Microsoft Dynamics Field Services Telesales Guide This telesales guide provides an overview of the information you will need to drive demand for Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions with customers in the field services vertical. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Vertical Overview Companies in a wide variety of industries provide customers with field services as a primary business or as part of long-term customer service and support. Field-service operators may include, for instance, manufacturers who offer after-market service, mechanical contractors, and property or utility managers. Depending on the size and type of organization, field services may involve a handful of employees in a local area or thousands of staff internationally. Regardless of whether such field services represent the primary business, a secondary profit center, or a competitive differentiator, organizations with a field-service component depend on efficient coordination among distant field employees, dispatch and office staff, and the organization s collective customer and business knowledge. Prospects and customers may or may not know the value that an ERP solution can provide their organization. Their mind set could be any of the following: Are unaware of ERP software Don t recognize ERP software as the way to meet their needs Perceive ERP solutions as only for the big companies and too complex or expensive Conclude that upgrading their current accounting, bookkeeping, or customer-relationship software will suffice Are actively searching for their first ERP solution Target Audience Potential prospects are companies that: Do not have access to or integration with all of the available dispatch information Experience low first-time fix ratios Have remote representatives who use mobile devices that are incapable of being connected or integrated with the enterprise infrastructure Struggle making informed business decisions due to a lack of historical data for analysis Target Contact Inside the prospect s business, talk directly to the technology-influencing business decision maker (TI-BDM). While this could be virtually any senior individual in the company, the following are the most likely roles to be interested in ERP solutions: VP of Operations / Service Manager CFO / Controller CIO Telesales Guide page 1
Microsoft Dynamics Field Services Telesales Guide ROLE-SPECIFIC CHALLENGES AND QUESTIONS TO ASK Role Most Relevant Solution(s) Challenges Probing Questions VP of Operations / Service Manager ERP Improving first-time fix rate Optimizing scheduling and dispatching Reducing duplication of work-order information Tracking employee productivity and utilization Enabling access to site, customer, and asset history How many work orders are handled by each field technician on an average day? What system do you use to schedule and allocate service calls and track field-technician routes? Are you concerned about lost revenue or productivity from inefficient scheduling and dispatching along with inefficient crew management? Why? How are you improving your first-time fix rate? What do you do to track employee productivity and utilization? Do you currently use mobile devices to collect data for billing and service reporting? If not, do you have plans to begin using mobile devices? CFO / Controller ERP Faster invoicing to improve cash flow Reducing disputed invoices Controlling equipment and transportation costs Implementing relatively easy financial-management systems Quickly identifying sales at the store level and comparing to inventory insight CIO ERP Ensuring user adoption of new technologies Enabling information-rich reporting to provide visibility Creating a mobile workforce Implementing systems to track remote employees productivity and location What system do you use for billing service calls? Has this worked well? What system do you use to manage your contracts and warranties? Have you been able to decrease the time required for invoicing? Why or why not? How do you resolve disputed invoices? Are you concerned about lost revenue or productivity from inefficient scheduling and dispatching along with inefficient crew management? Are you experiencing rising labor costs or a shortage of skilled labor? Are stacks of paperwork requiring costly overhead to manage and affecting operational efficiency? What system do you use to manage your asset and current inventory? Have you implemented systems to track remote employees productivity and location? Does it work well? Telesales Guide page 2
Microsoft Dynamics Field Services Telesales Guide ERP MICROSOFT DYNAMICS VALUE PROPOSITION Key Message If you only have 60 seconds to deliver your sales pitch, this is it: The Microsoft Dynamics business-management solution is designed for organizations like yours involved in field services to enable you to: Access critical information when it is needed Gain real-time, at-aglance insight into operations and resources. Tailor the solution to your business Customize the solution to the terminology, equipment, and processes that your business uses. Connect people and information to empower your workforce Help integrate contract and asset management, and connect remote employees to critical, real-time information through mobile devices. Speed and optimize scheduling and dispatch Gain important insight into service urgency and resource status. Sense of Urgency Many prospects may prefer to stay the course with their current systems rather than endure the changes involved in a software upgrade. The sense of urgency is around this point: Your current accounting software may be limiting your company s ability to meet its business goals. Upgrade now to achieve your business potential. EVIDENCE Summary Using Microsoft Dynamics AX, service company now supports advanced business decisions. http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy. aspx?casestudyid=1000003724 TARGET NEEDS, PAIN POINTS, AND MICROSOFT DYNAMICS BENEFITS Good candidates for an upgrade to a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution may bring up any of the following needs or pain points. Microsoft Dynamics addresses those issues with these related benefits. Needs Inefficient dispatching and scheduling Dispatch decision makers do not have access to or integration with all available information. Immobile workforce Remote service reps have mobile devices that are incapable of being connected or integrated with enterprise infrastructure. Low first-time fix ratios Requires service technicians to be dispatched multiple times for a single incident. Uninformed business decisions There is difficulty making business decisions due to a lack of historical data for analysis and reporting. Pain Points in the Vertical Service dispatchers do not have access to or integration with all of the available information. Low first-time fix ratios, requiring service technicians to be dispatched multiple times for a single incident. Remote representatives have mobile devices that are incapable of being connected or integrated with the enterprise infrastructure. Difficulty making informed business decisions due to a lack of historical data for analysis, reporting and corrective actions. Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics ERP Solutions Connect people and information to empower your workforce Integrate contract and asset management. Connect remote employees to real-time information. Speed and optimize scheduling and dispatch Gain insight into service urgency and resource status. Use resources more efficiently. Streamline the work-order life cycle Enable rapid-response call taking. Optimize work-order creation, dispatch, and billing. Reduce manual processes and paperwork. Telesales Guide page 3
