Product category:
Factory data acquisition
News Release from: Tesseract | Subject: Service Centre service management software
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 19 February 2002
Software improves after sales service
management
Machine tool and laser marker systems specialist is using service management software to maintain and improve its customer support for the wide range of after sales services it offers.
Machine tool and laser marker systems specialist HK Technologies is using Tesseract's Service Centre service management software to maintain and improve its customer support for the wide range of installation, contract maintenance, upgrade and training services offered to its expanding customer base Explaining that the system has transformed a manual process of call logging, monitoring and control for the varied mix of service tasks, Mick Toogood, QA and IT Manager at the Rugby-based company, also highlights the key attributes that made Service Centre the company's software of choice for customer management
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 25 Feb 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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"We looked at a number of alternatives," he says, "and the Tesseract system was chosen because it was cost-effective for our needs and its functionality was versatile enough to meet most of our selection criteria.
We had to be able to not only manage our customer support, but also extract meaningful information as the database grew.
We knew also that it could be linked with a new accounting package, although bespoke software was required to do this which took a while to get right.
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"We wanted the two systems to be linked but also needed to maintain separate databases without duplicated data entry.
Having the systems automatically update each other is particularly relevant when, for example, new customers are added, stock is replenished or invoices are raised in Tesseract." He also adds: "We found that the implementation took time because of getting the coding structure right and the fact that we tested the software in one department before rolling it out into the company.
Also, there is no getting away from the fact that a lot of data had to be input before the database became fully useable." Tesseract has integrated and easy-to-use modules for call control, customer assets, meter billing, parts centre, repair centre and quotations.
The Windows-based Service Centre system is proving an effective customer management tool for HK Technologies, which uses only the modules relevant to its needs.
At HK, all customer requests for support are logged and tracked through Service Centre, mainly by product serial number, giving the support staff constant visibility on call progress, and engineer allocation and availability at any given time.
Engineer's field reports provide the information to close off the calls, and the system allows for data entry such as faults, repairs, call resolution, hours and parts used.
Once an invoice is raised for work done, it is automatically transferred to the account system for processing and sent out to the customer.
The system comes with many pre-defined reports, and by modifying these where necessary and using the above data, HK can generate detailed management reports, such as numbers and types of calls, planned maintenance, engineer response time, time taken, problem analysis and machine histories.
Service Centre gives HK in-depth data that enables the company to effectively manage customer support and analyse overall performance to improve its services to customers.
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