Vodafone Global Enterprise has been selected by Unilever to manage its mobility services globally in a three-year deal.
Covering 63 countries, the strategic alliance will see Vodafone Global Enterprise supply nearly 50,000 Unilever employees with devices, connectivity and Managed Mobile Services, which is said to improve the transparency of Unilever’s mobile communications spend, enhancing cost effectiveness and service delivery levels.
Vodafone Global Enterprise is the business within Vodafone which manages the communication needs of its largest multinational customers. Under the agreement, Vodafone will also provide Unilever with consultancy on how to gain greater competitive advantage through deploying innovative mobile solutions. In addition, Vodafone will provide strategic advice on new trends such as the effective management of consumer devices and applications in the workplace.
In parallel, Vodafone and Unilever will operate a graduate trainee exchange programme to encourage further mobile innovation in the workplace.
To simplify the management of Unilever’s mobile communications, Vodafone will deploy a range of solutions including Vodafone Telecoms Management, a fully hosted and managed service designed to remove operational complexity.
Underpinned by Vodafone’s global support and service level agreements, Vodafone Telecoms Management will give Unilever greater visibility and management control over its telecoms expenditure, as well as improve the quality of service delivered to employees, it says.
“Vodafone Global Enterprise looks forward to working in partnership with Unilever to help enhance the performance of the business through mobile innovation. We are firmly committed to delivering greater value to Unilever through a range of mobility products and services designed to enhance their operational efficiency,” said Nick Jeffery, CEO of Vodafone Global Enterprise. “At the same time we will make sure that all Unilever employees enjoy first-class quality of service globally.”
Pascal Visee, Chief Enterprise Support Officer at Unilever says: “As Unilever, we’ve set ourselves the challenging target of doubling the business while reducing our environmental impact. Mobile services play a crucial role in working towards this goal, as they will support us in creating an agile and cost competitive organisation that operates in a sustainable way. The global agreement allows us to deliver a consistent operational service to our highly mobile employees, against the right costs. Moreover, we’ll have access to Vodafone’s expertise on trends in mobility. This allows us to develop innovative ways to stay closely connected with our consumers and customers.”