignDecision-rights and audit redesignManager capability build
01 — Challenge

What we were solving for.

A network of service outlets was, on paper, set up to handle service requests. In reality, they were also important sales touchpoints — but the operating mindset was 'service first, sell only if asked.' Proactive selling was almost absent, difficult service cases were routinely escalated, and the outlets ran far from central offices with little ownership. The business saw it in low ROI on outlets, inconsistent service standards, and missed revenue from walk-in customers. The gap wasn't skill; it was mindset. People were operating like employees, not like owners.

02 — Approach

How the work unfolded.

  1. 01Diagnose

    Went beyond the symptoms (low conversion, escalations) to the underlying cause: outlet teams had neither the identity nor the authority to behave like owners, and the system around them quietly reinforced that.

  2. 02Design

    Built a structured intervention to grow ownership and entrepreneurial thinking — classroom sessions spread over a few months, paired with system changes: roles renamed to reflect ownership, expanded decision-making authority, KPIs redesigned to cover both sales and service, audit parameters changed, and outlet managers given responsibility for hiring and incentives.

  3. 03Embed

    Reinforced the messaging consistently and let the new operating model show up in everyday decisions on the ground. What began as an intervention gradually evolved into a way of working — embedded into daily operations and still sustaining today.

03 — Outcomes

What shifted.

Workshops create awareness. Capability comes from application and reinforcement over time. Looking back, I'd strengthen this further — move from training to a learning journey with micro-learning nudges, ready reckoners, role plays on upselling and difficult conversations, field coaching for managers, and regular group coaching with leadership on real challenges. That would have shortened the transition curve even more.
Kaushal Parikh, Reflection on the engagement
Let's talk

Have a similar challenge in mind?

Most engagements begin with a 30-minute call to understand what you're solving for and whether I'm the right partner.

Start a conversation →
Next case study
Vodafone · Telecom

Turning service outlets into entrepreneurial businesses

Read next →