The telecommunications industry has long struggled with service delivery challenges that hinder innovation and erode customer trust. Zayo is tackling these issues head-on, introducing strategic initiatives that set a new standard for service excellence. 

Zayo’s approach focuses on smarter resource allocation, stronger team collaboration, and customer-first design to reshape service delivery. These changes have already led to a 5% improvement in overall service delivery on-time performance in the first half of 2025 compared to the first half of 2024, demonstrating how this transformation drives meaningful improvements and creates better customer experiences.  

Tackling Industry Challenges with Innovation 

Telecommunications companies face common challenges in service delivery: communication gaps, continuity issues, and operational inefficiencies that can impact customer satisfaction. Zayo identified these widespread industry challenges and crafted innovative, targeted strategies to tackle them head-on. 

Strategic Resource Redistribution 

Central to Zayo’s transformation is the strategic redistribution of resources to create specialized teams that focus on specific customer needs and product complexities. This approach ensures that expertise is always directed where it’s most needed, maximizing both efficiency and service quality. 

Key Elements of Service Delivery Resource Optimization 

• Specialized Team Formation: Teams are organized by customer type, product complexity, and strategic importance to ensure the right expertise meets the right challenge. 

• Enhanced Collaboration: Smaller, focused teams enable more relevant and targeted conversations, improving decision-making speed and accuracy. 

• Strategic Focus: Teams can distinguish between fast-track orders and complex implementations, tailoring their approach accordingly. 

“We may have had 20 or 30 engineers for a specific product trying to converse between 20 PMs regarding a multitude of orders, which is way too much,” noted JoEllen Schreiber, Head of Order Management at Zayo. “To help streamline, we broke them into distinct groups and made each set much smaller. That way, it’s clear they’re focused on the same things.” 

Fostering Collective Ownership Through Enhanced Collaboration 

Zayo is empowering its teams to deliver more value to customers by fostering collaboration and offering specialized training. Every team member builds confidence in their product knowledge and technical ability, translating into stronger problem-solving skills and a deeper sense of ownership, ensuring customers receive more efficient, expert, and proactive support. Here’s how: 

• Daily Strategic Alignment: Morning sync calls within teams help align priorities, address roadblocks collaboratively, and ensure everyone is working towards the same objectives. 

• Reinforced Product Confidence: With groups no longer being stretched across Zayo’s entire product portfolio, customers can benefit from deeper expertise and more effective problem-solving, tailored to their specific needs. 

• Accountability and Visibility Enhancements: With new collaborative structures, customers can enjoy improved forecasting and order status visibility. 

“These changes have helped us share a sense of urgency with projects,” notes Amber Theis, Sr. Manager, Service Delivery. “Now, there’s more of an overall team feeling, which has really improved the dynamic and flow of our work.” 

Customer-Centric Communication  

Historically, the telecommunications industry has been known for fragmented and confusing communication. By providing clear, consistent communication through dedicated project managers, Zayo ensures customers have a reliable partner who understands your needs and works with you to solve challenges from start to finish. Here’s how having a dedicated project manager benefits our customers: 

• Communication Clarity: Customers have one consistent person to turn to for updates, questions, and concerns, eliminating confusion and ensuring information consistency. 

• Service Continuity: Project managers understand customer history, needs, and ongoing projects, building stronger partnerships and ensuring smoother experiences across all orders. 

• Accelerated Issue Resolution: Deep customer account understanding and strong internal relationships enable faster navigation of internal processes and quicker roadblock resolution. 

Under the leadership of VP of Service Delivery Vanessa Hyjek, Zayo has implemented disciplined communication standards, including proactive outreach and regular customer communication intervals. This systemic approach has led to 99% on-time weekly customer communication since the program’s inception. 

“Building consistency around customer communication and adhering to that process has decreased unnecessary escalations,” explains Amber Theis. “Following that lead and remaining consistent in our communication has improved customer service overall.” 

Setting the New Standard for Telecommunications Service Delivery 

Zayo’s transformation demonstrates how telecommunications companies can redefine service delivery through strategic resource allocation, enhanced team collaboration, and an unwavering, cohesive customer focus. By addressing industry-wide challenges with innovative solutions, Zayo is not only improving its own operations, but setting a new benchmark for excellence in telecom service delivery.