CTG's Talent Solutions Fuel Productivity for PC Powerhouse Lenovo

The Client

Lenovo, number 212 on the 2019 Fortune Global 500, first emerged in the North American market with the acquisition of IBM’s personal computing (PC) division in 2005. The company established a global headquarters in Morrisville, North Carolina, and soon grew into a PC powerhouse. Today, Lenovo is the world’s number one PC vendor, with more than 57,000 employees and customers in more than 160 countries.

The 2005 PC acquisition jump-started Lenovo’s U.S. growth and began its long-standing relationship with CTG. A number of employees from CTG, as well as several other vendors, were already working in-house prior to the acquisition. As the department transitioned to Lenovo management, the company initiated a bid process with the vendors. CTG was ultimately selected as the principal staffing partner.

CTG was chosen over its competitors for its price point, long-standing relationships with the management team, and its history of delivering high-level, reliable talent. As the years passed and the relationship strengthened, CTG began absorbing the remaining employees from the other staffing providers, at Lenovo’s request. Through these transitions, CTG started working across new Lenovo departments and forging relationships with department heads. As Lenovo expanded and developed new initiatives and strategies, the company relied on CTG to provide the high-quality staff needed to fuel its rapid growth.

 “Lenovo’s relationship with CTG goes beyond the traditional vendor/client engagement. CTG has proven that they have a true understanding of our company and our needs as we took on a very strategic investment to insource business back into our headquarters office as part of a larger customer experience improvement initiative. They were an integral partner in helping us find the right talent and deliver to the performance and cost savings goals we committed to. We consider CTG a valued partner and true contributor to our long-term success. Lenovo is dedicated to delivering quality products and services, and working closely with CTG has enabled us to consistently deliver on that commitment for our valued customers.” - Shannon Sigmon, Senior Manager, Worldwide Customer Experience, Lenovo

Challenge

In 2008, Lenovo initiated a restructuring of its inside and inbound sales departments, by bringing them both in-house. The company had been using a third-party Texas-based vendor. After the initial transition to move the programs in-house, Lenovo owned the recruitment process but was looking to improve upon the selection process, onboarding, and training programs.

In 2011, Lenovo turned to CTG for yet another endeavor: management of its administrative employee group. The company had been working with a separate vendor to recruit administrative staff. The Lenovo/CTG partnership had been steadily growing, and following recent successes across departments, Lenovo opted to transition management of this program to CTG as well.

In 2013, Lenovo’s relationship with CTG deepened further when the company took over staffing management of Lenovo’s North America Customer Service Center. The call center, which fields retail-level customer service questions, is a critical “face-of-the-company” function for Lenovo. For many consumers, it serves as the principal touch point and avenue of support from Lenovo, so delivering high-level customer service is paramount.

Previously, management of the customer service center had been outsourced, first to a firm overseas, and then to a firm with offices in Raleigh, North Carolina. Bringing the Center state-side resulted in a nine percent improvement in customer satisfaction, bringing the company’s score to 70 percent. It was a step in the right direction, but Lenovo was still not satisfied with their service levels.

Solution

Fueling Sales: Lenovo turned to CTG to interview and provide talent, which allowed for efficient employee vetting and training processes. CTG partnered with Lenovo to help organize a six-week training period for new hires, a program that includes strength evaluation to help place recruits in territories that parallel their skills. The approach has been an unqualified success. The program began with five CTG recruits and grew to 120 employees.

Enhancing Recruitment: CTG implemented a testing program for possible recruits to help ensure the long-term success of the program. Today, the program supports Lenovo’s administrative needs across the spectrum, from entry-level to executive support. In the years since CTG took over management of the program, the quality of administrative employees has continued to improve, and Lenovo has converted many to full-time positions.

Improving Customer Service: The company next brought the Center on-site to its Morrisville, North Carolina, headquarters and turned the staffing management responsibilities over to CTG. Hiring began in April 2014, and the Center hit a peak headcount of 115 employees as the team ramped up for the holiday season. CTG took over complete management of the recruiting and onboarding process, from on-site interviews through training and employee support.

Results

Since inception in 2008, Lenovo has hired 15-18 CTG staffers as full-time employees every quarter, which points to the reliable quality of CTG staff as well as the positive impact they have had on Lenovo’s recruitment and general business processes. Both Lenovo and incoming CTG staffers have benefited from the arrangement. The facility graduated to an organized onboarding process with a disciplined, consistent, and effective training program that now produces high-quality workers, with CTG consistently fueling one-third of the company’s entire salesforce.

Following initial ramp-up in 2014, Lenovo’s North American Customer Service Center—fueled by CTG recruits—has consistently exceeded its overall 85 percent customer satisfaction goal, averaging 90 percent for January 2016. This represents a 20 percent increase in satisfaction since CTG took over. The Center has also become a recruitment source for the broader Lenovo team, with a steady stream of employees offered full-time positions across the organization.

To date, Lenovo has hired more than 500 CTG employees full-time across the company’s North American operations, which clearly speaks to the consistent quality of CTG recruits and the value they bring to the Lenovo organization. Moving forward, Lenovo and CTG will continue to collaborate on existing engagements as well as work together to address new needs.