This document is an example of a Distinction Graded Strategic Plan with the chosen industry \'Customer Contact Centre\'

1. Lead Seekers Australia Pty Ltd and its group of companies has been providing high quality contact
centre services since 2004 and is wholly Australian owned and operated.
This report gives a strategic direction for the future of the company. This report will also table both
consolidation of accounts and growth of business.
1. Confirm organisational vision and mission:
The current organisation’s Mission Statement is as follows;
To be the leader in the outsourced call centre industry by delivering a competitive advantage to each
and every client every time.
1.1 Check with stakeholders that organisational vision and mission are still held to be current
and supportive.
Lead Seekers Australia Pty Ltd has a sole directorship however part of its culture refers to all employees
being Key Stakeholders. The company was founded and continues with a democratic style leadership.
Senior and Middle Management are the Key Stakeholder representatives in this organisation.
Over the past eight (8) weeks strategic planning meetings have occurred weekly including both onsite
and offsite discussions. It was found that the previous mission statement was no longer adequate nor
suitable.
1.2 Make any changes or refinements to vision or mission statement as required
The key Stakeholders presented a number of suggested Mission Statements based on their experiences
in the company and descriptions on what the company actually does. A compilation of these based the
foundation of the new Mission Statement.
The Key Stakeholders have voted on the new mission to be as follows;
We Seek – You Sell. We Provide Quality, Pay-Per-Lead Sales Opportunities to any “Business-to-Business”
Sales Organization regardless of their Marketing Budget. Our focus is on building rapport and starting
relationships on a positive note and always with a plug and play experience.
This mission statement suited the current values of the organization along a more relevant description
of the core business.
1.3 Review or develop organisational values to support the vision and mission statement.

2. Reviews have been made of the Culture Statement and it was found that it supported the new mission
statement adequately.
Of the 14 Points of Culture in the Culture Statement each represented the new Mission Statement well.
Starting with the first, Commitment (to the vision and mission) followed by Ownership and Integrity.
Each play a vital role in delivering and living by the Mission.
Refer to Appendix ‘A’ –Culture Statement v1.0
1.4 Gain support for strategic planning process from all relevant stakeholders.
Successful Strategic Plans involve stakeholders and gain stakeholders support. Strategic plan
development requires consideration of values and priorities; the plan reflects views and opinions
shared by all those involved in the process. This plans included all partiesand departments required
in the strategic planning process. Processes have been developed to involve Senior Managers
andHeads of Departments.
As many companies differ in size and description there are many formulas for required Key Stake
Holders. In the case of Lead Seekers Australia Pty Ltd the Key Stakeholders included; The Director,
Operations Manager, Business Development Manager, Effective Performance Manager, IT Manager,
Database Administrator and Staff Managers.
The introduction of The Strategic Planning process to the Key Stakeholders included a series of
scenarios which possibly could impact the future of the business and the minimal performance
required for each department to keep afloat. Each Department was instructed to prepare a strategy
to overcome the scenario and include KRA’s, KPI’s and Report on the processes required to report
and monitor the success of the strategy.
It was very interesting to see the plans form. It was more interesting to see how each Department
was dependant on the other – Communication was the Key – not only verbal but via Email Updates
and intranet usage. The exercise was a success to gain support and commitment to the Strategic
Planning Process.
Each were also to prepare input to the Mission Statement,
There are no other Key Stakeholders as the company has no debt nor partnerships (strategic nor
financial).

