Microsoft Dynamics Customer Solution Case Study

Telecommunications Firm Increases Responsiveness, Tops Customer Services Poll

Overview
Country or Region: Iceland Industry: Telecommunications Customer Profile Telecommunications company Vodafone Iceland offers mobile, fixed-line, ADSL/Internet, and television services to its 165,000 customers. In 2006, its turnover reached ISK10,742 billion (U.S.$140 million). Business Situation A disparate IT network at Vodafone Iceland included 18 back-office and 14 clientfacing systems. Limited integration made it difficult for users to efficiently access data and respond to customers. Solution Vodafone Iceland engaged Microsoft Gold Certified Partners PerSight and Kgun to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The solution works with add-on software to place customer data at users fingertips. Benefits 95 per cent first-time resolution. 20 per cent sales increase. Dramatic reduction in training. Reports generated in seconds. Monthly savings of U.S.$10,000.

We have seen our sales increase by approximately 20 per cent since completing the Microsoft Dynamics CRM project. Thats an increase of around U.S.$21 million.
Jhann Haraldsson, Head of Business Support Systems, Vodafone Iceland

Vodafone Icelands commitment to customer service prompted the organisation to review its disparate customer relationship management (CRM) architecture. As many as 18 back-office and 14 customer-facing systems, with little integration between them, hindered user efficiency and responsiveness. The company worked with Microsoft Gold Certified Partners PerSight and Kgun to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. The software works with add-on solutions to consolidate customer data and place it at users fingertips, helping them to resolve customer queries first time, 95 per cent of the time. The organisation has since topped a nationwide customer satisfaction index and achieved 20 per cent sales increases amounting to U.S.$21 million.

Situation
Part of Icelandic IT and telecommunications group Teymi, Vodafone Iceland was founded in 2003 from the merger of TAL, Hall-Frjls Fjarskipti, and slandssmi. Based in Reykjavk, the company offers mobile, fixedline, ADSL/Internet, and television services to its 165,000 customers. In 2006, its turnover reached ISK10,742 billion (U.S.$140 million). Vodafone Iceland is the first partner network to operate under the Vodafone brand. One of the key elements behind this success is the companys clear commitment to the highest quality of customer service. Vodafone Iceland continuously seeks ways to improve services and differentiate itself from competitors. In particular, it aims to provide an efficient response to customers who contact the call centre. Seamless access to customer data is vital for maintaining these service levels. But the merger that formed Vodafone Iceland in 2003 also created a disparate IT infrastructure within the organisation, which included 18 back-office systems and 14 client-facing systems. There was limited integration between the systems, which made it extremely difficult for users to access and input customer-based information or synchronise updates across the network. Jhann Haraldsson, Head of Business Support Systems at Vodafone Iceland, says: When customers called, the support team had to search through a number of different systems for the information they needed to respond to the query. For example, billing information was held in one database and contract options were held in another. The employee was often forced to access several systems to resolve an issue. Customer communications were rarely recorded and some information was stored in paper files, making it difficult to locate and almost impossible to share across departments. Haraldsson says: Call centre

employees took a long time to answer requests and often had to call the customer back. The system was confusing, and training new starters was a long and complex process.

Solution
The company reviewed several customer relationship management (CRM) systems with the aim to build a one-stop shop for customer information and a new call centre solution. We didnt want an allencompassing solution such as SAP, which would commit us to using set applications across the entire business, says Haraldsson. A dedicated CRM solution, on the other hand, would give us more flexibility to integrate our choice of applications and fitted our service-oriented architecture. Vodafone Iceland saw that Microsoft Dynamics CRM was the best solution for the business. Microsoft Dynamics CRM outweighed other products on the market in terms of user manageability, as well as integration and expansion possibilities, says Haraldsson. Theres also a strong Microsoft community in Iceland, which was key to our decision. We were confident that wed get the support we needed. Vodafone Iceland enlisted Microsoft Gold Certified Partners PerSight and Kgun to help the company implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM in May 2006. From July to December 2006, the partners worked closely with the 50 corporate department users at Vodafone Iceland to tailor the solution to their requirements. They aimed to use this implementation to demonstrate the system benefits to other business groups. In 2007, the team implemented the solution within the call centre and stores, customising it through integration with existing systems. In 2008, the team intends to add additional

Microsoft Dynamics CRM outweighed other products on the market in terms of user manageability, as well as integration and expansion possibilities.
Jhann Haraldsson, Head of Business Support Systems, Vodafone Iceland

functionality and integrate the technology with the Vodafone Iceland billing system. In the corporate and consumer call centre, all 150 customer service representatives are graded according to their experience level. An add-on solutionGenesysworks with the internal phone system to route calls to the correct agent based on their grade. Business process integration software based on the webMethods integration environment then pushes customer information from the backoffice database to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and delivers it to customer representatives in a pre-populated form. This interface layer, built using Microsoft ASP.NET, offers the same look and feel as Microsoft Dynamics CRM, ensuring consistency and accelerating user adoption across the business. When a customer contacts Vodafone Iceland, the solution now registers their number, which acts as an ID, and instantly reveals a business card containing detailed information, such as subscriptions and call credit. Haraldsson says: The customer service representative gets an instant view of this detailed information, which includes the type of phone from which theyre calling, the call plan they use, and whether they have active subscriptions in our systems. Vodafone Iceland now manages contract information in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, chosen by Vodafone Iceland for its enhanced security features, as well as its seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. All users can view the contract type and identify details such as expiry date. Finer contract details are locked inside Office SharePoint Server 2007 and available only to authorised employees, says Haraldsson. Integration between SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps users to quickly access these details using the same call centre customer interface. The company has also set up

workflows to streamline business processes. For example, when a customer contract is due to expire, Office SharePoint Server 2007 sends the customer agent an alert, warning them to contact the customer as soon as possible. The system now holds 460,000 accounts, representing every person and registered company in the country. It links directly to the national registry and the telephone registry, and automatically updates weekly, providing Vodafone Iceland with an accurate directory of all customers and potential customers in the database.

