Mahalakshmi Prabakaran
Deputy General Manager
Chennai,TN
Summary
Deputy general manager with greater than 25 years of experience in Central operations~ Frontline and Operations ~ International Banks ~ Healthcare (Provider) and banking services
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Deputy General Manager
Cognizant Technology
India, Chennai
02.2021 - Current
- Led cross-functional teams to drive strategic initiatives and enhance operational efficiency across multiple business units.
- Developed and implemented processes that improved service delivery and client satisfaction metrics.
- Oversaw project management efforts, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and timely execution of deliverables.
- Mentored junior managers, fostering leadership skills and promoting a culture of continuous improvement within the organization.
- Directed resource allocation and budgeting efforts to optimize operational performance and support business objectives.
- Ensured compliance with relevant regulations by developing robust policies and procedures.
- Developed and executed annual business plans, resulting in consistent revenue growth.
- Achieved cost savings through strategic negotiation with vendors and suppliers.
- Streamlined operations by identifying inefficiencies and implementing process improvements.
- Participated in planning process to achieve corporate objectives.
- Oversaw departmental budgeting, ensuring financial sustainability and responsible resource allocation.
Manager
Cognizant Technology solution
India, Chennai
01.2017 - 01.2021
- Functional role as Service delivery Manager
- Core responsibilities: SLA Management, Client management, Risk & Governance, Financials, People Engagement & Resource management, Revenue & Cost - accountable for CP%, Projects and Automation, Transition & New business
- Handling a team of 200+ advisors, along with 3 Managers and 10 Team Leaders
- Service delivery – Transition, SLA management, Recruitment & attrition control analysis, Revenue & Costing – CP, supplier governance/oversight & contracts/commercials management, Design Operation efficiency module & Implementation, Clint Management, Csat & Stakeholder satisfaction
- Change design development, Delivery, Implementation & associated risk/ issues management via appropriate governance
- Manage Operation - Own business goals & define operational metrics aligned to goals: establish process for tracking metrics - drive projects: Proactively identify risks /Gaps
- Planning & Forecasting: Foresee capacity issues to plan effective cost save model for improved CP%
- Quality & process excellence – Deep dive & identify root cause of issues: identify SOP, process change that impact quality and drive to closure
- Process improvement solution adopted across teams: work with program / Tech based process to define requirement
- Prepare EBR, highlight achievements, way forward approach during client review
- Led cross-functional teams to drive strategic initiatives and improve operational efficiency.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to optimize resource allocation and operational workflows.
- Collaborated with department heads to establish goals and work plans.
- Oversaw departmental budgeting, ensuring financial sustainability and responsible resource allocation.
- Reported issues to higher management with great detail.
Manager
Barclays Shared Service
India, Chennai
09.2013 - 01.2017
- Handling a team of 52 members and involved in process related to Insurance for UK customers
- Internal Risk and Governance ( R & G) Spoc for the unit
- Manages ORMP / MSA / BIA / SOX audits for the unit
- Managing Integrated Quality control team
- Project lead for an automation project at Group level
- Coordinate with external automation vendor and understand their robots methodology
- Preparation of design documents, test scripts, UAT and implement the automation on production environment through Live proving phase
- MBR deck preparation and presenting to the Director on monthly basis
- Daily CAP call with stake holders on production plan for the day and about performance of the previous day
- Daily deployment plans based on the volumes in the global processing queues
- Tracks breach volumes/ late logs and reports the same appropriately
- Member of Idea forum and implemented process changes resulted in FTE / Cost saves
- White Belt certified and completed a project resulted in 3 FTE saves / month
- Handles new recruitment, training and on board activities for the unit
- Maintain accuracy levels through a quality output
- Identified the pain areas of the unit periodically, did root cause analysis and fix the same with appropriate trainings, road shows, refreshers and buddy checking
- Conduct weekly Managers meet with Operation mangers, prepare minutes, follow up on open items till closure
- Daily performance reports to Onshore
- Drive CSAT scores through Rally cry metrics (RCM)
Team leader
SCOPE INTERNATIONAL PVT LTD
India, Chennai
10.2006 - 09.2013
- Handled call center functionality related to complete portfolio of SCB – UAE.
- Manage the entire call center to achieve daily SLA’s, Compliance, Audit, transformation and external/internal stakeholders
- Handled customer escalations and fraudulent transactions (AML) and resolve the issues on priority through consistent follow up with Operations before Ops loss reported.
- Ensure to meet the agreed service level agreements with all the stakeholders.
- Undertake periodic self-assessment on all the process as part of monthly Key Control Standards (KCS)
- Handled KYC and AML for the PBU units for middle east
- Handled Internal, External and Group Audits and ensure that the results should be always in Green (Good) or Amber (Satisfactory).
- Worked with geographies and different customer segment for IVR Transformation Agenda. Manager excellence and Lean certified for incubation and development.
- Maximum seat utilization by weekly roster plan, which results in cost reduction per seat.
- Coach the team on the new products and process as per the business requirements
- Additionally handled customer escalation team to provide optimum service to the irate customers.