3. 2. Analyse the internal and external environment
2.1 Determine information requirements and undertake or commission research to deliver
relevant information.
By using the Porter’s Five Forces Worksheet (www.mindtools.com/rs/porter) the Strategic
Meetings uncovered Lead Seekers Australia’s current situation in the market.
Supplier Power – They were able to assess how easy it is for suppliers to drive up prices. It was
identified that there is an abundance of suppliers to Lead Seekers in the way of
Telecommunications and Recruitment (the two largest expenses) however not many quality
suppliers of the services Lead Seekers provided.
Buyer Power - They were able to assess how easy it is for buyers to drive prices down. Currently
Lead Seekers has a large number of buyers however seem to be dictated by one major Corporate
Customer which does absorb time and energy from the business. It was identified that this was
not a secure environment and a new strategy was required which included a more eggs, more
basket approach. There is very little cost for smaller customers to change suppliers however a
much larger cost to Corporate Campaigns. These are Powerful Buyers.
Competitive Rivalry – There are a number of competitors in this industry however not many have
a good reputation nor the capability of continuously delivering quality services. It has been
identified that despite the perception of quality of service the customer returns over and over.
This identifies both Strength and Weakness, If quality is not a large requirement for returning
customers almost any competitor could enter this niche market.
Threat of Substitution – Fortunately there has been no substitute for Direct Marketing since its
inception the late 1960’s. The major threat is no longer outsourcing this requirement. Lead
Seekers is currently faced with this exact scenario with its largest Corporate Account. The
Strategic Plan is suggested to spread resources more evenly in the case that this occurs. The only
other possible Threat is Legislative with the Do Not Call Register Act 2006. If this would extend to
all businesses then “Outbound Lead Generation” from Business to Business would fail.
Threat of New Entry – Threat of new entry is unlikely to affect this business. The cost of doing
business is not something that could be matched short term without the competitor spending
unreasonable amounts of time and money. Lead Seekers has collected information that no other
company has foreseen to be important – to date. This means that they only have to target 80,000
prospects every two years verse 600,000 prospects every two years for its competitors. It has
been calculated that Lead Seekers expenses can run at 13% of its competitor using this data.
2.2 Analyse political, economic, social and technological developments in a global context
The Federal Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (DNCR) and the Privacy Act 1988 are the main
Legislative requirements that could affect the business, followed by Industrial Relations.
The social impact of Telemarketing calls is becoming alarmingly high. It has been the company’s
experience that “The Do Not Call Register“ is quite one sided and on the side of the person
receiving the call even when they are not entitled to be on the Register. Currently there is no

4. enforced penalty for a Business to be on the register despite clear guidelines that state they
cannot be on it. If a “Marketing Company” contacts this business and it complains the complaint
still stands.
The ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) who runs the DNCR have the stance
that “Even though the Company has broken the law doesn’t give the right to another Company to
break the law”. More than 30% of businesses are currently on the DNCR (these statistics have
been collected by washing transactions provided by the DNCR and washed against DBOR – Data
Base of Records which is owned by Lead Seekers Australia Pty Ltd).
Google have released SIP phones in the United States boasting free calls from phones. If
exchanges in Australia were to be made SIP capable a large part of Lead Seekers business would
disappear as the need for Lead Generation in a free market would diminish.
The strategic direction has included severe diversity change including Internet Marketing and Web
Design.
2.3 Seek advice from appropriate experts wherever necessary
The company has engaged their accountant to forecast best case and worst case scenarios based
on the change to the Strategy and possible loss of the Corporate Campaign. Statements indicate
that the company can remain afloat for a short time (months) with the loss of the Corporate
Campaign and without an increase of the smaller campaigns.
It is his recommendation to increase turnover immediately with smaller campaigns whilst culling
expenses where possible. Turnaround of staff must be completed quicker avoiding any loss of
wages.
2.4 Identify and consider strengths and weaknesses of existing and potential competitors alike.
The only true competitor is the internal competitor of the clients. Many companies believe that
they can do a better job however they simply don’t have the time. They eventually make time
based on Budgets.
Some of the strengths of an internal Lead Generation team (Competitor)include;
Receipt of immediate feedback and quality improvements can be made very quickly.
Wage expenses can be reduced by identifying poor employees on a quality level early in the piece.
Never wait for invoices to be paid. Cash Flow should not inhibit growth of the team or technology.
Access to latest product training and sales methodology
Immediate trust and integrity with a team member attitude across the organisation

5. Some of the weaknesses of an internal Lead Generation team (Competitor) include;
Creation of a new business or division including management and infrastructure
Constant Recruitment of individuals displaying specific rare personality traits.
Not their core business leaving possible gaps in skill sets.
No access to previous contacts made to National Database other than previous appointments set.
The internal team would have to generate a pipeline from start which would take approximately
two years to generate the same level of activity using Lead Seekers.
2.5 Analyse the organisation's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
The below SWOT Analysis has been completed during one of the first Strategic meetings held by
Lead Seekers Australia Pty Ltd
Strengths Weaknesses
Structure Reception
Reputation Conversion
Quality Control Inconsistent Staff Training
Guaranties – Replacement Policy Staff Discipline
Pay Per Lead Invalid Appointment Rate
Flexibility of Services Timeline of Campaigns excessive
Certification of Staff Inconsistent Induction Process
DBOR Dialler Knowledge
Longevity Small to Medium Business Supervision
Price competitive
Staff
Opportunities Threats
Telstra – Lead Generation Policies DNCR
Easy Product/Service to Promote Mergers (Vodafone and Three)
Corporate Customers Space (Office)
Inadequate Processes

