Building Shared Services at RR Communications: A Case Study Analysis

This case study examines RR Communications' transition towards a shared customer service center. It explores the company's decentralized IT structure and the challenges it faces, including regulatory compliance issues and redundant systems. The case analyzes the advantages of a single customer service center, such as improved customer experience, cost savings, and enhanced branding. It also delves into the development of an implementation strategy to secure the support of divisional presidents, addressing financial risk mitigation, regulatory compliance, and the importance of enterprise vision. The study further discusses the business and IT problems caused by a lack of common information and enterprise IT strategy, along with the governance mechanisms needed to ensure common customer data and a shared customer service center. The case emphasizes the need for a close working relationship between business and IT to achieve business strategy and value.

CASE STUDY : BUILDING SHARED SERVICES AT RR COMMUNICATIONS
STUDENT’S NAME
STUDENT’S COLLEGE

Contents
Synopsis...........................................................................................................................................2
Key Issues........................................................................................................................................3
Discussion Questions.......................................................................................................................4
List the advantages of a single customer service center for RR Communications......................4
Devise an implementation strategy that would guarantee the support of the divisional
presidents for the shared customer service center........................................................................6
Is it possible to achieve an enterprise vision with a decentralized IT function?..........................9
What business and IT problems can be caused by lack of common information and enterprise
IM strategy?.................................................................................................................................9
What governance mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure common customer data and a
shared customer service center? What metrics might be useful?..............................................10
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................11

Synopsis
The case study of RR Communications refers to the decision of the Vice President of the IT
Department of the company. It speaks about the past situations of the company which led to the
present IT structure of the company; from divisional level to endorsement of enterprise
architecture - all the software and hardware of the company now being based on standardized
platform fighting the conflicts presented by pre-existing IT heads, leading to unification as well
as consolidation along with focus on enterprise. The Vice President has now the task of pursuing
the division heads to merge customer database for creating a shared customer service center.
This case describes a classic example of an organization which is heavily decentralized into
distinct lines of business – each with its own IT group – suddenly recognizing the need for a
flexible and responsive IT function, a common view of the customer and the elimination of
redundant systems
Key Issues
 RR is in trouble with telecommunications regulators and with its software vendors
because it can’t provide the integrated information about the company’s activities to
which they are legally entitled. The lack of integration, common systems, and
standardized information is seriously contributing to the company’s compliance
problems.
 The enterprise goal is to be able to introduce new products more quickly and have a
flexible and responsive IT organization. This is extremely difficult to accomplish with the
multiple systems and technologies used in each business unit.

 Common IT infrastructure supports several business goals: consistent branding and a
single call center for improved customer support and cross-selling. However, business
leaders do not always see this. Roman takes Patton’s plan “on faith”.
 RR has divisional data and divisional data bases, which are inhibiting many things that
the CEO wants to do, such as deliver one integrated bill to RR’s customers. It also
inhibits the company’s ability to respond to its regulators and vendors.
 RR illustrates the necessity of a close working relationship between the business and IT
in order to deliver on a business’ strategy and how many elements in the business can
inhibit an organization’s ability to deliver effective IT strategy and value.
 It shows the role that IT can play in ensuring that IT as a whole can deliver value to
the enterprise as a whole, as opposed to business unit specific projects and the importance
of IT’s horizontal role of seeing across the organization to deliver value.
Discussion Questions
List the advantages of a single customer service center for RR Communications.
 It would provide an improved customer experience where there will be only one number
to call for any RR product or any other kind of services. This will lessen the difficulty on
the part of the customer while getting any assistance from the customer care services of
the organization. Through consolidation of data and customer service centers the
company can ensure best practices are followed and traceability and transformation will
be more apparent aiding in regulatory matters. With the company’s outsourcing options
having all services together so one customer service center can handle requests will