- Senior Quality analyst for KYC/phone banking:
- Conduct “Joint Feed Back” sessions with Peers, to understand the areas of improvement
- Facilitate “Call Calibration” sessions with the Team Leaders to enable them to know the Performance of their own team members in terms of FATAL and NON FATAL parameters
- Conduct “Call Listening” sessions with the Managers and Unit Head’s on monthly basis
- Analyzed the “VOC” data for various units and subsequently carried out actions plans in Order to curb the essentials
- Conduct and organized “Refresher Training” for executives on the areas of improvement
- Identifying the process gaps and suggest the Business Intelligence Team and Training Team to fix the gaps for better customer experience
- Drafting scripts for various processes and scenarios
Senior Executive
Apeejay Finance
India, Chennai
04.2005 - 09.2006
- Ensuring that all activities that are delayed is intimated Internally/Externally as per the matrix.
- Follow up done to ensure delayed activities are completed and timely update provided to Clients.
- Coordinating with Infra team to handle Technical/ Non – technical service updates so that BAU is not affected
- Coordinating with Billing / Finance unit to ensure correct and timely completion of Billing is done every month
- Coordinating with Technology operations unit to ascertain the approval/decline rate for transactions per project
- Coordinating with multiple units in order to ensure Clients queries are addressed within TAT.
- Providing bi-weekly MIS on requests/issues raised by Client along with ageing analysis
- Providing weekly MIS on Compliance/Non – Compliance of activities stakeholders
- Providing weekly MIS on activities which have crossed SLA to clients
- Providing monthly MIS on reports which are requested by client
- Providing monthly MIS along with month on month comparison on processing errors
- Providing success/reject count of records to Managers/Unit head which are Staged, ensuring to attend monthly COP (Community of Practice)
Senior associate
HBL GLOBAL Pvt Ltd
India, Chennai
12.2003 - 03.2005
- Coordinated with the processing units for file logging and reject on daily basis
- To circulate regular MIS to Business heads and Processing units to know the status in depletion control
- Conduct training for the front end team on the CASA product
- Identifying routine requests received through letters and organize the same through better tracking mechanism.
Education
MBA - Human Resource & Administration
BSc - Botany
Graduation in NIIT - undefined
NIIT Tech
Skills
Bench management and cost optimization
Customer centricity
Client Relationship Management
Team Management
Multiple stake holders management
Planning & Execution
Team Engagement
Process reengineering
Process migration
Cost control
Customer escalations
SG&A Management
Accomplishments
- Migration:
- Project Lead : Migrated CEMS process from UAE to India
- Project Lead : Instrumental in implementing and migrating OES across Chennai (Cross cluster)
- Project Lead : Migrated MIT and SWAT project from USA to India
- Automation:
- Project Lead : Cognos report automation – HCPM on portal
- Project Lead : TAT analysis through design thinking – Black belt
- Project Lead : Accelated exit and cost management
- Project Lead : Merge multiple letters to single letter – Black belt
Personality Traits
- Good Team player
- Self motivated
- Proactive
- Adaptable to work environment
- Trustworthy
- Responsible
- Target oriented
- Quality driven
PROFILE HIGHLIGHTS
- Create healthy relationships with Clients and provide optimum quality service to ensure complete customer satisfaction
- Professional with experience in Team Management, Cost control, Risk & Governance, Stake holder management and Planning
- Expertise in Frontline and banking operations process with focus on Customer centricity and operational risk
- End to end hands on experience in automation projects
- Result oriented. Effectively identify and resolve issues with the available resources
- Prioritize workload and multi-task; flexible in changing priorities as per the criticality and demand from the business
- Expertise in providing cutting-edge solutions and driving new business
- Expertise in employee development campaigns and leveraging key strengths and maintain employee relationships
- Effective presentation and communication skills with keen abilities in planning and execution
- Customer focused and performance driven with a flair for ensuring adherences to best practices
CUST
- Client Relationship Management:
- Identifies current and future project requirements by establishing rapport with clients
- Focusing on customer satisfaction by closely interacting with the clients to understand their requirements and delivering high-value services
- Ensuring compliance with Standard Operating Procedures and Brand standards in order to enhance customer satisfaction
- Team Management:
- Ensuring efficiency in operations by managing & monitoring the performance of team members
- Identifying & implementing strategies for building team effectiveness by promoting a spirit of cooperation between team members
- Identifying newer opportunities, formulating business strategies, and deployment of available resources to achieve organizational business objectives
- Establishing corporate goals, short term budgets and developing business plans for achieving of these goals
- Engaging the team for better output and best place to work
Timeline
Deputy General Manager
Cognizant Technology
02.2021 - Current
Manager
Cognizant Technology solution
01.2017 - 01.2021
Manager
Barclays Shared Service
09.2013 - 01.2017
Team leader
SCOPE INTERNATIONAL PVT LTD
10.2006 - 09.2013
Senior Executive
Apeejay Finance
04.2005 - 09.2006
Senior associate
HBL GLOBAL Pvt Ltd
12.2003 - 03.2005
Graduation in NIIT - undefined
NIIT Tech