6. Strengths:
Currently Lead Seekers offers a quality service with guaranties on a Pay-Per-Lead Platform. No
other Lead Generation firm offers this type of service with a competitive price and no setup fees.
Quality control has been stepped up over the years as Management have been educated with the
workarounds Telemarketers and Sales Consultants generate.
The employees are certified with an accreditation which has promoted a fantastic culture and
longevity in the team.
The CRM Platform (DBOR) has been designed and developed internally and is flexible to our
needs. It has not been purchased of the shelf which gives Lead Seekers an edge over other
companies who are constantly having to outsource programming at a cost or having to make do
with issues. The data contained in DBOR equates to all major carriers combining their databases
into one.
Weaknesses:
Due to its infancy and massive immediate growth certain processes have been passed by. Many
roles in the past have crossed over to other roles when the need has arisen. Currently reception is
unmanned – until recently all new clients were referral-based and were offered a mobile number
to call. Due to new advertising strategies the incoming number is used frequently and has
required the reception to be manned.
The same crossover can explain the lack of supervision on the smaller campaigns and the
inconsistencies in training, induction processes and staff discipline.
The conversion weakness is one that may never be improved which is very dangerous. As Lead
Seekers has no control over the Lead once it has been delivered it is at the mercy of the Sales
Consultant. Despite all quality measures “Invalid Leads” are still identified. The first thing a Sales
Consultant blames for not making a Sale is the lead.
Customers will also change their minds leaving no one at fault however they will infrequently
advise the Sales Consultant of this and suggest no appointment has been made. It is only for Lead
Seekers recording process that the integrity remains high with the Senior Managers of the
Companies they do business with. At times recordings will be provided of the phone call to ensure
the appointment was solid when it left Lead Seekers.

7. Opportunities:
Lead Seekers major clients’ competitor is currently experience issues with the ACMA and the
DNCR. They have worked with Lead Seekers previously and is aware of the success they have had
not only in the industry but with dealings with the ACMA regarding the exact issues they are
facing. They have put a complete stop to all outbound Telephone Sales and Lead Generation
other than that done through Lead Seekers. There is an opportunity to seize a Corporate
Campaign to run in conjunction to the existing Telecommunications Corporate Campaign.
The Products and Services Lead Seekers provide it is quite simple to bring new clients on board.
There is an opportunity to replace the corporate campaign quite quickly with Small to Medium
Business Campaigns.
As the company is still young it has not had the opportunity to market to other Industry Corporate
Prospects which offers many new business opportunities across multiple industries. Contacts are
currently being made with these potential customers.
Ours of Operation are currently 9am to 5pm leaving a window to expand through evening hours
and overseas campaigns.
Threats
The ACMA are constantly reviewing the DNCR policy. At any time all businesses could be placed
on the DNCR which would literally close the Core Business of Lead Seekers. It appears to be a
huge threat however it is unlikely that the ACMA would have the power to authorise such a move
as the Economic and Social Impact of employment loss alone would raise issues for other
Government Departments and many Corporate Entities.
The Merger between Vodafone and Three is a significant Threat to the organisation as Vodafone
currently outsource to Lead Seekers and equate to more than 60% of the company’s revenue.
Three currently have this process internally and proclaim to be successful at the process.
Office space has been absorbed through the introduction of Management and Corporate
Structure. Expansion is limited and it would be difficult to have more than one Corporate
Campaign at one time.
SWOT Summary
It appears that the major issue is related to staff performance. The Strengths and Opportunities
are available however cannot be maximised due to time frames not being met due to
Performance. This has given clear understanding of where the strategic plan needs to commence.
2.6 Consider co-operative ventures that are supported by risk and cost benefit analyses, are
consistent with the organisational vision, mission and values, and provide for due diligence.

8. Lead Seekers Australia has a joint venture with Faraway Tree Enterprises which is an RTO
company trading as Lead Seekers College. Through relevant training, new and old employees are
trained adequately and are recognised nationally with an AQTF Certificate.
There is no risk as long as the company values and mission is adhered to and the cost benefit is in
Lead Seekers favour as Government funding assists with Growth and Development of the
employees. It is also a great selling point for new prospects as they feel the employees working
on their campaigns are trained adequately.
2.7 Check that analysis of internal and external environment is consistent with the perspectives
of other informed people.
All of the Key Stakeholders are informed and the analysis of internal and external environment is
consistent with their perspectives. All hands appear to be on deck and each department is
working toward goal congruence and toward the new strategies being recommended.
The Business Development Team has a priority focus on new business.
The Effective Performance Management Team are focused on driving KPI’s
The Operations Department are monitoring the processes of these two segments of the business
and then reporting it to the Director.
3. Write strategic plan.

