Digitization without S/4
The traditional Swiss company Zehnder has been using the ERP software SAP ECC 6.0 since 2011. This system was rolled out in all European locations and continuously adapted to the company's needs. This flexibility and a high level of integration into the core SAP system should also be part of future solutions. It was therefore quickly clear that the new systems for sales and service should also come from SAP.
Sales Cloud
Together with the sales department, the IT department finally chose the SAP Sales Cloud system in 2017, the implementation of which was started in the same year. The company chose Sybit, a full-service digital agency and long-standing SAP partner, as its partner. Thanks to the successful collaboration, the go-live was largely free of complications, so that shortly after the introduction, the second implementation project in the service area could already be tackled.
Field Service Management
In 2020, the SAP Field Service Management (FSM) service system went live. The two new systems are linked on the one hand via the ERP software and on the other hand via specially created interfaces. In retrospect, for Franz Furrer, IT Manager at Zehnder Group, and his team, clean process harmonization was an important success factor in addition to the close cooperation with Sybit. "For other mid-sized companies planning a similar project, my advice is to thoroughly review all processes and enter the design phase with a clear vision."says Furrer.
Today, neither the sales managers nor the service technicians would want to do without the new solutions, as both departments benefit from significant increases in efficiency. Whereas the service technicians used to plan their deployment routes themselves, service orders are now scheduled centrally and digitally using the FSM system. The system is now also equipped with the valuable Best Matching Technician feature, which has proven to be an efficiency driver, according to Daniel Binggeli, Head of Service CH at Zehnder Group: "Thanks to the new field service management, we were able to process ten percent more service calls after just six months."
Customer Experience
Zehnder's customers also notice the upgrade. In the past, they had to wait two weeks for the service log, but now it can be generated directly from FSM after the service call and sent to the customer. This is particularly advantageous when commissioning a new system. Cooperation between service and sales has also become more goal-oriented. Area sales managers have customer information for their region directly at their fingertips in real time - whether from the regional sales staff or the technicians deployed there. Thanks to the equally simple opportunity management and visit planning and customer classification processes, lengthy meetings are no longer necessary, as the entire sales pipeline and customer history can be seen at a glance.
Thanks to the 360-degree customer overview, sales staff are now more competent, focus on promising projects and ultimately increase the number of sales. In addition, the system offers reliable offline availability, which is particularly important for a group of companies in countries with unstable mobile networks. In the future, the new customer experience solution can and will also be used by partners to create even more proximity to the end customer - digitally and in business terms.
