Capabilities Scaling™ Methodology

How do we do it? Ephor's advisory services help clients focus and achieve a desired "future state" in their processes. We place significant emphasis on enabling long-term value-creating relationships with internal and external service providers. We offer the right balance of strategy and tactical discipline to help clients minimize risk and make effective, timely decisions.

We use strict processes, benchmarking databases, and leverage proven operational and governance practices to create a sourcing solution tailored specifically to your needs. We consistently create higher value for our clients by providing them with the right tools and methodologies to make the correct critical decisions that will impact their business.

We understand the uniqueness of every business. That every company has a unique set of requirements, objectives and challenges. Which is why we approach each engagement by listening and learning about your people, your operations and your business. This means we work with our clients to understand - first - their current operating reality, then help them create the right connection and balance between their aspirations and what actually happens in the organization. By working cohesively with our clients we create lasting relationships that generate measurable, sustainable results.

A hands-on collaborative approach coupled with an effective strategy is only as good as the impact it can have on your business. If strategy is unconnected with the reality of a company's operations and market conditions then it will remain just that - strategy. Our approach is based on the fundamental belief that strategy, implementation, operations and execution go hand-in-hand. Our consulting professionals consist of domain and functional experts that have deep experience in both strategy development and strategy implementation, and operational support of the strategy elements.

Knowledge-based consulting - In a rapidly evolving market, the shelf life of knowledge has been reduced to months if not weeks. Our approach to enabling your business to prosper relies on leveraging current trends, up-to-date methodologies and real-time knowledge and research on markets, industry benchmarks and service provider capabilities.

Too often advisors and management spend considerable time conducting assessments and developing strategies that produce few tangible impacts on the business. The Perform Business Process is different. We enter each engagement with the objective of producing rapid, measurable and sustainable results that will have an impact on the client's operations.

Capabilities Scaling Defined

Once a company has implemented its operating model, there is a multitude of areas for refinement and improvement. Whether a company should implement technology to scale the business (such as CRM or ERP), add new markets or partners; the proper implementation of people, process, and systems determines whether a company continues to improve and refines the business model.

Ephor helps firms determine where to focus their resources. Decisions ranging from evaluating and selecting technology or outsourcing partners are critical. Our Capabilities Scaling methodology will improve your Workforce, Operations, Scalability, and EBITDA.

Whether your company or department is seeking operational improvement or workforce improvement, Ephor will help guide you through the decision making process including vendor/provider evaluation, selection, implementation all the way to ensuring the "promises of the sale" are realized and that positive ROI for the resources spent is realized.

Ephor will help you build consensus and alignment to improve any of the following from the people, the process, or a system:

• Workforce
• Technology
• Finance and Accounting
• Sales and Service
• Operations
• Partners and Suppliers

Ephor has partnered with leading providers, vendors, consultants, VARs, and implementers across all functional areas of business to create scalable and sustainable improvement.

Our team regularly assess and evaluates the following technologies: (in fact we have worked with hundreds and invested in many!)

Workforce

• Payroll
• Benefits (Benefits Planning, Online Enrollment, Eligibility, Insurance)
• Self-Service (Portals, Wikis, Productivity Tools)
• HRIS (Human Resource Information System)
• Talent Management (Workforce Planning, Recruiting, ATS {applicant tracking system}, EPM {Employee Performance Management}
• HRO (Human Resources Outsourcing), PEO (Professional Employer Organizations), and ASO (Administrative Services Offering)
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO, RPM, Staffing)

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Finance and Accounting

• Quick Books, Peachtree
• FAO (Finance Accounting Outsourcing), AP/AR Outsourcing, Controller Outsourcing, CFO Outsourcing

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Sales and Service

• CRM (Customer Relationship Management) – Salesforce.com, Sage, NetSuite
• Marketing Services and Technology
• SEO/SEM (Search Engine Optimization / Search Engine Submission)
• Online Marketing

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Operations

• ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) – Sage, Microsoft, Info, Workday, Epicor, Activant, and 400 vertical solutions
• Logistics / Distribution
• Supply Chain Management (SCM)
• Safety
• Outsourcing vs. Insourcing Vs. Shared Services vs. Hybrid
• IT Managed Services / IT Outsourcing

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Partners and Suppliers

• (PRM {Partnership Relationship Management}, VMS {Vendor Management Systems}
• Procurement

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Selection, Negotiating, Change Management and Optimization matter! A typical consultant's perspective is limited by their functional or domain specialization. Ephor takes a holistic approach that takes into account strategy, operations, the workforce, valuation, and the long-term goals of all constituents. Included in every engagement are the following components which ensure near-term measurable results aligned with the strategy components.

Strategic Alignment

• Business model analysis
• Constituency alignment
• Companies position in industry, value proposition analysis, and needs assessments
• Organizational abilities and capacity against market opportunities
• Product and service portfolio analysis

Operational Alignment

• Business process analysis and development
• Constituency alignment (i.e. change management as needed)
• Financial analysis & engineering
• Functional capability and effectiveness analysis
• IT systems analysis and MIS evaluation
• Key performance indicator development and analysis by function
• Management process evaluation and effectiveness: Dashboards
• Performance improvement process & programs
  • Corrective action programs
  • Organizational structure and changes
  • Process changes and enhancements
  • Turnaround programs

Workforce Alignment

• Coaching and counseling
• Management assessments
• Management process implementation
• Interim management services and management augmentation
• Recruitment needs and fulfillment
• Skill gap analysis: Training requirements
• Talent, HR, and Workforce Strategy

Our typical engagement has two phases: Phase I which is Analysis and Alignment and Phase II which is Implementation and Enhancement. Contact Ephor for a no-obligation assessment of your situation.

Many times companies engage us to solve a singular issue, but ninety percent of the time the solution needs a combination of strategic guidance, operational improvement, management augmentation, or capital in order to solve the underlying issues. – Garry Meier, Ephor Group Founder.