How To Manage A Field Service Call On A Computer Or Cell Phone

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1 Deliver superior customer service. MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT GREAT PLAINS A Microsoft Business Solutions CRM Application

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3 Field work is a vital component for any service organization. Service calls, preventive maintenance, and repair are all integral to the job, and maintaining a connection between the home office and technicians is the key to delivering fast, effective customer service. Designed to meet the needs of service organizations, Microsoft Business Solutions for Field Service Management Great Plains integrates essential accounting, distribution, and service processes to increase technician productivity, reduce overhead, and open up new revenue opportunities. With easy, accurate access to a vast array of information including a complete customer history and the ability to connect field workers with the home office, organizations can provide customers with first-class service, while ensuring the best qualified technician will be dispatched. In addition, cutting-edge Internet technologies enable customers to serve themselves by entering and tracking service calls and returns over the Web. Get a total business solution. By completely integrating with Microsoft Field Service Management enables you to provide your customers with the efficient, effective service that translates into long-term relationships and improved profitability.

4 Solutions for Pursuing Your Business Vision Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains offers integrated capabilities for financial management, distribution, manufacturing, project accounting, human resource management, business analytics, and customer relationship management. By delivering deep access to decision-driving information, a rapid return on investment, and expert, dedicated customer service, Microsoft Great Plains helps you grow and manage your business better. 4 MICROSOF T BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT GRE AT PL AINS

5 Microsoft Business Solutions for Field Service Management Great Plains Service Call Management and ManagerAssist Deliver exemplary service with each and every service call by accessing rich, comprehensive information about each customer and call before dispatching a technician and help ensure timely arrivals with enhanced scheduling capabilities. eservice Calls Empower your customers to help themselves with online access to comprehensive account information, and with the ability to log service requests and check service status anytime, anywhere. Contract Administration Access any customer information you need no matter how detailed or complex with just few clicks of your mouse. In addition, customize contracts to meet the unique needs of your customers and, with an anticipatory management approach, monitor each contract to help ensure that profitability is being achieved. Preventive Maintenance Deliver on contract obligations and efficiently manage service resources with a robust set of tools that give you increased control over your preventive maintenance processes. etech Facilitate the ability of service technicians to work effectively and efficiently while in the field by providing online access to the Service Call Management system, thus enabling technicians to accomplish many tasks on-site, such as updating service requests, printing service tickets, and much more. TechAssist Improve service technician performance and help them to deliver the best customer service possible by providing online access technical and customer information and helping to enable them to manage, update, and close service calls while working in the field. Returns Management Streamline returns processing and deliver the most efficient customer service with a centralized and fully customizable location to manage returns. Integration with other Microsoft Great Plains applications further ensures that inventory, purchase order information, and more can be updated and shared across the organization. ereturns Delight your customers by providing online access to your returns management system, which will help them to initiate returns at a time that s convenient for them and will allow them to oversee the entire return process. Depot Management Streamline your repair process and minimize costs with a more effective, efficient way to manage multiple repair facilities and to share information with other interested departments. 5

6 S E R V I C E C A L L M A N A G E M E N T / M A N A G E R A S S I S T Fast, effective service call planning and execution Service Call Management Gain deep visibility into your company s current field service situation to help reduce costs, increase efficiency, and satisfy customers. By providing a complete and comprehensive view of service information in a single, easy-to-manage interface, Service Call Management helps enable fast, effective service call planning and execution. Efficient call assignment Assign the right technician with the right qualifications to each service call, quickly and easily, by accessing technician availability and skills information. Provide complete service call information to technicians by accessing an accurate schedule, detailed work orders, and an entire history of service. Help ensure that technicians have the right parts with linked inventory management for spare parts and trunk stock. Flexible service call tracking Track service call history easily to trace the course of specific service incidents. Track parts, labor, and expense details for each service call and automatically create customer invoices when appropriate. Create standard or customized reports to analyze and track profitability, as well as reports concerning technician utilization, technician workload, and parts failures. Improved customer satisfaction Set up unlimited escalation rules tailored for each call or customer and, later, view all open calls, with the option to specify by contract coverage and escalation status. Reduce problem response time with automated search and retrieval technologies, such as keyword searches, to find answers quickly without dispatching technicians. Identify callers before answering by integrating Service Call Management with an existing automated call distribution system, which will help you to build better customer relationships with personalized greetings. 6 MICROSOF T BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT GRE AT PL AINS

