【Pershing Technology Services Corporation x Business Today】 Re-shaping the brand, making good use of cutting-edge technology, while remaining human-centered
2020/12/30
Pershing Technology Services Corporation continues to add value to customers with the spirit of co-creation
PTSC Chairman, Chen Qinxiang, deeply believes that only by adhering to the spirit of co-creation, can products and services fulfil customers’ needs. PTSC hopes to add value to customers in the spirit of co-creation.
“Branding is not just a logo change or putting a mask over the company’s face to change the identity. We don’t want to change the image for the sake of changing the image alone, or simply for the sake of being featured in publications, but we change in order to strengthen the overall sustainability of the company. Change is a part of a process, and part of this process of change is connected with the brand,” PTSC Chairman, Sean Chen. He explained his reasons for investing in the rebranding project for PTSC, his voice calm, steady, resolute.
Mr. Chen introduced PTSC as an IT and information service company with a history of 38 years. The organisation has always had an excellent reputation with solid performance. After earning the title of Chairman, and as the second-generation successor, he wanted to reshape the logo, and he knew he would inevitably encounter resistance; however, due to his firm resolve and clear explanation for the purpose and method of rebranding, he was able to implement the plan clearly, without interference from the outside world. “Many people ask me, why do I want to focus so much on the brand? What’s the value of this determination and persistence? For me, there’s only one answer: ‘why not”‘?” he said.
The story starts from July, 2018.
At that time, the mantle of Chairman was officially passed over to him from his father, Chen Frank. Prior to the formal takeover, he had been involved in business operations for five years as the vice chairman. He was very familiar with Pershing’s corporate culture, business content, and even the internal team members. “Many people hold the stereotype that the second-generation successor always wants to make drastic changes. ‘Out with the old, in with the new. I’m not of that mindset.” Mr. Chen said with a smile.
Despite his obvious respect for PTSC’s strong foundational success, Mr. Chen’s thinking cannot be described as “traditional” or “conservative,” and he holds many different ideas of business operation from the previous generation. He hopes to treat his vision as that of a new generation, and still holds the values and traits of Pershing’s origins as essential elements of the company’s DNA . For example, the original values of “honesty” and “implementation” are fully integrated with today’s version of PTSC to create an enterprise spirit that is closer to the needs of customers and the trend of the times. “I have also gone through the stage when I was in my 20s and 30s and wanted to create a career; but when I reached my 40s I realized it was part of my life’s mission to take on this responsibility with the company,” he explained.
The Surprise Journey from website facelift to full company re-branding
Although Mr. Chen had the ambitious goal of transforming Pershing from the first day of his succession, the catalyst for action was actually a relatively mundane affair: the revision of the company’s website.
After taking over as chairman, Chen discovered when browsing his company’s website that it was like taking a step back in time. Whether it was regarding corporate identity, interactive design, or visual aesthetics, it did not live up to the cutting edge standards of a modern day tech company’s website. “B to B companies are helping customers with digital transformation and website upgrades every day, but if our own website cannot keep up with the times, how can we convince customers about our services and products?”
Chen knew that there were many ways to go about the website revamping process. Pershing could have undertaken the project internally, or they could outsource the project. There were two main points to making any decision: from the very first day of succession, Chen never considered cutting corners or going about any process cheaply, and he hoped any decisions would always reflect the core value of respect for professionalism in the company’s daily operations. It was these two guiding principles, coupled with a disciplined and attentive personality, that helped Chen lead the core team to have in-depth discussions with multiple design and consulting companies. After over two months dedicated to his search and exploration, he realised that it was not only the website that needed to be changed.
“The website is only one part of the company’s image. What we really need to consider is Pershing’s position, and we want to make sure that our vision of Pershing’s eventual position and future is in step with how the website looks and feels,” Chen remarked, his current level of confidence stemming from his measured and methodical approach. Step by step, the journey to revitalization and rebranding started in 2019 with steady progression.
“In the end, we chose to cooperate with a brand consulting company, but at the same time, I made sure to personally involve myself, be proactive, and take a hand-on approach rather than just leave it up to the consultants. During our sessions, I worked with brand consultants to initiate workshops, present competitive product analysis, and roll-out customer interviews. The whole process was step-by-step, and I thoroughly enjoyed our series of discussions and clarification throughout.” Chen said sincerely.
Chen enjoys and appreciates the value of a collaborative process. During the journey, he has taken care to listen to all the stakeholders: PTSC employees, customers, and consultants as much as possible. “I’m not someone who craves the spotlight all the time. I genuinely believe in the practice of group collaboration, teamwork, and consensus. The only way for sustainable success is to get everyone on board and excited about the same idea.”
