IBM > Case Studies > Optimizing delivery of global educational programs with deeper insight into company finances

Optimizing delivery of global educational programs with deeper insight into company finances

Company Size

1,000+

Region

Europe

Country

Switzerland

Product

IBM Planning Analytics

Tech Stack

IBM Analytics solutions

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics

Applicable Industries

Education

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Use Cases

Predictive Replenishment

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

EF Education First Ltd. is an international education company founded in 1965 and based in Luzern, Switzerland. It offers a wide range of educational programs, from language training, educational travel and academic degree programs to cultural exchanges, serving people of all ages. The company operates approximately 500 schools in more than 50 countries, employing 15,000 full-time office staff, 3,500 full-time faculty and 16,500 part-time teachers, leaders and tour directors. EF's unique offering is educational programs abroad, which involve accommodation, staffing and other costs which vary from country to country and over time. For example, a student from Germany who wants to study Spanish in Costa Rica might have a very different cost and revenue profile compared to a student from China who wants to study English in California.

The Challenge

EF Education First (EF) provides language tuition around the world, often by immersing students in another culture. As student numbers fluctuate in different markets and destinations, the company must manage a dizzying array of costs relating to staffing, accommodation and educational materials, and price its offerings to maintain healthy profits while also maximizing sales. With thousands of employees influencing its budgets and financial plans, the company had difficulty ensuring a consistent approach to calculating costs and collecting data. Historically, EF had relied on spreadsheets to collect and compile financial and operational planning data from employees. As a highly decentralized organization, this was no easy task, and it was difficult to ensure a standardized approach to calculating figures and creating accurate budgets.

The Solution

To transform its business planning processes, EF chose to deploy IBM Planning Analytics, working with IBM Premier Business Partner Attollo AB to ease the transition to the new system. EF began by rolling out the solution to one division, gradually replacing spreadsheets until it was possible to build a full profit and loss statement (P&L) in Planning Analytics. Since then, the solution has been rolled out to four other divisions and a total of 800 users, with plans to extend it further. Although it is still early days, EF has already begun investigating scenario modeling with the solution, which will help the company to take better decisions than ever before.

Operational Impact

EF is gaining greater control over and visibility of the calculations behind its budgets. As a result, the company can trust the figures more than ever, and rely on the insights gleaned from them.
By saving financial controllers time and effort on compiling plans and budgets, the solution is also helping to foster a culture of more analytical decision-making at EF.
The ability to price and re-price its offerings, faster and more accurately than ever before, is helping EF stay in tune with its ever-changing markets.

Quantitative Benefit