Case Study | PMI Strategy for Global Consumer Service Company

Functional Topic

PMI Strategy – Post-Merger Integration (PMI)

Project Industry

Consumer Service

Needed Support

PMI Consultant

Duration

7 Months

The Challenge

The client, a global consumer service company, had recently undergone a major merger and required expert support to develop a comprehensive PMI strategy. This was crucial to exploiting synergies while avoiding operational disruptions.

The goal was to ensure the smooth integration of the acquired company’s processes, align teams across both organizations and manage communication with key stakeholders throughout the transition.

Role of Consultport

To support the development and execution of the client’s PMI, the client engaged Consultport, which provided a shortlist of three pre-vetted consultants within 48 hours. The client ultimately chose a consultant with eight years of experience at top-tier strategy consulting firms and previous experience in managing two PMI projects within the consumer services industry.

The consultant’s role was to develop a detailed PMI strategy that addressed both the operational and organizational challenges of the merger. This included creating a roadmap for the integration process and ensuring that the acquired company’s operations were aligned with the client’s business objectives.

The Approach

The consultant developed a clear PMI strategy that outlined each phase of the integration with specific milestones. One focus was aligning overlapping departments, such as HR and finance, where roles needed to be redefined to eliminate redundancies. The consultant also identified misalignment in sales, with different pricing models and commission structures.

To address cultural and operational differences, the consultant presented ideas in different workshops with teams from both companies. For example, the marketing teams were using conflicting regional branding strategies, so the consultant recommended a unified branding approach to ensure consistency.

Moreover, to ensure stakeholders remained aligned, the consultant set up bi-weekly integration meetings with department heads from both companies. These meetings allowed the teams to quickly resolve issues, such as conflicting workflows between customer service teams, where different escalation procedures were causing delays.

To support long-term integration, the consultant developed a post-integration roadmap, including quarterly reviews to ensure ongoing alignment and adjust processes as needed.

The Results

The consultant’s PMI strategy produced significant outcomes for the client, leading to operational and organizational alignment, clear stakeholder communication, and a long-term strategy to better exploit synergies.

Smoother Operational Workflow

As a result of aligning HR and finance departments, the merged teams operated with more clarity, reducing delays in decision-making. Redundant positions were eliminated, and streamlined processes helped improve efficiency across both departments, allowing for quicker collaboration on cross-functional projects.

Improved Sales Coordination

The unification of sales pricing models and commission structures led to a more cohesive sales strategy. Sales teams across both companies worked under a single, clear framework, which reduced confusion and increased overall sales performance. Team morale improved as compensation became more transparent and aligned across the board.

Consistent Branding and Market Positioning

The unified branding strategy presented in the marketing workshops led to consistent marketing campaigns across regions. This resulted in a stronger, more recognizable brand presence globally. As a result, marketing campaigns became more effective, with a noticeable increase in customer engagement and brand recall.

Long-term Integration Framework

The post-integration roadmap provided the company with a clear strategy for maintaining long-term alignment and a clear strategy to exploit operational synergies. Moreover, the bi-weekly integration meetings helped resolve conflicts and identify misalignment, particularly in customer service teams.