greatly improve the efficiency and value. Also having a common security and privacy
framework will reduce risk which is a primary concern when outsourcing services.
Having the information and customer service centers together will be a positive step in
reducing risk. Setting a standard framework and using best security practices will ensure
safety and reliability of information.
 Having separate divisional IT service centers means having individual audits on their
processes and financials. Removing the centers from the division realm will save them
resources that would have gone toward audits. Once enterprise architecture was put in
place they can now take a look at the processes and streamline for regulatory compliance.
Having a single customer service center in place can enhance business processes and
ensure best practices are realized and implemented which in turn make audit durations
shorter. By consolidating the divisional data auditors will only need to look in one place
and the company will need fewer independent auditors. The auditors will also be able to
coordinate more effectively.
 It would improve the branding of RR Communication as a whole, as an enterprise.
 Data consolidation through a single center would allow data to be mined for generating
new gateways. Security practices can be monitored by one entity and reduce the
divisions specific IT needs. This translates into cost savings within the division by
reduction of overhead. Further cost savings will be realized by not having divisional
responsibility for storage and backup of data. Maintenance of related customer service
center hardware may also be removed from the divisional level. Risk mitigation for the
divisions can be moved to the central authority which will have common security
architecture and policies that will be reviewed and kept current. New systems and

processes will cost less to test and can be developed with compliance as a key metric.
Having common security protocol and procedures should reduce the risk of data breaches
as well. Removing redundancy from the organizations file systems will make document
retention more efficient and reduce enterprise costs.
 It would help in cross selling of products.
 The information being strictly kept secured by the individual divisions, hence customer’s
requirements and their relation to data is hardly recognized. There is a billing issue as
multiple bills are issues for one particular customer. With a centralized service centre,
only one bill can be produced which would improve the reputation and perception of the
company.
Devise an implementation strategy that would guarantee the support of the divisional
presidents for the shared customer service center.
The initial move toward implementation is to change the discernment the presidents have about
the merger of focuses and information. The technique I would propose it exhibiting a three
pronged methodology. These three key favorable circumstances (Russell S. Boyd, 2012) of the
framework will set a positive tone for the thought.
1. Financial
2. Risk Mitigation
3. Compliance of Regulations
Financial

 Removing the focuses from the division domain will spare them assets that would have
gone toward individual divisional audits.
 With information solidification, through a solitary focus, information can be mined to
create new business open doors. An illustration could be a pattern that 85% of clients
with mobile services also use internet services. We can utilize centered advertising on the
15% and make income.
 Security practices can be observed by a solitary element and diminish the divisional level
IT needs. This deciphers into cost reserve funds inside the division by decrease of
overhead. Further cost reserve funds will be acknowledged by not having divisional
obligation regarding capacity and reinforcement of information.
Risk mitigation
 By shifting the risk mitigation from the divisional level to the central level, which will
have basic security engineering and arrangements, it will be investigated more regularly
and kept updated. Having basic security convention and methodology ought to lessen the
danger of information ruptures too (Randone, 2002).
 The data will must be organized in particular and institutionalized courses yet with
expanding legitimate attentiveness toward responsibility this kind of procedure is vital.
By making a solitary client administration focus the data will be put inside a typical
system.
Compliance of Regulations
 Having separate divisional IT administration focuses implies having singular reviews on
their procedures and financials. With big business engineering set up, we can now

investigate the collected procedures and streamline for administrative consistence.
Having a solitary client administration focus set up can upgrade business forms and
guarantee best practices are acknowledged and executed which thusly make review terms
shorter. By uniting the divisional information reviewers will just need to look in one spot
and the organization will require less autonomous evaluators. The reviewers will likewise
have the capacity to organize all the more adequately.
 New frameworks and procedures will cost less to test and can be produced with
consistence as a key metric.
 The generation hit that goes with reviews will move far from the division and the entire
association will profit by better used divisional core interest.
 In reference to partition of obligations direction in the event that we have one
administration focus we will just need two individuals for specific undertakings however
with divisional repetitive administration focuses one shared errand may require eight
individuals complete (Matthias Lange, 2012).
In the wake of laying out the points of interest, a visioning activity would happen to ensure the
association vision was comprehended; thus the divisions could perceive how they fit into the
procedure. An expansive objective of this is to ensure they know everybody will have a stake in
the client administration focus and any new activities will require documentation and preparing
from the specialty units. After the vision is settled upon, some standardized standards for how
data sharing will impact the business, ought to be drafted up. In a perfect world this will upgrade
the IT and business relationship. Framing it inside the setting of future opportunities will be
another key component. Furthermore it will be vital to articulate how the change will advantage
the clients. The eventual fate of the organization must hold onto data as a driver for business

