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Auxis LLC |
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November 23, 2015 Issue |
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The Most Powerful Name In Corporate News and Information |
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High-end Management Consulting Services for Business Strategy and Transformation |
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Founder/CEO
Auxis LLC
Interview conducted by: Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor, CEOCFO Magazine, Published – November 23, 2015
CEOCFO: Mr. Vega, according to your site, Auxis is a world class management consulting and outsourcing firm with a unique approach. How does your approach differ from the standard? Mr. Vega: The vision for the firm came when I was working at Pepsi, in the 1990’s. I had worked with many different consulting firms while at Pepsi and also started my career at Price Waterhouse. What I saw was that the traditional consulting model was not geared toward what many organizations really needed to transform their businesses to deal with increased global competition and technology innovation. We developed a very different approach. Our teams bring a real world perspective with a blend of skill sets that come from experience in both industry and consulting services. We go in with a much more experienced team than is normal. Typically, our consultants have at least 10-20 years of experience and they are the ones actually performing the work – not just selling the work. We work with client’s executive team very closely and collaboratively. The nature of the team that we have is what enables us to have greater flexibility compared to other firms. When you look at the types of services we bring, we bring in high-end management consulting type services centered around operational strategy and business transformation, but we combine that with a strong technology capability as well as the innovative nearshore outsourcing model that we were talking about last week in our $30MM strategic expansion announcement.
CEOCFO: When might a company turn to you? Mr. Vega: Many organizations reach a point in their growth cycle where they are struggling with scalability and efficiency, and need to re-tool their business model. Our clients are typically experiencing a major event, such as an acquisition or changing industry dynamics, which requires them to relook at their business model and bring in new ways of thinking about their processes, information technology and organizational structure.
CEOCFO: When you are assessing what a company needs, what are a few things you might look at about the company that most people do not recognize as meaningful? Mr. Vega: Consultants often do a good job of performing a textbook, quantitative analysis of a business and coming up with many good ideas. Unfortunately, they often lack proper perspective. We believe that it is critical to look closely at an organization’s operating and business culture in order to determine the right solutions to recommend, and the best approach for implementing change. You can have many good ideas, but the implementation and execution is where the “rubber meets the road”. An approach you may take for company A, may not be a very good fit with company B, so the need to customize is critical. This is where experience and flexibility makes a big difference in ensuring a successful outcome.
CEOCFO: Would you describe a typical engagement with Auxis? Mr. Vega: It depends what they engaged us for. We have two ways for clients to work with us. One is from a consulting perspective, which is essentially project based type work, or we can provide the same type of business improvement solutions, but through an outsourced model utilizing our nearshore center in Costa Rica. Typically, we are working with the CEO and CFO of the organization. At the beginning, they have a business issue, but may not be clear on how they want to address it. We will initially work to develop a baseline understanding of the situation and develop strategic and executive alignment across the organization as to the challenges, potential solutions and best roadmap for implementation. We then work with them through the full cycle of designing and implementing those solutions to ensure value realization
CEOCFO: How do potential clients find you in an internet search and what terms do they use for that search? Mr. Vega: It is a challenge when you are not a huge brand name out there. We do a lot of outreach to executives and we are active in various industry groups. For example, last week I chaired a three-day conference on Shared Services and Outsourcing in Latin America. We meet many executives through these efforts. We also do a lot of thought leadership, focusing on business growth and technology topics. We obviously are doing all the website stuff, but that is not the common avenue for executives to buy our services. Given the importance and sensitivity of most of our work, trust is the key ingredient. Many of our clients come from referrals from other clients or from other types of trusted advisors, such as corporate attorneys, bankers and accountants.
CEOCFO: Do people turn to you because they understand the depth of what you do on the planning and implementation side, or are people sometimes surprised at how you can handle a range of their needs? Mr. Vega: Most of the time, I think they are literally shocked at what we can do. They often are not familiar with Auxis and are only used to the big name company model. Many times, they do not even know there is an alternative out there that brings these types of high-end capabilities, but with a more nimble, customized and high-touch delivery model. Typically, when we work with clients for the first time, we will do a small, very focused engagement to earn their confidence and trust. Our team is very efficient in how we do things and we have very experienced team members. That surprises them because they are used to a model where consultants tend to be less experienced and supported by just few senior resources. Clients are happy with our lean, efficient approach and the speed to value that it delivers.
CEOCFO: Why do people want to work at Auxis? Mr. Vega: A great deal of it is because of the culture we have built. The consulting business is not easy and is very demanding personally. We provide a different type of model. We do not offer our people a job, we offer them a career. A career in which they are going to be in the leading edge of new technologies and business process advancement, where they have the opportunity to work with clients across a broad range of industries and where they are going to be treated and appreciated as an individual and not just be a number. Our people love the type of work we do, and being able to work directly with client executive teams, but also being in a smaller collaborative environment. They love to be able to take ownership of their work and be exposed to a wide range of business challenges.
CEOCFO: How do you work with your customer service people so that they are providing top quality experiences? Mr. Vega: It is a constant process but we have built our business by being laser focused on doing great work. When you do not have a huge brand, your brand becomes what your clients say about you, so that is embedded in our culture. We have a passionate focus on our clients and good service starts with hiring people with the right mindset. You have to have a culture that is focused on customers. You have to “walk the talk”, from the top of the organization all the way down. That is the key.
CEOCFO: Are there particular projects you would like to work on, given the option? Mr. Vega: We love to work with clients and executive teams who are looking to take their companies to the next level and to improve performance. We look for clients that want to work in a collaborative manner. We work best with clients where we become an extension of their team and we are helping them achieve their strategic vision. That is the number-one thing. For this type of work to be successful, you need to have a relationship based on mutual trust and respect. For example, we have one client that we have been working with for thirteen years, and have helped them grow from a $500 million struggling company to a $5 billion growth company. That is what really gets us excited.
CEOCFO: What has surprised you as the company has grown? Mr. Vega: One thing is the real need for clients to have an outside perspective and how unique our customer-centric approach really is. What I thought was a common approach is not that common. The lack of alignment that I often see with other professional service organizations and their clients is astonishing, and how surprised clients are that you really care, and are driven by their success still surprises me to this day. Many consultants have a bad reputation and clients are often skeptical to begin with. I understand that because anybody can call himself or herself a consultant, so the word is often overused.
CEOCFO: Why choose Auxis? Mr. Vega: You choose Auxis because you need a firm you can trust to help you stay relevant in today’s hyper-competitive business environment. Succeeding today requires a new approach that focuses on customization, flexibility, and the synthesis of both business operations and information technology. We brings that expertise, and an innovative service delivery model that is aligned and focused on your long-term success. Executives look to us as a partner in helping them navigate the ever-changing business landscape and drive innovation to make their business more efficient, scalable and effective. We are there for our clients throughout the entire journey, from strategy and design to the heavy lifting of implementation. We welcome accountability and you can count on us to deliver results. |
“Succeeding in today’s fast paced; hyper-competitive environment requires a new approach that focuses on customization, flexibility and the synthesis of both business operations and information technology. We brings that expertise and an innovative service delivery model that is aligned and focused on our client’s long-term success.”- Raul Vega
Auxis LLC
Contact: Yaslin Arroyo 954-236-4013
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Raul
Vega