Pranav
Business Information Specialist Associate Consultant, Chicago Office
Education
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
M.S. in Electrical Engineering, 2004
Memories of Penn: The most memorable times in grad school would be when we would go out to the Wawa on 37th & Chestnut at 2 a.m. for coffee. There were long conversations over the coffee—everything from the research, to the people we miss, to the most random debates on trivial things—and then back to work. The world used to be a really quiet place at 2 a.m.—it still is.
SARDAR PATEL UNIVERSITY
B.Eng. in Electronics Engineering, 2002
Hometown
Ahmedabad, Gukurat, India
ZS Career Path
Business Information Specialist (Princeton office), 2004
- Moved to the Chicago office, 2005
Business Information Specialist Associate Consultant, 2006
On the work
"A pharmaceutical company, already a client for call planning, came to us to help them evaluate their compensation plans and modify them to provide the right product emphasis.The goal was to provide a critical analysis of why the current plan was not working and propose options that could better meet company objectives. Our team conducted interviews with reps and management, and developed tools customized to the client's needs. I learned VBA and helped develop simulation and reporting tools for our team to use internally. These tools have been modified and re-modified since, but remain the core of the compensation plan design for that client. Since we also managed the client data warehouse, we were able to evaluate the impact of the plan in the months following the project. The customer was very pleased with the results and we have been maintaining and refining their compensation plans ever since.
"A new PI client came to us seeking help reaching target growth numbers in the years to come. They had noticed some stagnation in their growth and high turnover of representatives was also hurting business. We interviewed a varied sample of participants—the VPs, reps, and new staff, and evaluated their current time allocation and provided key insights into why growth was flattening out. Following this, we provided multiple paths which would lead to better productivity. Ultimately the client implemented many of the recommendations within logistical constraints. They were amazed at our ability to structure the problem into smaller components—each of which could be assessed individually. Later in the project we implemented the accepted recommendations moving around 60,000 accounts from one rep to another, creating the clients' first ever geographically aligned sales force."
On ZS values
Do The Right Thing: "Near a project deadline, I was working longer hours than usual to integrate the data/constraints from the client. After business hours, I received a message from one their VPs regarding some questions he had. Since I knew that the client team was working late as well, I replied saying that I was still in the office and he could give me a call if wished to resolve the questions that night. He left a message about 15 minutes later, saying, "Can't believe you are still at work. Hope you get some sleep. Let me know if you want me to send over a crate of Mountain Dew." At the end of this project, the client contacts expressed amazement and appreciation that we managed to turn around something in 10 days that was supposed to take one and half months. We got it right and helped them make their launch date."
On life outside work
"I enjoy exploring Chicago, meeting friends, creating weird ceramic pots and cooking."
On the Chicago office
"The office is located in the heart of downtown Chicago, just off Michigan Avenue. There are tons of places to eat, things to do, and it's amazingly convenient to get to the office by bus or train. Imagine a late summer lunch at Millennium Park with friends, now imagine you could have that every day of the summer if you wanted to—it's as good as it gets."