Making connections

telcat multicom GmbH, a service provider in the communication technology sector, was previously using stand-alone solutions for sales and fault management at each of its 21 company locations. A non-standardised data basis, redundancy and a lack of transparency were the result. In addition, the maintenance of data and the program proved costly. Identical data existed several times in the system. It was difficult to get an overview of business processes, but an overview is particularly important for a company like telcat.

telcat plans, sets up and supports private branch exchanges, IT network and systems in the area of radio frequency, fire alarm and security technology. telcat multicom GmbH separated from Salzgitter AG in 1986, and currently achieves sales of around 85 million DM with about 385 employees.

While the subsidiary telcat Kommunikationstechnik GmbH mainly provides services for the group companies in Salzgitter, telcat multicom GmbH operates on a national scale. Most of its customers are SMEs. To improve internal and external communication and data transfer, telcat multicom GmbH chose GEDYS Sales and Helpdesk, and the system has been in productive operation since 2004?. There were two decisive reasons why the company chose GEDYS products: first, the functional scope of the basic module matched the company's requirements, and second, the Lotus Notes replication mechanism enables a standardised data platform to be set up for the whole company.

With the article database from GEDYS Sales, all locations are able to perform costings based on standardised prices. Another advantage is offer and order processing. Offer specifications and order confirmations can be created on the basis of standardised data and enable the relevant data to be evaluated according to a wide variety of criteria. In fault processing, GEDYS Helpdesk not only enables telcat to process customer enquiries, it also allows rental and service agreements for telecommunications and IT networks to be created and managed. The evaluation views simplify the optimisation of products and customer service. Equally important is the replication mechanism in the two applications.

"Individual employees at the various locations have access to all the relevant information, any time, without generating costs for a permanent online connection. All the relevant information is also available locally, so fully independent deployment is possible. Solutions outside of Lotus Notes do not currently offer replication to this extent," explains Egmar Wolfeil, CEO of telcat multicom GmbH. "Sales and management have access to quick and reliable information that enables decisions to be made in a targeted way."

In the introduction phase, telcat gradually set up the program - which was originally and primarily intended for use as a costing and offer tool - to support the complete business process and linked it with its ERP system, Navision Financials.

With the support of consulting firm GWIT in Goslar, the GEDYS applications at telcat were implemented smoothly with modifications and enhancements.

Since then, telcat has been using GEDYS Sales to maintain prospect and customer data and the related outgoing and incoming business correspondence. The article and address data required for this is compared with the ERP system at regular intervals and updated. This data is then available to all authorised users online. GEDYS Sales is also used for offer costing, the creation of specifications and the generation of order confirmation. The order data is then transferred to the ERP system, where an order is automatically opened, to which the products and services are charged and which is used to create an invoice. With GEDYS Helpdesk, telcat creates and manages more than 5000 rental and service agreements for systems. Data from the order confirmation is used as the basis for the technical specifications connected to these agreements, and is transferred to an agreement created using the system. The main technical data needed in fault management and for technical customer support is therefore available online. Customer enquiries are entered online, forwarded to the employees responsible by email, and completion is monitored. Communication between the telcat locations takes place via Lotus Domino servers. A regular data comparison is carried out at predefined times using replication with a central server in the Salzgitter headquarters. When it came to introducing the employees to the new system, however, a few obstacles had to be overcome. Many employees, particularly sales staff, were used to completing tasks in their functional areas with conventional Office applications. The connection with the ERP system made the applications more complex and made them more difficult for employees to understand. The main breakthrough was achieved first by line managers providing intensive information on the use and benefits of the system. Second, a number of central and local training measures increased employees' acceptance of the system. "Today, business processes and information run smoothly at telcat," says Wohlfeil. With the help of the two GEDYS products and the interfaces to the ERP system Navision Financials, it has been possible to achieve end-to-end IT support and a largely standardised data basis for the all steps involved in commercial and technical order processing.

The rationalisation effects are impressive. Previously, several hours were needed for a single order, including entry of a customer in the system, costing and the creation of an offer, order confirmation, settlement and the creation of a rental or service agreement including attachments. Today, the same process can be completed in less than one hour with the necessary system routine.

At the moment, telcat is connecting the GEDYS environment to a Unified Messaging solution (UMS), which means that all voice and data communication with business partners will be carried out in a standardised environment. One aim here is to create and manage telephone calls, faxes and mail shots from the GEDYS applications. For incoming telephone calls, the business partner data is to be displayed on the user's monitor automatically. This enables employees to provide rapid and comprehensive support.