RAPID Transformation Restores Customer Trust and Unlocks Multi-Million Dollar Retention
FAST FACTS
Industry:
Telecommunications
Specialty:
Business Support Systems (BSS) and Operational Support Systems (OSS) for mobile and enterprise clients
Solution:
End-to-end system rebuild and leadership realignment
Users:
Telecom executives, infrastructure teams, account managers, and global carrier clients
ABOUT THE PROJECT
A regional telecommunications company serving Tier 1 mobile network operators (MNOs) was facing a full-blown crisis: 100% of their clients were dissatisfied, infrastructure was collapsing under pressure, and leadership had lost control of both technology and delivery. The company had burned through millions on failed vendor integrations and was at serious risk of losing every major customer.
PROJECT IDEA
- Deliver a complete rebuild of the core telecom delivery platform focused on reliability, scalability, and client visibility.
- Restructure leadership, engineering, and customer support to function as a single delivery-focused unit.
- Regain trust from top-tier MNO clients by delivering on long-promised SLAs and feature commitments.
PROJECT CHALLENGES
- Total Customer Dissatisfaction: The company had failed every major client initiative. Service levels were below contract thresholds, and trust was gone.
- Unstable BSS/OSS Systems: Core systems frequently failed during billing, provisioning, and analytics—putting millions in customer accounts at risk.
- Leadership Breakdown: Internal leaders lacked technical depth and delivery discipline, and vendor engagements were spiraling out of control.
- Talent Drain and Low Morale: The company had cycled through CTOs, PMs, and developers—each leaving more disorganized than the last.
RESULTS
- 95% client satisfaction was restored within 12 months of Cognativ-led transformation.
- 100% of key accounts retained—preserving over $20M in annual revenue that was previously at risk.
- RAPID methodology implemented across technology and operations to align strategy with outcomes.
- Cross-functional rebuild allowed engineering, delivery, and client services to operate as one high-performance unit.
BUSINESS CHALLENGES
The client had positioned itself as a technology partner to Tier 1 telecom providers—but couldn’t deliver against its own roadmap. Project after project missed deadlines, features were half-shipped or unstable, and customer complaints piled up. Worse, the internal culture had become toxic: departments were siloed, blame-shifting was constant, and no one had a clear view of the entire system.
Millions had been invested in integrations, external contractors, and senior hires. Yet not a single client could say they were satisfied. The board recognized the situation as existential. Unless something changed immediately, they would lose their entire base—and their valuation along with it.
WHY TELECOM LEADERS TRUST COGNATIV?
Telecommunications organizations choose Cognativ when complexity becomes chaos. Whether the problem is fragile BSS systems, missed SLAs, or leadership dysfunction, our RAPID framework turns disarray into disciplined delivery. We help telecom firms refactor their architecture, rebuild trust with enterprise customers, and realign product and engineering teams around measurable, sustainable results.
TOTAL CUSTOMER DISSATISFACTION
Every enterprise client had reported service failures, missed SLAs, and broken promises. Retention was no longer assumed—it was in play.
UNSTABLE BSS/OSS SYSTEMS
Systems responsible for billing, provisioning, analytics, and client self-service were fragmented and constantly failing.
LEADERSHIP BREAKDOWN
Product, engineering, and account leadership had no shared language, process, or delivery model. No one owned outcomes.
TALENT DRAIN AND LOW MORALE
Leadership churn had created an unstable environment where nothing stuck, and people were disengaged.
FAILED THIRD-PARTY VENDORS
Past vendors overpromised, underdelivered, and left a trail of broken integrations—making new work harder and riskier.
OPERATIONAL BLIND SPOTS
No one inside the company could provide an accurate view of client system health, project status, or delivery risk.
THE SOLUTION
Cognativ was engaged as a last-resort advisor. But instead of issuing a report, we stepped in as operators—taking full accountability for outcomes.
- Phase 1: Using RAPID’s Research and Analyze phases, we conducted a full audit of systems, culture, delivery, and client expectations. We interviewed executives, engineers, and customers to understand both tech and trust gaps. We then replaced the bloated project plan with a hard-priority roadmap aligned to the top three customer commitments.
- Phase 2: Cognativ rebuilt the delivery system from scratch—revamping ticketing, release management, infrastructure, and client-facing documentation. We placed experienced leadership inside product, delivery, and support. Teams were restructured to report to outcomes, not departments.
- Architecture: The platform was rebuilt as a modular, service-oriented architecture using Cognativ’s SmartSaaS™ model. This allowed faster feature delivery, fault tolerance, and real-time telemetry for each client account.
HOW RAPID WAS USED...
"“Sometimes the tech is broken. But usually, it's the trust. RAPID helped us rebuild both at the same time—by putting structure around chaos and driving fast, visible wins.” "
– Ali Davachi, Cognativ Founder
What is the RAPID Framework?
RAPID stands for Research, Analyze, Plan, Implement, and Decide. Developed by Ali Davachi and used across Fortune 500 and high-growth firms, RAPID is a proven model for turning complex transformations into measurable results. It helps companies define what matters, build systems that align, and deliver under pressure. Read more in RAPID Transformation: An Outcomes-Based Approach to Drive Results.
RESULTS OBTAINED
Within 12 months of Cognativ’s intervention, customer satisfaction rebounded from 0% to 95%, and 100% of key enterprise accounts were retained—protecting over $20M in annual revenue. A ground-up rebuild of BSS/OSS systems, paired with leadership realignment and RAPID-driven execution, restored operational discipline and client confidence. Engineering velocity improved by 50%, ticket resolution times dropped sharply, and RAPID became the standard for planning, delivery, and decision-making across teams.
Customer Satisfaction Restored
Clients who had prepared to leave re-engaged after consistent delivery and transparency returned to the relationship.
Account Retention
All key enterprise clients renewed or expanded within 12 months—preserving more than $20M in annualized revenue.
Discipline Installed
Engineering velocity improved by 50%, ticket aging dropped by 70%, and internal escalations dropped to near-zero.
Adoption Across Teams
Product, delivery, and support began using RAPID to scope work, evaluate risk, and track delivery outcomes week over week.
IMMEDIATE BENEFITS
- Rebuilt Platform: Client-facing systems were stabilized, modernized, and fully operational within 90 days.
- Executive Confidence: Leadership could now report accurate timelines, risks, and delivery capacity to clients.
- Client Relationship Recovery: Enterprise customers were brought back to the table with confidence in a new team and process.
- Organizational Clarity: Everyone knew who owned what, and how decisions would be made.
ONGOING BENEFITS
- Cognativ remains engaged as a strategic partner, supporting platform upgrades, roadmap evolution, and delivery management.
- The RAPID model is now used in quarterly planning, team reviews, and client communications.
- The company has since launched two new products with no major delivery delays.
- The firm is back in growth mode—retaining talent, attracting investor interest, and earning back market trust.