OPEN THE CALL Hello, this is [Name] from Microsoft/[Partner Name]. I m calling today to talk to you about the flexible, easy-to-use business management solutions we offer. These affordable solutions are designed to help companies in the field services vertical like yours drive performance and help increase profitability. What is your role in your organization? Are you responsible for decisions related to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions? If NO, identify the right contact Who is responsible for decisions related to ERP in your company? If yes, ask PROBING QUESTIONS to determine your prospect s interest I am calling to discuss ways that we might be able to help you with solutions related to ERP. PROBING QUESTIONS Identify your contact s current Pains, Plans, Processes, People, and Price (that is, budget and resource) situations. Pains: Based on the role of your contact, ask some of the role-specific questions provided on page 2 of this telesales guide. Plan What are some of your current business priorities? Do you have any projects or initiatives underway to address this priority? What is your time frame for completing [project related to priority]? What are some of the ways you plan to measure success related to the priority? Process What solutions are you actively evaluating to help you meet your objectives relative to this priority? What (additional) solutions to address this priority are you aware of and planning to evaluate? Who else at your company is involved in the evaluation or decision around this priority? Are you currently looking at any ERP solutions to address this priority? Which ones? Are you familiar with Microsoft Dynamics solutions? People Do you have employees with the needed capabilities to help you accomplish your objectives related to this priority? Are you working with any technology partners to help you implement any solutions to address this priority in this area? Who? Price Have you already allocated budget for this solution? Check Point: Is this prospect interested in evaluating ERP solutions from Microsoft? Is he or she a good candidate for a new solution? If so, move on to the PROVE VALUE section. Telesales Guide page 4
PROVE VALUE - ERP General Microsoft Dynamics ERP Benefits for the Vertical Inefficient Dispatching and Scheduling Pain: We understand that field services firms often experience inefficient dispatching due to the fact that service dispatchers do not have access to all of the available information and because first-time fix rates are low. Benefit: Microsoft offers business-management solutions that make it easier for field services companies to deal with inefficient dispatching and scheduling by: 1. Quickly understanding service urgency and resource status, and easily matching the best resources for each task using best-fit assignments 2. Integrating information and automating processes to eliminate manual tasks, redundant data entry, and unnecessary paperwork 3. Accessing operational and resource information at a glance to track trends, understand costs, and manage performance Immobile Workforce Pain: We have learned that remote service representatives for field services firms often have mobile devices that are incapable of being connected or integrated with the enterprise infrastructure. Benefit: Microsoft offers business-management solutions that make it easier for field services companies to create a mobile workforce by 1. Configuring enterprise communication with a variety of Windows Mobile platforms and devices, including Pocket PCs and Smartphones 2. Allowing for integration with more complex devices and multiple mobile carriers as needed 3. Using Microsoft MapPoint integration to geographically track resources and provide dynamic, street-level maps and route directions to remote staff Solutions Specific to This Vertical Field Services for Microsoft Dynamics AX can help reduce response times, lower costs, improve first-time fix ratios, and increase customer satisfaction to build a competitive advantage. Enhance management efficacy and increase the productivity of field operations with targeted automation and integrated information flow. Connect your office and field staff with the information and processes they need to satisfy customers more efficiently. Evidence Linc Service and Mechanical Linc Service and Mechanical provides innovative preventive maintenance for heating, air conditioning, and control systems. Summary Using Microsoft Dynamics AX, service company now supports advanced business decisions. Business Situation The organization s users relied on bespoke business applications and a legacy UNIX financial management system. The highly decentralized system lacked consistency and limited information access for users. Solution The company worked with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Iteration to take part in the Microsoft Dynamics Technology Adoption Program (TAP). Benefits Central data and work flows boost employee productivity Business intelligence features support critical decisions New integration with Microsoft technologies adds value to existing investment Link http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy. aspx?casestudyid=1000003724 Telesales Guide page 5
QUALIFY: Based on what we ve spoken about today, I would recommend that you look at [solution]. Can I send you more information related to [solution]? May we schedule a meeting to determine the best solution to your current needs? Microsoft has a current offer on [product]. This special offer ends [date]. Would you like to know more? CLOSE THE CALL: I will send you a [solution] information packet immediately. I will schedule... Before we close, can I confirm your contact information? Correct spelling on name Title Mailing address, city, state, and ZIP E-mail address Direct phone number and fax Thanks very much for your time. Please feel free to call me at any time. You can reach me at [phone number and e-mail address]. Telesales Guide page 6
VOICE MESSAGE SCRIPT If you know the name of the VP of Operations, Service Manager, CFO, Controller, or CIO, ask for that person directly. You may reach his or her voice mail box first. Hello, this is [Name] from Microsoft/[Partner Name] I m calling today to talk to you about some of the affordable Microsoft Dynamics business management solutions we offer designed specifically to help businesses in the field services vertical. RECEPTIONIST SCRIPT If you don t have a specific person s name to ask for, a receptionist can connect you. Hello, this is [Name] from Microsoft/[Partner Name] I hope you can help me. I m trying to reach the person who manages your Accounting and Finance department. Who would be the best person to speak with? Please call me at [XXX-XXXX] and we can discuss how Microsoft Dynamics can help you achieve more of your business goals. Can you connect me please? Thank you for your time, and I look forward to speaking with you. If challenged, say: I d like to speak to the person responsible for purchasing business software solutions in your company. Telesales Guide page 7