‘Getting through the year all ok isn’t good enough - it shows you haven’t dared.'

According to Fredrik Peterson Herfindal, Head of Learning & Performance for Telia, maintaining the top spot with an impeccable reputation for reliability, doesn’t come without dedicated hard work. When competitors and customers alike look up to you for unrivalled service, you remain the forerunner, especially when care is taken to constantly evaluate and improve - progression that must be tracked and insightful. 

In the world of telecoms, Telia assumes the huge responsibility that lies in providing businesses, families and individuals with trustworthy connectivity, both fixed and mobile. A social duty of care also rests in connecting communities, supporting start-up companies and generally safeguarding environmental factors. Whilst market leader status may not come with the cheapest price tag, customers have faith in established quality.

During his recent interview, Fredrik, an esteemed coach and longstanding leader at Sweden’s leading telecom company, shared some expertise and insight into the struggles that huge organisations face on a daily basis. First and foremost, he identified the need to be brave and take risks, in order to affront difficulties: ‘getting through the year all ok isn’t good - it shows you haven’t dared.’ However, taking on and overcoming challenges was proving to be a test in itself, given the size of Telia's company hierarchy - therefore, they knew they needed help, but what?

As a large enterprise, data collection had long been an issue, namely with compiling data and tracking sales. Possibly the worst factor was retrospective data collection, accessed the ‘next day’ via spreadsheets. Telia staff were also operating without dashboards, broadcasting tools, campaigns, information modules, or a productive means of visualising sales culture and trends. Needless to say, they were desperate for change and improvement - cue the search for a sales performance management system began…

After exploring several options, Telia soon realised that they didn’t necessarily want a ‘big fish,’ or to simply ‘buy a generic product,’ but rather favoured working with a company whose values aligned with their own. In fact, they wanted a partnership with tailor-made modules just for them, with a company who would prioritise their needs above all else - that company was Goalplan. Telia's leaders were extremely impressed with Goalplan’s unique approach and ability to solve a multitude of problems, offering a solid product without limits.

Goalplan was a real gamechanger!

Initial meetings with Goalplan provided Telia with hope and a breath of fresh air, along with the personable yet professional relationship that instantly developed with staff from both companies: ‘They were so optimistic and gave off good vibes.’ 

When asked to describe the main advantages initially proposed by Goalplan to facilitate their tracking needs, Fredrik recalls an exceedingly positive response. Firstly, the flexibility offered in terms of choice and specifics was second to none, and secondly, the possibility of forming a solid partnership and team, was exactly what they were looking for. 

Goalplan ticked all the boxes!

When asked to rate the tailor-made profile made for them and how easy it was to implement, Fredrik detailed a ‘gradual approach’, rather than a disruptive  ‘big bang.’ To begin with, a pilot project was launched in retail - it was a real revolution, the first time to experiment with a new product like this. The profound need for a sales performance tool was so great, that everyone was happy to get on board:

They needed it and bought into it straight away.

The pilot started with managers and leaders, both in store and regional, and the results were ‘instant’. In fact, the immediate benefits were somewhat overwhelming, given a huge surge in stickiness - ‘more logins than ever before!’

Telia staff were astonished at how much time the Goalplan app saved them, not to mention the relief of doing away with painful administrative tasks. Time saved was converted into time better spent, for example on coaching and sales development. 

As the larger implementation of the product filtered through Telia's company layers, the day-to-day running of the business became noticeably smoother throughout, especially in terms of efficiency and being able to extract useful insights from data:

Before, managers were losing 1,5 hours per day on spreadsheets, making their own PowerPoints etc. Goalplan made it all accessible - one platform - one device.

Thanks to the integration of Goalplan with Sweden’s telecom giant, and the friendly ‘two-way street’ collaboration, Telia's future is incredibly bright, with the promise of maintaining their place at the top. They hope to continue to grow their business and establish new income and opportunities, which is entirely possible, thanks to Goaplan’s commitment and help: ‘We rely on them to share tips on measuring data and communicating with staff.’

At Goalplan, we share the same positive experience of working together with Telia, and look forward to further feedback from our trusted ‘partners.’ We are inspired by their drive and emphasis on providing both staff and customers with an individualised, bespoke experience. In addition, we are proud of our joint success and the flexibility that our technology provides.