Designing an account centric strategy to deepen BT’s dialogue with Translink.
Introduction
Translink is the rail and bus provider for Northern Ireland, and the only organisation to provide unified rail and bus services within the UK. BT is established as Translink’s provider of technology infrastructure and has recently completed their major network refresh programme.
Post-COVID, Translink has been undergoing significant transformation. Today strong demand for technologies – such as
wi-fi provision and improved ticketing and apps – are needed to support the superior experience its customers expect.
Introduction
Translink’s ongoing transformation offered BT – as an incumbent technology provider seeking greater strategic engagement – exciting opportunities for innovation. BT’s NI team already had strong relationships with multiple stakeholders and aimed to build on their connections within the NI business ecosystem. BT’s account strategy required a shift in perceptions within the relationship. A move from tactical telco to strategic techco that would create a platform to discuss solutions that would help ensure that Translink delivered on it’s strategic goals at an organisational level not just network.
Branded floor sticker
Themed invitation
Co-branded placemat
Branded water bottle
Solution
BT turned to JPC to help them achieve the required shift in perceptions and to build a wider dialogue focused on BT’s “value add” products and services. JPC developed a forensic ABM strategy built upon an enriched understanding of Translink’s strategic imperatives and deep stakeholder analysis to identify the personal priorities of individuals across the Translink leadership team. Then workshopped with BT’s sales, architecture and product teams to define integrated solutions the met these specific needs.
From this work JPC designed a customer value proposition (CVP) that articulated, with absolute clarity, BT’s understanding of Translink’s objectives and how working with BT would help them achieve the outcomes they sought. The CVP formed the foundation for all communications and dialogue from that point onwards.
Harnessing the CVP workshop findings, JPC developed a narrative enabling BT to move beyond its tactical relationship as a network provider selling point solutions into the role of trusted advisor offering a gateway to the best in cloud, data, security, AI&ML, mobility and field service
We presented the parallel between Translink as the long-standing provider of physical connections and BT as the long-standing provider of digital connections – both known on every street. Based on a newly organic partnership – BT’s pitch to Translink was ‘Building the Fabric of Northern Ireland Together’, enabling Translink to stand for something much more visionary than simply selling rail tickets.
Outcomes
Our ‘halo’ proposition has been used by BT in a series of sales enablement materials for Translink – including presenters, supporting assets, and internal educational materials – culminating in a successful innovation and co-creation summit at BT’s prestigious new Belfast premises, Riverside Tower. The innovation and co-creation summit attracted many senior Translink stakeholders, including the Chief Executive and the Heads of Engineering, Rail, Bus, Properties, Operations HR/IT and the CFO.
The ABM campaign JPC developed for BT has presented Translink with opportunities to act as a pilot customer for initiatives which can then be presented to the wider transport industry across the UK. As a result, BT has held three subsequent workshops with new Translink stakeholders comprising: the Belfast Transport Hub, remote workers and mobility, and innovative infrastructure projects focused on key network themes.
BT’s relationships are now not only deeper across the business, but JPC helped ensure that Translink now increasingly associates the BT brand with partnership and the strategic application of tech, rather than commodity services. Translink now represents a healthy additional £8m+ pipeline for BT.
“The Translink Executive Meeting went extremely well – with your team and JPC we had outlined some key objectives, and we definitely achieved all of them!
Through the structured engagement we were able to end up with a high quality presentation which delivered the key messages in an engaging way – and we are already seeing the knock on impact of the session as doors have opened to pieces of business that we thought were closed. We also have buy in from their top team to engage in Innovation workshops which will further cement our position as a trusted partner and create a pipeline of new opportunities.”
Brian McCormick
Account Director – Major Accounts, BT Business