(Pershing’s advisory service emphasizes open channels of communication to understand customer needs. Within the company, Pershing has also cultivated a corporate culture of active listening under Sean Chen’s leadership.)
Pershing continues to emphasize a culture of collaboration and acceptance
Sean has always gravitated towards a style that emphasizes teamwork. As early as 2014 when he was the vice chairman of the board, after in-depth research on mobile technology trends, he shot “Pershing’s Three Arrows” from his “bow” and used the strategies of “new organization”, “new market” and “new technology”. His strategies have helped transform Pershing from a computer system integration service provider to a digital service platform provider. While launching his new strategies, he himself also served as the director of the “Strategic Innovation Center” (CSI), a new department established to drive the company’s transformation and upgrading. Like a pioneer on horseback, he personally led the charge, focusing on the research and development of innovative technologies such as big data and AI artificial intelligence.
Sean’s triad of strategic thinking also allowed Pershing to become more sophisticated in cutting-edge technologies such as cloud technology, big data analysis, open source software, and commercial applications. Due to his familiarity with the latest technology, these strategies allowed Pershing to diversify from only focusing on financial and IT businesses. More recently, Pershing has opened up many small and medium-sized enterprises markets, as well as opening up its own brand awareness. It has evolved from a simple “IT information service” to a smart application solution service provider.
The last time Sean planned the company’s upgrade and transformation strategy took only one year; this time the challenge of “brand remodeling” was far more complex than “Pershing’s Three Arrows”. It took him two full years to settle on the brand spirit “Smart Technology, Passionate Service.”
“Over the course of rebranding, I made sure to emphasize realistic and actionable technology implications, intimate service interactions, as well as bringing a personal touch to our brand products whilst promoting an enthusiastic process. Along the way, our biggest partners are our customers. Everything we do relates back to excellent service. No matter how fast technology changes, we need to continue to add value to our customer service.” Sean explained.
Because Sean firmly believes in the balance between exploring technology and maintaining a human-centered approach, he made the bold decision to change the company’s name from “Pershing Services Company” to “Pershing Technology Service Company”. “A company name change is a major milestone, especially in our industry. Everyone associates the name brand “Pershing” with stability. To make such a big change was really a moment that rocked our company, our industry, our perceived notions of stability,” Sean recalled, a wistful look in his eyes. The two year rebranding journey was like riding the waves at sea; although there were brand consultants, experts from the field, and other second-generation leaders who have worked hard to learn from each other, Sean knew that he needed to remain calm and lead the way. “Technology is our sandbox. Rather than approaching our industry from an impersonal perspective, we need to focus on a human-centered approach. I hope our brand evokes positivity, reflection, approachability.” At the brand launch conference, Sean’s remarks received warm applause from long-term partners and customers.
The interactive and lively atmosphere at the brand launch event was a signal to the audience that the Pershing of today is truly something different from the Pershing of before.
“Traditionally, IT is mostly sales promotion at its core. IT companies make these awesome products, and then they turn right around and sell them to the world. However, they go through this process without truly considering the customer’s needs—the customer might not even know what they need. Through the rebranding process, it became evident to me that what we need a spirit of co-creation in order to help give the customers a stronger voice. We need to graduate from being salespeople, and step up to the next level of co-creators and consultants,” Chen explained.
Capitalizing on Pershing’s partnership with IBM to meet customers’ digital transformation needs
From a consultancy perspective, Pershing’s main value lies in providing expert step-by-step guidance when designing a planning process and IT solutions . The consultancy process begins with a comprehensive analysis of the customer’s capabilities, scope of business, organizational structure, and marketing position, as well as an analysis of other players in the market. After taking into account the company’s advantages and disadvantages, Pershing assists customers in developing a complete digital transformation blueprint. They use this blueprint to help design and plan IT solutions that best meet the needs of digital transformation.
“Our role has evolved from a service provider to a strategic partner,” Chen pointed out. He noted that Pershing has been working side by side with the world’s top partners such as IBM for many years. The latest technology developed by these iconic companies can be introduced through Pershing. Pershing works with its clients and partners to help create a positive cycle of contribution and innovation to the IT ecosystem.
