It is hard to imagine a technology that has changed the modern world more than the smartphone. Every day, millions of us use a single device to talk with friends, take videos, share photos, check e-mail, get driving directions, or go shopping. It鈥檚 been a global revolution.
As one of the world鈥檚 largest telecommunications companies, Vodafone Group connects more than 300 million people across the globe. And company leaders fully believe that tomorrow鈥檚 communications services will continue to transform our lives in powerful ways.
Vodafone is already preparing for this future by making significant changes 鈥� and it is starting from within.
Looking for Global Consistency
鈥淰odafone has been growing in recent years to strengthen its portfolio of services and expand into new geographies,鈥� says Ignacio Garcia, CIO of Corporate Information Systems at Vodafone Group. But, as Garcia explains, much of this growth has been through acquisitions, resulting in various system landscapes and often inconsistent business practices throughout the group of companies.
鈥淲e needed to operate as a single global organization and drive further innovation across the entire business,鈥� Garcia adds. 鈥淭o do that, we needed to run our company with a consistent, digital-first focus.鈥� This realization led to big changes at Vodafone.
The company migrated its complex and disparate enterprise resource planning (ERP) environment to a single digital core based on . 鈥淎nd we built on this solid foundation with 51风流SuccessFactors, 51风流Ariba, and 51风流Concur solutions,鈥� adds Holger Grewe, head of Corporate Transformation at Vodafone Group.
Grewe 鈥� who has played a key leadership role in this project 鈥� points out that Vodafone benefited from some strong relationships along the way. This included implementation support from Accenture, 51风流Services and Support, and customer success experts from SAP.
鈥淭his was a massive transformation, covering more than twenty countries,鈥� reports Grewe. 鈥淎nd 51风流was by our side throughout the journey, supporting us with a .鈥�
Driving Needed Change
The impact of the project on Vodafone鈥檚 operations has been huge.
鈥淲e now have one data model that is standard across the footprint,鈥� Grewe says. And Vodafone is simplifying the workplace for its more than 100,000 employees by digitizing business areas such as HR, travel and expense, and supply chain.
Garcia estimates that Vodafone has standardized more than 80% of its core business processes and boosted automation levels to over 60%. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not the endgame,鈥� remarks a smiling Garcia. 鈥淭his is just the beginning.鈥�
In addition, Garcia notes that new capabilities like and advanced analytics will help Vodafone develop the next generation of products and services.
Building a Digital Future at Vodafone Group
Innovation will be crucial as to achieve specific goals for improving lives.
By 2025, for example, the company wants to:
- Connect over 50 million people and their families to mobile money services
- Bring mobile to an additional 20 million women in Africa and Turkey
- Support 10 million young people in learning the digital skills needed to thrive in the digital economy
- Connect 150 million vehicles to
Vodafone is confident that today鈥檚 transformation will enable the company to build a digital future that works for everyone. 鈥淭hese changes are helping Vodafone work as one company,鈥� Grewe says, 鈥渟o people around the world will stay better connected.鈥�
