HEC Paris focuses on the essential issues which shape the way that business is done. Custom programmes are designed to meet the specific needs of corporate clients. Companies benefit from an academic vision and real-life consulting experience which can be immediately applied within their organisations.

HEC Paris and Orange Business Services have co-designed and are co-delivering a transformational learning programme to help Orange excel in supporting companies, local government bodies and public sector organisations in every aspect of their digital transformation.

Marketing excellence

Orange Business Services provides communication services to companies and multinational groups in France and worldwide. Present in over 160 countries and territories, Orange Business Services has the most extensive seamless network in the world.

Differentiating itself from the competition plays a key role in the future growth of the group and innovation lies at the very heart of its corporate strategy. This enables Orange Business Services to help clients move towards new technologies and to act as their “digital coach” for both today and tomorrow.

“The participants are genuinely satisfied at the end of the course, and their ability to apply what they have learned, manage complex projects and generate positive momentum are skills that are highly sought after by top management in the company,“ shares Yves Cany, Head of Marketing Capability Development Global Solutions at Orange Business Services.

The challenge

The global economic downturn, a decline in traditional business, the rise of new technologies, constantly increasing pressure from the competition and the need to develop new and innovative growth drivers...To meet these unprecedented challenges Orange Business Services decided to focus on differentiation and develop an "unmatched customer experience”. This strategy is based on marketing excellence that relies on the quality of the services offered, after-sales, contact and exchange and, above all, on high levels of agility.

To achieve these objectives, Orange Business Services sought to implement a specific training programme for product managers and operational marketing managers, with a strong focus on B2B. The main aim being to improve existing working practices and acquire greater agility in order to respond to increasingly complex tenders within the shortest possible timeframes.

A tailor-made solution

To ensure that employees acquired these necessary new skills, however, an off-the-shelf training programme was not a viable option. Marketing professionals demand training programmes that meet their specific needs, take into account their working practices, and deliver tangible results.

The idea of implementing a customised training programme took hold very quickly, as this is the most effective choice in terms of budgetary control. Orange Business Services decided to join forces with HEC Paris because of the quality of their response to the tender, their proactivity and their ability to propose approaches and practical applications that were truly relevant for future participants. The tailor-made programme that was co-developed by Orange Business Services and HEC Paris has been implemented twice so far – once in 2013, and once in 2015 – and will be run again in 2017. It is a comprehensive and demanding programme aimed at 30 high-potential managers. Participants take part in four training modules – strategic marketing, value creation, customer intimacy and pricing. The programme concludes with an oral defence of practical projects before a jury of professionals from Orange Business Services and HEC Paris

Impact

The satisfaction ratings at the end-of-programme evaluations in terms of the quality of the content, the professors and individual progress have all been excellent. Participants who complete the programme are generally able to transform their day-to-day working practices within just a few months. They are also good at sharing their newly acquired knowledge with colleagues and developing a networking culture with fellow trainees from various business units in both France and overseas. The impact of the customised training programme was clearly evident in the Orange Business Services quarterly results at the end of 2015. The quality of offers developed for cloud and security increased by 7% and 14% respectively.