9. 3.1 Document relevant research and background for inclusion in the strategic plan
Prior to the Strategic Planning Meeting each Department was required to generate reports on
their Department. They were also to be presented at the first Strategic Meeting.
These reports included;
Business Development Department
Campaign Turnovers
Profit and Loss on Campaigns
Campaign Completion Time Line
Number of New Business Acquisition Each Month
Percentage of New Business Acquisition Each Month
Number of Existing Business Retention Each Month
Percentage of Existing Business Retention Each Month
Number of New Industry Business Acquisition Each Month
Percentage of New Industry Business Acquisition Each Month
Number of Existing Industry Business Retention Each Month
Percentage of Existing Industry Business Retention Each Month
Current Targets and KPI’s for each Team Member
Target Markets
Number of Client Invalid Appointments
Percentage of Client Invalid Appointments
Cost of Client Invalid Appointments
(Client Invalid means the appointment passed internal quality measures however fell over in the
hands of the client)
Effective Performance Management Department
Number of Staff
Number of Staff Turnover
Percentage of Staff Turnover
Performance of Staff (Based on KPI’s)
Percentage of Staff Meeting KPI’s
Percentage of Staff Not Meeting KPI’s
Current Targets and KPI’s for each Team Member
Profit and Loss on Each Staff Member based on Wages
Time line between Staff Commencement and KPI’s being met
Number of Staff Invalid Appointments
Percentage of Staff Invalid Appointments
Cost of Staff Invalid Appointments
(Staff Invalid means the appointment did not pass internal quality measures and was not sent to
the client)
Operations Manager

10. Company Profit and Loss – Including Staff Wages and all Company Expenses
Number of Campaigns required to generate a profit (with the corporate client)
Number of Campaigns required to generate a profit (without the corporate client)
Current Targets and KPI’s for each Manager
Forecast of required Campaigns and Staff over the next quarter
A copy of the Current Mission Statement and a brief description of relevance
Current Job Descriptions
Historic Performance
3.2 Formulate strategic objectives and strategies needed for the future.
As a group each Department and their Reports were analysed. They were analysed to identify
current financial position and future financial position if nothing changed. It was found that
without the Corporate Campaign Lead Seekers would barely cover the costs of operation.
Staff performance and capabilities were analysed and found that performance had decreased over
the past 12 months. The SWOT analysis identified that the business has many Strengths however
the staff performance is a major Weakness which contributed to the majority of the weaknesses
identified. Poor Selection, Poor Training or Poor Supervision are the major factors for staff not
meeting expected KPI’s. It was decided that a Staff Manager would be appointed to ensure these
three things were consistent.
Target Markets were analysed and group discussion was formed around the viability of expanding
these markets. Currently Lead Seekers is predominately in the Telecommunications industry.
Many vertical markets were identified and targets were set for the Business Development Team to
achieve in these new markets.
Business Development required more activity however the slow completion of campaigns
inhibited the growth of this department. The department was spending excess time dealing with
unhappy clients then generating new ones.
Operating Hours were discussed and found that there is a large opportunity for growth. It was
found that the Mission would not be adhered to if work was done outside of Business Hours
unless overseas. The task of investigating the viability of overseas markets has been passed onto
the Business Development Manager for review.
Current processes were scrutinized and found that they were inadequate.It was identified that
more contact with the staff was required on a daily basis.
3.3 Detail each strategy with an assigned priority, a timeframe, responsible parties and
measurable performance indicators.
The existing business plan was adequate however processes required to make the plan efficient
and profitable were lacking.

