Fully integrated: Mobile customer service without media breaks

In addition, it was almost impossible to implement consumption-oriented inventory management because the information on withdrawals and consumption always entered the system with a delay and was thus generally outdated. In 2011, the decision was made to introduce SAP as a uniform ERP solution for all Belimed companies worldwide. At the same time, customer service was also to be put on a new IT footing.

In preparation for this, a specialist concept was already started at the beginning of 2012, but the start of the project was then postponed for the time being. “We quickly realized that it didn’t make sense to implement the setup of the SAP processes and the development of the mobile application at the same time. After all, in order to map a cleanly running customer service process, including the integration of all mobile devices, a stable basis is first necessary,” says Markus Pfiffner, ERP Application Manager at Belimed AG in Sulgen, Switzerland, describing the reason for the postponement. This meant that the time could be used to analyze the existing processes in detail, in order to define a standard process on this basis that was suitable as a template for the rollout to the national companies. This process was then implemented in the Swiss service organization, initially for pilot operations. “It was important to us to first adapt the process optimally to the specifications of the Belimed specialist concept. Because the existing functionality was not sufficient for us at the beginning of the project and had to be expanded,” says Markus Pfiffner.

The new customer service process was implemented entirely on an SAP basis. The orders are entered directly and completely in the ERP system and transferred to the shift planning, which is carried out with the help of the SAP Multi Resource Scheduling (MRS) module. From there, data on the respective job is transferred to the mobile devices. This means that after synchronization, the service technicians have all the information they need for the job, can selectively take the necessary material from the warehouse and carry out the operation. All times and reports are recorded offline, including the customer’s electronic signatures, and then synchronized back into SAP. This means that it is now also possible to issue invoices immediately and not after days and weeks as before. “The pilot operation in Switzerland has already led to a significant increase in efficiency and process quality. Our inventories are now also considerably lower. And the prompt invoicing has had a noticeably positive effect on the cash and liquidity situation,” says Markus Pfiffner, summarizing the initial experience.

The new solution has also been extremely well received by employees. Not only because many of the previously necessary manual steps have been completely eliminated. Travel expense reporting was also almost completely automated with the help of NEO Mobile Suite. All times and expense confirmations recorded on the mobile devices are used for this purpose. In addition, there is the possibility to enter flat-rate expenses, hotel nights, car trips or parking fees. This is done either on an order-by-order basis or on an internal order basis, which is settled to the cost center. This completely eliminates the additional effort previously required for travel expense reporting, and employees receive their weekly reports directly from the system, in which all information, including payment amounts, can be transparently tracked.

After the NEO Mobile Suite by Axians had been put through its paces by the currently 30 Swiss Belimed service technicians, the international rollout started in January 2014, initially in Germany and Austria, with other countries following in 2015. Currently, 120 technicians are already working with the new system. The final number will be 250, operating from the European sites as well as in the USA and China. “We now have a process that is fully integrated into the SAP system without any system breaks. All data only has to be entered once, there are no more interface problems, and almost all other sources of error have been eliminated,” says Markus Pfiffner, describing the key advantages of the new system.

In addition, operational and strategic measurement criteria will be available throughout the Group in the future to help further improve service quality. “This gives us real transparency for the first time and allows us to compare the processes and their results across all locations. At the same time, the NEO Mobile Suite can be adapted so that regional specifics are also taken into account,” explains Markus Pfiffner. “As a result, the NEO Mobile Suite has become a key tool that we can use to increase customer satisfaction, improve our competitiveness, and thus also increase the profitability of the company as a whole.”

Belimed AG is a global leader in sterilization and infection prevention in healthcare. With innovative solutions such as washer-disinfectors and sterilizers, Belimed sets high standards for medical hygiene. The Swiss company works closely with healthcare institutions to provide state-of-the-art technologies for safe and effective products.