To cite a specific example, cloud usage and implementation has recently been the hottest topic in the industry, but enterprises are increasingly not satisfied with what the public cloud has to offer as it lacks input, data, and application from within a company’s own system. Pershing looks to streamline the process and develop and reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO); in order to optimize operational capabilities for innovation and flexibility, companies have developed a “hybrid cloud” that combines the advantages of “public and private cloud,” and “onsite deployment”. Both Pershing and IBM take this practical and effective approach to cloud hybridization. As long as customers have the need for digital transformation, they can import IBM technology and implement its advantages.
In terms of specifics, Pershing can build a hybrid multi-cloud platform through IBM Power Systems, with private and multi-cloud solutions to establish efficient load capacity and greatly reduce IT operating costs. These solutions are supplemented by IBM Storage and data analyzing applications. These have become powerful tools for business growth; by using IBM Storage Suite to integrate multiple cloud platforms that can support IBM LinuxONE, Power, IBM Cloud, AWS and Google Cloud, users can bid farewell to cumbersome integrated management, and help customers achieve AI and data deployment , in order to bring the hybrid multi-cloud journey to fruition.
Although Pershing has only taken the first step in providing consultancy services for corporate digital transformation strategies, the groundwork of design thinking, data thinking, and co-creation are already in place. Chen personally led the “Strategic Innovation Center” which has been experimenting for quite some time with remarkable results.
Effective consultancy understands the core of customers’ needs through continuous learning
One specific tangible example that Chen cites as part of the “Strategic Innovation Center” is its “Service Bot.” “If you want to design a program for customers that can replace customer service manpower, the first step is to understand what questions the end users usually ask and what kind of support they need. Each customer’s needs are very different, and it’s possible to develop custom-designed products accordingly.”
(At the brand launch conference, Chen introduced the service robot “Hibao” for the first time to explain how Pershing simultaneously emphasizes application technology balanced with interactive customer service.)
In order to ensure that the customer service bot has all the bases covered, Pershing’s professional team implements in depth interviews with customers, draws a scenario map of FAQ, and confirms the details of each problem with related responses, design interfaces, and extensive testing. A customer service bot needs to be quick on its toes, flexible, and agile in its responses so as to meet the needs of online consumers. “For our Service Bot service to be successful, we must understand their customers better than they do. This full-fledged approach lies at the heart of the spirit of consulting.” Chen said.
Using this approach, we also encountered the Chimei Corporation that values forward-thinking skills and techniques. In the field of artificial intelligence, Chimei not only contributed to the establishment of Taiwan’s artificial intelligence school, but also through cooperation with Pershing, introduced detailed AI and digital transformation projects. Pershing has built an exclusive intelligent customer service robot for Chimei Industrial’s general administrative office. Dealing with issues and queries including work application, special leave quota, employee travel subsidy, meeting room reservation, users can inquire through intelligent customer service or directly complete the application. This new value-added service went live in July, reducing the time HR spent answering calls and replying to emails. Due to the positive results, Chimei Industrial and Pershing launched a new stage of “consultant interaction” to assist in accounting, legal affairs, information, and administration. Public relations departments have built multi-functional intelligent customer service robots, allowing all Chimei colleagues to enjoy 24-hour uninterrupted personalized services.
In terms of external customer service, Pershing also used the same model to build a service robot for a well-known Taiwan car manufacturer. The client hopes to break away from the traditional customer service center through AI integration and help enterprises to make “customer service transformation”, so that consumers can select suitable vehicle types. Recording, booking an automobile inspection, post-sales service, and factory maintenance can all be completed online. Since the service was launched, the volume of in-person customer service has been successfully reduced by 20%.
“At first glance it seems like the technology industry is on the cutting edge of the wave, but we need to continually push ourselves, otherwise we will not be able to keep up with today’s pace. I hope that Pershing will learn more quickly in the process of co-creating with customers. Only by focusing on the altruistic approach of putting ourselves in others’ shoes can we move towards sustainability,” Chen explained, persisting with the value of consultancy services.
Although Pershing has many achievements in recent years; however, Chen revealed that many people many people have cast doubts on the value of consultancy services: “These are services which are usually provided by international consultancy firms. How do Pershing’s B to B services fit into the equation?” Still, Chen remained steadfast in his resolve.
“After returning to Taiwan from abroad, I really think that Taiwanese people need to give themselves more credit. It just takes time and persistence to accumulate experience and expertise. Whether it’s branding or consulting services, as long as you find a field that works for you, the sky is the limit. If you approach things from a defeatist attitude, you’ll never grow or see your potential. All you really need is the courage to take that first step,” Chen Qinxiang said firmly.
The above news is from Business Today – Link