11. It was identified that staff performance was definitely the major issue which stemmed into other
issues. KPI’s were always set however were not enforced at the level of them being useful.
Due to the major Corporate Campaign’s contract expiring within Three (3) months all Strategies
had to be rolled out immediately. The number one priority was relative to the staff performance
issue. A staff manager had already been appointed and many issues had already been resolved by
the end of the strategic meetings.
KPI’s had been revisited based on a total running cost and a cost per seat had been identified.
Each Employee was targeted on revenue based on the per seat value. More frequent One-On-
One’s were to be completed and more tangible action plans were to be submitted for each
employee. If action plans were not adhered to Warning Processes were to be commenced.
Discipline and Accountabilities were to become a priority. These processes have been developed
to assist in adhering to the Culture Statement however with a more stern approach.
Four weeks was the time frame expected for each employee to be met with and Action Plans
delivered. Action Plans were to be weekly with an incremental increase to performance for those
not meeting the revenue per seat required.
The Business Development Team has been set KPI’s with a change of process when delivering the
Sales Message. Each client should be left with the expectation that the campaign would
commence within seven (7) days as opposed to 48 hours. Contact is to be made on a daily basis to
discuss the activity on the campaign or lack of activity. This is to increase the level of
communication and not leave the client to imagine the worst. This would be implemented
immediately.
A set percentage of Retention was decided upon along with Acquisition in both Existing Industries
and New Industries. KPI’s and backwards plans were delivered to each member of the Business
Development Team – these were based on the reports provided in the first strategic meeting
however were not limited to them. Each team member is required to report on a daily basis for
the first 4 weeks and then weekly if all plans are adhered to. The same process of Effective
Performance Management is to be delivered to this team if targets are not met i.e. Warning
Process.
Additional training as been scheduled for all Departments to ensure all parties are adequately
trained and capable of meeting the required/desired targets and time frames. Responsibility and
Accountability is now clearly defined for all roles in the business.
3.4 Circulate strategic plan for comment, support and endorsement
A Summary of the discussions and agreements have been forwarded to all Key Stakeholders and they
are to be delivered to each employee by their direct manager.
Buy in was created based on the seriousness of situation and it was obvious to the team that the
changes needed to occur or there may not be a business in the future. Due to the group Strategy
Sessions each Key Stakeholder was informed on a daily basis with all discussions.

12. Very little circulation was required in this situation. Each Department Head have committed to
complete their tasks and fulfil their part in the strategic movement.
Each Head of Department has worked closely with the Operations Manager rewriting their Job
Description and endorsing their KPI’s as achievable.
4. Implement Strategic Plan
4.1 Communicate strategic plan to all relevant parties
All Key Stakeholders attended the strategic meetings. Each Head of Departments will deliver the by-
products of the strategy to their Team Managers by way of KPI’s, new target markets and any changes in
processes that are relevant. The updated Mission Statement will be delivered to all staff both in a
Group Meeting and in the New Company Handbook.
4.2 Brief people with a specific role in relation to strategies
4.3 Use performance indicators to monitor progress in implementing plan
Utilising Profit and Loss and Staff Activity, Lead Seekers is able to monitor the implementation based on
the financials. These reports are actual and directly from MYOB.
In addition, each department is to report all activity to the Operations Manager on a weekly basis which
indicate the changes being made i.e. Backwards Plans being adhered to, Number of Meetings with Staff.
DBOR provides reports on Business Development and Campaign Management. Invoicing is also
completed by the Operations Manager. Even though reports are provided, the validity of the reports is
easily checked based on how many new employees/new campaigns are processed through MYOB on a
daily basis.
A soft-copy of the backwards plans that are provided to employees are also emailed to the Operations
Manager to ensure the numbers match the reports provided by the Effective Performance Manager.
4.4 Make necessary refinements to plan
With all Strategic or Forward Plans refinements may be required to the plans. If Key Staff are not
meeting the required KPI’s they may be terminated and a recruitment process may need to be added for
senior employees. Prior to termination all statistics should be analysed to ensure the targets set have
been achievable.
If Target Markets are not fruitful secondary Target Markets may need to be identified. Price increases
may be required if the process takes longer to implement then planned.

13. 4.5 Evaluate achievement of objectives at agreed milestones
It would be my recommendation that reviews be made at the four (4) week, eight (8) week and twelve
(12) week milestones. In my opinion the most significant movement should be noticed at the eight
week mark as all processes should be close to completion by the fourth week and in full swing by the
eighth week.
More reviews should be completed at the 6 month mark followed by every 12 months.
4.6 Review effectiveness of plan and consider methods for improving strategic planning
processes
This particular plan has been forced by environmental issues. It would be fair to say that with more time
the planning process may have been more effective.
The outcome of this strategy will be a great indicator of effectiveness of the plan and the process as the
business may require downsizing if the outcome is not successful.
The strategic planning process would have benefited by a less urgent scenario and for future plans it will
be considered over time.
A record of suggestions (either staff related or business related) would be beneficial as ideas come and
go and generally by the time strategies are reviewed they are seldom remembered.