When this top energy supplier was acquired and needed to consolidate and simplify processes to improve customer service, they turned to trusted partner Hitachi Solutions for digital innovation. Read on to learn how we were able to leverage Microsoft Unified Service Desk to support their transformation initiatives and help them enhance the customer experience, optimize operations, and reduce costs.
Challenge
When this commercial and residential energy supplier was acquired, they were facing several challenges because of multiple systems, legacy applications, and inefficient processes. Some of the biggest issues they had were around the customer experience and included:
- A highly distributed call center that negatively affected customer service
- Lack of compliance with standardized processes
- Non-customer-centric technologies being used for customer engagement
- Inefficiencies in field operations
- Inability to load balance work across geographical/national areas
The company knew it needed to centralize, streamline, and innovate to solve these problems, so they kickstarted a digital transformation initiative. Already leveraging the power of the cloud and Microsoft Dynamics 365 for customer relationship management and commercial sales and marketing, the company was now looking to Microsoft Unified Service Desk for Dynamics 365 to achieve its modernization goals.
To help with this enterprise-wide project, the company turned to trusted Microsoft partner Hitachi Solutions. Twice before, Hitachi Solutions had helped guide and advise them. The first time, Hitachi Solutions migrated the commercial sales and marketing team to Dynamics CRM Online to simplify and automate the process of new customer creation. The solution increased CRM adoption by 90 percent, allowed them to restructure and reduce staffing levels, and provided greater visibility for reporting.
The company was so pleased with the results, that they chose to work with Hitachi Solutions again to simplify and automate their disjointed case management activities. Hitachi Solutions was able to deliver a single process and view for all national accounts case information using the Dynamics 365 Case Management module. The solution is integrated into Dynamics CRM and SAP to improve visibility, reduce redundancy, and drive higher customer service and retention.
Solution
A key challenge of this project was the customer had 10 different applications. Disparate and obsolete, these applications were causing service inefficiencies and limited reporting visibility. There were also no insights into their data.
Although working with Hitachi Solutions as the implementation partner was a no-brainer, the company evaluated multiple products and vendors before deciding on Microsoft Unified Service Desk for Dynamics 365.
Unified Service Desk was the ideal solution because it seamlessly integrated these various applications, standardized processes, and provided a centralized platform and single point of contact for service staff to access and manage customer data. The new solution facilitates better coordination and management and optimized operations, which ultimately leads to reduced labor and operating costs and higher productivity and customer satisfaction.
Benefits
Through this innovative implementation, the company has achieved the digital transformation they were looking for to solve their customer service challenges. Hitachi Solutions was able to — once again — demonstrate our technical know-how, prove the strength of our advisory capabilities, and showcase our value as a strategic partner.
- With Unified Service Desk, the company is now truly focused on elevating customer engagement. Streamlined processes and improved access to data have reduced call wait times, improved customer service and satisfaction, and increased retention rates.
- Also, through CRM and ERP integration, centralized applications, and standardized processes, the company has experienced a massive decrease in operating costs. Other tangible benefits include improved efficiency and reduced labor costs.
- The modern solution is also flexible and scalable. This allows the company to effectively address their current business challenges, as well as readies them for future issues and positions them well to embrace growth and opportunities.
This initial project focused on residential customers. In the near future, the company intends to roll out Unified Service Desk across all of its call centers, onboarding processes, and non-residential lines of business.
Trusted Advisor
Any time this customer has found itself in need of a trusted partner with unparalleled experience, a willingness to challenge assumptions, and the ability to offer creative solutions, Hitachi Solutions has answered the call. We’ve consistently gone the extra mile not only to ensure that all of their projects remained on time and within scope but also to deliver exceptional results that drive digital transformation. With every successful project, Hitachi Solutions was able to come through for our customer. No matter the ask, we’ve proven we are able to provide what is needed — whether it’s advice, knowledge, technology, best practices, or skilled experts.
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