7 ManagerAssist Enhance schedule management with ManagerAssist (a component of Service Call Management), which provides your service managers and dispatchers a graphical scheduling board that allows them to monitor and deploy service technicians more effectively. ENTER AND TRACK SERVICE CALLS accurately, by using timestamp functionality. Access a real-time view of open service calls and technician assignments through a graphical interface that offers drag-and-drop rescheduling capabilities. Balance workloads throughout the day or week with a complete view of technician schedules and easy re-assignment of calls. Page or technicians directly from ManagerAssist and notify them immediately of schedule changes. IMPROVE EFFICIENCY AND ACCURACY by enabling customers and field technicians to enter, view, and modify open service calls through the Web. 7

8 e S E R V I C E C A L L M A N A G E M E N T / M A N A G E R A S S I S T Provide customers with service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week eservice Calls Empower your customers to solve their own service problems, thus reducing the direct cost of operating your customer service center and, simultaneously, increasing customer satisfaction. Self-service tools that allow customers to help themselves Provide 24-hour service, without adding technicians or dispatchers, with a self-service Web interface that enables customers to log service requests, check the repair status of a call, and enter their own meter readings. Implement robust security features to give customers full access to their own service information, while helping to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information. Create an intuitive user experience that makes it easy for customers to enter a service call or find information online, such as equipment previously installed at their company. Self-service troubleshooting that helps drive down costs and build satisfaction Implement powerful search engines that allow customers to solve simple issues quickly by using knowledge-base searches, without having to call a service technician. Enable anytime, anywhere service call entry that permits customers to log the information over the Internet, which eliminates the need to involve a customer service call center. Provide complete service information access to customers anytime, anywhere and include service call status and service history. With additional access to historical service request details, customers can generate reprints of historical invoices at their convenience. 8 MICROSOF T BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT GRE AT PL AINS

9 W I N N I N G W I T H S E R V I C E Masterplan, Inc., the nation s largest independent service organization, helps healthcare facilities reduce equipment-related operating expenses by managing the cost of maintenance, selection, and utilization of sophisticated medical equipment. With more than 1,400 customers nationwide, Masterplan sets high standards to provide quality service and support for its customers. Tracking the numerous service calls, parts, labor, warranties, returns, and contracts was challenging because Masterplan was using a combination of a manual system and an outdated computer program that required duplicate data entry. To alleviate this problem, Masterplan enlisted the help of Microsoft Business Solutions partner FMT Consultants, which evaluated Masterplan s needs in the service area and concluded that Microsoft Field Service Management would readily meet Masterplan s requirements. Now, instead of manually tracking contracts, service calls, and equipment, technicians have immediate online access to the information over the Web, allowing them to update customer information, review the latest information, and provide higher levels of service. In addition, customers are able to troubleshoot their own service problems through the Web. The Web-based system has enabled Masterplan s customers and field technicians to enter, view, and modify open service calls. The process is easy and relatively error-free, and allows Masterplan to provide its customers with 24-hour service without adding a single technician or dispatcher. The solution that Masterplan chose involved a combination of updating its existing applications and adding Microsoft Field Service Management to replace the manual service tracking system, along with revising its daily business processes. The Microsoft Field Service Management applications that Masterplan implemented were Service Call Management, Contract Administration, Preventive Maintenance, and Returns Management. With Contract Administration, Masterplan is in a better position to maximize service revenue by effectively managing its complex, multi-tiered contracts, quotations, and warranties. In addition, the company estimates that it has saved between U.S. $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 by implementing Returns Management, which provides a reimbursable vendor warranty tracking system for returned equipment. To ensure that employees are prepared, Masterplan provides extensive training for Microsoft Field Service Management. The company also demonstrates the new service system to customers and prospects, which reinforced the company s dedication to its customers satisfaction by embracing the leading-edge technology. Chairman, President, and CEO of Masterplan, Inc., Bruce Cree said, Demonstrating this system to our prospects is now a key part of our sales strategy. Our existing clients are very excited about our expanded capabilities in the field service and customer management areas. 9