Today, we have achieved a rate of 95 per cent for first-time resolution.

Jhann Haraldsson, Head of Business Support Systems, Vodafone Iceland

Benefits
Vodafone Iceland has reached the highest levels of customer satisfaction, dramatically increased sales, and cut costs since deploying the Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution. Most employees, including customer service representatives, managers, and sales people can access accurate, detailed data, helping them respond faster than ever to customer needs, and make informed business decisions. 95 Per Cent First-Time Resolution Rate Meets with Global Recognition In deploying Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Vodafone Iceland has met and exceeded its goal to deliver faster, more efficient services to customers. In fact, the results of a customer survey, which Vodafone conducts in every country, place Vodafone Iceland at the top of the nationwide customer satisfaction index for both mobile and fixed-line services in 2007. Haraldsson explains that these results can, in part, be attributed to the technology, which helps the company to forge ahead of its competitors in IT innovation as well as customer service best practice. Employees simply access fewer systems when a customer calls. Microsoft Dynamics CRM

ensures that they can see a single, consolidated view of data, from contract information to billing. The customer services representative can discuss any of the callers history in an informed way, delivering a personalised service that helps the customer feel more valued. As a result, queries are usually resolved first time. Haraldsson says: Today, we have achieved a rate of 95 per cent for first-time resolution. Accurate View of Data Helps Employees Increase Sales by U.S.$21 Million Vodafone Iceland sees a steady rise in revenues as new customers come on board. The technology helps senior employees accelerate this process by assessing sales statistics, predicting market trends, and analysing customer needs more closely. Using this information, combined with the data captured within the database that links to national registries, sales staff can easily identify and target prospects, and offer new services to existing customers. We have seen our sales increase by approximately 20 per cent since completing the Microsoft Dynamics CRM project, says Haraldsson. Thats an increase of around U.S.$21 million. Greater access to accurate customer information aids corporate pipeline management, while other users such as customer representatives can work more efficiently by saving the time previously occupied by locating relevant information in disparate systems. Haraldsson explains that the resulting cost savings combine to add significant value to the organisation. We estimate that we have saved around U.S.$520,000 since deploying Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Easy-to-Use System Eliminates Months of Training Quick and easy adoption by all users was among Vodafone Icelands core requirements for a solution. The pre-populated forms place rich information at employees fingertips, eliminating the need for them to log on to several systems, each with a different interface. In some cases, people were using six systems and up to 15 Web-based information windows. Today, the CRM system simply pulls all this information into a single view. As a result, employee training is far easier and costs are significantly reduced. With the previous system, we trained people for up to six months before they could handle telephone enquiries. Today, theyre up to speed much faster, says Haraldsson. This is vital because the turnover in call centres can be quite high, so its important that people can be trained quickly and easily. Technology Supports Future Business Strategies Today, around 450 people use the system, including 150 people in the call centres, corporate sales and service employees, employees in Vodafone Iceland stores, and the technical team. New business areas such as the finance department are also finding new ways in which they can use the technology to enhance processes. Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides advanced reporting tools, which deliver detailed statement reportsa process that was previously manual. Haraldsson says: Before, if a customer asked for a statement for 2006, it could take up to 8 hours to manually generate the report. It now takes around 40 seconds with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. We create about 800 monthly reports, saving more than U.S.$10,000 a month. The marketing department is also exploring the best use for the technology and believes that it will form a major part of the companys

Before, if a customer asked for a statement for 2006, it could take up to eight hours to manually generate the report. It now takes around 40 seconds with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Jhann Haraldsson, Head of Business Support Systems, Vodafone Iceland

For More Information

For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 4269400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 5682495. Customers who are deaf or hard-ofhearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: www.microsoft.com For more information about PerSight products and services, visit the Web site at: www.persight.com For more information about Kgun products and services, visit the Web site at: www.kogun.com For more information about Vodafone Iceland products and services, visit the Web site at: www.vodafone.is

marketing campaigns. The IT team is using tools within the solution to better understand the way it is used by different departments, users, and managers within the company. The organisation will use this information to help ensure a seamless deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM version 4.0 to take advantage of the enhancements and scalability available in the latest release of the CRM solution.

Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics is a line of integrated, adaptable business management solutions that enables you and your people to make business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics works like familiar Microsoft software such as Microsoft Office, which means less of a learning curve for your people, so they can get up and running quickly and focus on whats most important. And because it is from Microsoft, it easily works with the systems that your company already has implemented. By automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship, and supply chain processes, Microsoft Dynamics brings together people, processes, and technologies, increasing the productivity and effectiveness of your business, and helping you drive business success. For more information about Microsoft Dynamics, go to: www.microsoft.com/dynamics

Software and Services

Microsoft Dynamics Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0

Microsoft Office Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2007

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published May 2008