Integrated enterprise suite boosts customer service response for medical device manufacturer
Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 12/1/2003 12:00:00 AM
ERP is thought of as a "transactional" system, but enterprise suites, which add extended functions to ERP, can be as much about improved customer service as they are about transactions. Just ask Camtronics Medical Systems, a Hartland, Wis.-based manufacturer of cardiovascular imaging and information systems.
In the past, Camtronics suffered from a lack of integrated systems, says Barb Hamann, manager, systems development and product support. For example, since the system that was used to track customer calls wasn't integrated with the manufacturing and financial solution, the repair center was forced to use several systems to make and document repairs. Although it used portions of the old system, the repair department also was forced to use a separate database to track serial numbers for as-shipped and as-is configurations. "Consequently, the repair process wasn't as smooth or quick as it could have been," Hamann says.
The company implemented IFS Applications—an enterprise solution suite from IFS that ties financials, distribution, engineering, front office, and service management together with manufacturing—to gain the necessary integration to smooth operations and better manage product life cycles. Camtronics has realized a number of benefits using the system, but perhaps the most significant is the newfound level of integration.
Consider, for example, the call center, which includes two groups: customer service and repair operations. When a customer service rep fields a customer's call, they're able to look up the specific equipment the customer is talking about. They may then stipulate that a new part be sent to the customer, in which case repair operations sends the appropriate repair part, Hamann says.
"In the past, customer service and repair used two different solutions so it was difficult for them to work together," Hamann says. "Today, the process moves more smoothly and quickly."
Additionally, the unified process improves customer satisfaction, says Lisa Janssen, Camtronics' director of IT. "IFS enabled the implementation of a new service notification program, called Apprise. Initiation and closure of customer calls trigger e-mail to the customer, the salesperson, and the regional sales manager for that account," Janssen says. "We've received lots of positive feedback from customers letting us know how much they appreciate being kept current."