change. Administration will be included in all divisions and everybody should have a stake in the
association's future. This move will bring IT and the business nearer for basic leadership needs.
Is it possible to achieve an enterprise vision with a decentralized IT function?
If the IT capacities function within a divided framework, the vision and center can never have a
focus on the enterprise as a whole. Concerns will keep on revolving around the littler
departmental level (Joseph Bobinis, 2012). Besides, most impetuses and appraisal and
productivity metrics will concentrate on individual achievement. The interior recognitions won't
be reliable and business associations will stay at local levels.
What business and IT problems can be caused by lack of common information and
enterprise IM strategy?
There are numerous issues that influence the association when divisions don't share data and
procedures. With the present case we see the organization's notoriety being discolored by having
separate bills for related lines of business. In spite of the fact that there is no hard information
exhibited, it is conceivable that clients have been sufficiently disappointed to leave the
organization and spread negative perspectives by overhearing people's conversations. Expansion
income streams are stopped by the absence of adaptability and responsiveness. In a focused
commercial center this readiness is a critical competency to keep pace and to stand out. The

association, all in all, works less effectively and costs keep on increasing at divisional levels.
Ventures that could affect all divisions emphatically will have a tendency to get consigned to a
lesser part in light of the fact that the correspondence and data pathways are not shared inside the
more noteworthy connection. Information records and capacity will contain repetition and bad
data. Regardless of the possibility that a division is reached to overhaul client data, they will
need to waste time and assets on educating alternate specialty units. Moreover business
possibilities that expanded data communication can create will be unthinkable. The trouble of
administrative consistence will remain pointlessly high. On the off chance that rather data is
shared and utilized by all offices, the evaluators will have the capacity to reduce inner and outer
review spans and many-sided quality. The biggest issue is the absence of vision the organization
will have; if the company has their entire focus concentrating on divisional level, then
collaborations and development opportunities turn out to be enormously lessened.
What governance mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure common customer data
and a shared customer service center? What metrics might be useful?
The characteristics of the organization that ought to be set up will be a course of action of IT
with forte units, straightforwardness of activities and estimations, joint commitment of IT and
the business, and shared enterprise perspective of the structures. It should join all workplaces,
departments required, with a strong focus on risk easing, managerial issues, and business open
entryways. Something compared to the leading body of trustees should be sufficient to direct the
position and continued fundamental operations. An atmosphere of reliable change and customer

organization focus should be used as a part of the metric advancement. It won't be a basic
technique to present these segments so putting in estimations that join particularly to the
objectives is a flat out need. Specific estimations turn around getting divisional data into an
enterprise structure and focus on rate and authenticity of the data.
Bibliography
Joseph Bobinis, T. E. (2012). An Enterprise Framework for Operationally Effective System of
Systems Design . Journal of Enterprise Architecture .

Matthias Lange, J. M. (2012). Measuring the Realization of Benefits from Enterprise
Architecture Management. Journal of Enterprise Architecture .
Randone, C. (2002). Enterprise Architecture, IT Service Management, and Service-Oriented
Architecture: Relationships, Approaches, and Operative Guidelines (Part 1) . Journal of
Enterprise Architecture .
Russell S. Boyd, B. B. (2012). Making use of a Target Technical Architecture to Support
Acquisition Business Decisions. Journal of Enterprise Architecture .