10 C O N T R A C T A D M I N I S T R A T I O N / P R E V E N T I V E M A I N T E N A N C E Effective management that keeps customers coming back Contract Administration Use minimal effort to track detailed customer information and histories such as complex, multi-tiered contracts, quotations, and warranties with the point-and-click capabilities of Contract Administration. Instantly access comprehensive customer information, including existing equipment and service contract status and history, to help ensure you know everything you need to deliver exceptional customer service. Optimized for ease of use Create customer quotes for multiple service levels and options, and then convert quotes to contracts with a single mouse click. Provide accurate and efficient contract quotes by setting up an unlimited number of industry-specific price-books. Track customer contracts, quotes, and equipment histories easily. Pinpoint contracts up for renewal quickly and view the previous contract s profitability. Proactive contract management Help ensure accurate billing and compliance with service agreements through Service Call Management. Define contracts based on customer requirements and set up an unlimited number of contract types to reflect your customers varying needs. Manage changes actively in contract equipment, prorating new charges at any point in the contract term, revising prices, and instantly determining the profitability of the change. Preventive Maintenance Access the tools you need to manage your planned service agreements, tools that can help you deliver on your contract obligations and use service resources efficiently. With Preventive Maintenance, you can plan maintenance calls more effectively and increase control over your maintenance process. Track and schedule preventive maintenance calls automatically to help ensure that the right parts and technicians are available. Help ensure the timely arrival of technicians through integration with many widely available map applications. Forecast purchasing and scheduling needs based on time-in-service or actual product usage. Coordinate open service requests with upcoming preventive maintenance calls so that technicians can handle the routine calls at the same time. Increase customer satisfaction by demonstrating that customers can rely on your service to help keep their businesses running. 10 MICROSOF T BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT GRE AT PL AINS

11 EASILY MAINTAIN CUSTOMER CONTRACTS, QUOTES, historical information, and contract templates. TRACK DETAILS ABOUT PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE requirements and related events. 11

12 E T E C H / T E C H A S S I S T Keep field technicians current, informed, and connected etech Provide field-based service technicians with online access to open service calls. With etech, your remote technicians can make full use of the Service Call Management system, even while operating in the field. Access and update real-time service call details from the field, through any connected client, using an intuitive Web-based interface that reduces training requirements and provides flexible access options. Reduce unnecessary phone calls and trips to the office by initiating new service requests and updating service call requests from the field. View quantities on-hand in trunk stock, as well as additional stock available across the organization. Expedite site visits by displaying customer locations online through Microsoft MapPoint business mapping software. Print service tickets on-site so that customers can review and sign off on work performed before a technician leaves. Record detailed service call notes and track pre-established problems, causes, and repair codes while in the field, which reduces errors and provides a more complete audit trail of work performed. TechAssist Help service technicians to manage information more effectively from service call information to customers, to background history of problems and improve job performance. With TechAssist, technicians can access near real-time information and update service call information as needed, all while working in the field. Access customer information and equipment history easily to aid in diagnosing problems and eliminate wasted trips. Manage technical information from any location using the Microsoft Field Service Management remote laptop capability. Twoway synchronization provides technicians with near real-time access to information while taking a service call. Manage service calls easily by accessing a user-friendly interface that can be used to receive, log, and follow up on calls, while technicians are in the field. Close calls remotely, eliminating duplicate data entry and allowing dispatchers to concentrate on customers current needs. Save technician updates for later retrieval of important information, whether or not the technician is currently logged on to the Service Call Management system. 12 MICROSOF T BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT GRE AT PL AINS

