ETxt

Dynmark Direct

Epsilon enhance their service quality and performance with e-txt Sage CRM Plug-in.

Epsilon, the UK’s leading electrical testing specialist have recently integrated Dynmark’s e-txt Sage CRM Mobile Features Plug-in application with their existing Sage CRM and MS Exchange system. Epsilon’s ‘on the road’ team of engineers carry out around three hundred thousand PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) tests each month for over five hundred clients.

The Problems

One problem which Epsilon faced was in relation to jobs being completed over and above the agreed unit volume set out in their customer order. In most cases clients estimated the number of units which would need testing at their site, meaning Epsilon were only allowed to test up to this level until they had gained clearance to continue testing above the predicted level. This had created issues as many engineers were not informed of this maximum number of units, and continued testing until all items had been done. As a result of this, customers were being invoiced for more than they had agreed, leading to payment issues. Epsilon needed a way of instantly contacting their engineers to advise them not to test over a certain number of units until they were given clearance to do so.

All engineers at Epsilon use hand held PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistant) to receive daily job lists and to record data of completed jobs. Engineers are required to synchronise their PDA’s at the start of the day to get job lists and then again at the end of the day to upload completed jobs to the CRM system, to allow the invoicing process to commence. None of the engineers are given email addresses on their PDA’s meaning the only previous means of contacting them was by phone. This method was inefficient and time consuming. Epsilon needed a system which provided an automated and instant means of contacting their engineers, and could be integrated into their existing system.

The Solution

After studying the options Epsilon decided to integrate Dynmark’s e-txt Sage CRM Mobile Features Plug-in with their Sage 200 CRM (v5.1) system. This allowed them to contact engineers via text message, thus ensuring they received any messages instantly, wherever they were. This allowed the CRM system to automatically send out an SMS notification to the engineer on site advising them not to exceed a specified level of unit tests until they had clearance to do so. The CRM system also prompted a staff member to contact the client urgently to confirm they were happy for the pre agreed volume of tests to be surpassed. Once this was done, another SMS was sent to the engineer (using a tablescript activated by an account-on-hold state being changed) advising him that clearance has been granted to continue testing all items at the site.

The Benefits

By developing this application using the e-txt Sage CRM Mobile Features Plug-in features, Epsilon have eradicated situations where excess units are tested without the clients consent. This has greatly reduced the number of invoice disputes from customers and has helped to streamline communications between the engineers and the office. Customers are now aware that the invoice value had changed from the initial quote value, avoiding customer dissatisfaction, and resulting in a more fluid payment process.

e-txt is also used to carry out a number of other internal communications helping to improve engineer efficiency. Details of fleet vehicle service and MOT requirements are stored on the CRM system, and now e-txt is used to notify engineers that their vehicle is due for a service or MOT. This notification ensures that vehicles are maintained to the highest standard, using a process that requires little or no human interaction and allowing resources to be directed elsewhere within their business.

Daniel Lewis, Commercial IT Manager at Epsilon says “Dynmark's e-txt solution has dramatically improved the reliability of communications to our workforce enabling changes to client requirements and work schedules to be communicated instantly. This increase in service is made possible due to text messages being delivered immediately and always read.”

For further information or to see how e-txt can enhance your business communications please visit www.e-txt.com or email us at sales@dynmark.com

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