13 PROVIDE FIELD-BASED TECHNICIANS WITH ONLINE ACCESS to the Service Call Management system. 13

14 R E T U R N S M A N A G E M E N T / e R E T U R N S Accurate, integrated returns processing Returns Management Access the tools you need to create a central management point for returns. With Returns Management, you can structure your returns process in a manner that best suits the way you do business. Streamlined returns processing Maintain complete visibility of your returns process with a detailed audit trail that keeps track of all activity regarding a return, from start to close. Address both repairable and unusable returns to process items easily for credit, replacement, cross-shipment, repair, or return to inventory. Check for multiple returns of the same item automatically to identify potential problems. Use flexible setup options to set default return types for Return Material Authorizations (RMAs) and Returns to Vendors (RTVs). Efficient customer service Increase customer satisfaction by always being aware of the customer s service situation, with the latest and most accurate information in hand. Credit customers accurately, applying the correct amount based on the original sales invoice. Provide customers the most recent information instantly on the status of a return by using the Returns Management inquiry system. Define return characteristics for different types of customers and assign priority status so you can easily identify customers and returns that should be given immediate attention. Powerful integration with other Microsoft Great Plains applications Count on immediate inventory updates as returned items are being transferred to vendors for repair. Transfer return-to-stock items automatically from the returns warehouse to the main warehouse. Create new transactions for credit or sales orders with Microsoft Great Plains Sales Order Processing. Generate purchase orders easily for replacement products from your vendors. 14 MICROSOF T BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT GRE AT PL AINS

15 R E T U R N S M A N A G E M E N T / e R E T U R N S MANAGE ALL ASPECTS OF CUSTOMER RMA TRACKING, including factory repairs, from a central location. ereturns Provide customers with online access to your return management system, empowering them to initiate and monitor the process, from beginning to end, at any time. Provide a security-enhanced, easy-to-use interface for customers to create new RMA documents. Keep customers informed at all times with online access to current status and complete history of RMA documents. Reduce service call volumes to your call center by making information available online to customers. Increase customer satisfaction with easy online access to information and a streamlined process for returning products and parts at a time that s convenient for them. GIVE YOUR CUSTOMERS THE ABILITY TO TRACK AND ENTER their own return documents. 15

16 D E P O T M A N A G E M E N T Repair operations, working at peak efficiency Depot Management On the internal side of Returns Management, Depot Management directs the repair process of both serialized and non-serialized items. By helping you to better manage your internal repair process, Depot Management helps you minimize your costs and improve your repair turnaround time. By streamlining the receipt, repair, and disposition of returned products, you can manage high-volume repair facilities at multiple sites effectively and efficiently. Better process management Maintain an accurate parts inventory with built-in parts forecasting. Help reduce duplicate serial numbers and repair records with the ability to modify records for upgraded equipment within your equipment maintenance database. Define unlimited stations and routes through the repair process to maintain detailed costing at each station. Efficient operations management Control the overall operations of your depot more efficiently by sharing information with your company s customer support, inventory, and shipping/receiving departments. Track time, labor, and parts effortlessly by integrating Depot Management with an inventory on-floor bar coding system. Manage your internal repair operations more effectively with built-in prioritizing and scheduling tools. Streamlined repair processing Track items effectively through all phases and paths of the repair process with a single RMA document. Manage customer repairs consistently through integration with Returns Management. Update records automatically before items return to the field by having built-in revision change processing. 16 MICROSOF T BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR FIELD SERVICE MANAGEMENT GRE AT PL AINS

17 D E P O T M A N A G E M E N T INCREASE CONTROL AND IMPROVE MANAGEMENT over your internal repair process. 17

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20 Realize your business vision now. Microsoft Business Solutions offers a wide range of business applications designed to help small and midmarket segment businesses become more connected with customers, employees, partners, and suppliers. Microsoft Business Solutions applications automate end-to-end processes for enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and business analytics. More information about Microsoft Business Solutions can be found at US and Canada International mgpinfo@microsoft.com 2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Great Plains, MapPoint, and Visual Basic are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation or Great Plains Software, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. Great Plains Software Inc., and Microsoft Business Solutions are subsidiaries of Microsoft. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. LSBR-SMS (11/04)