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Freight Payment Processor Uses CRM to Raise Customer Service and Employee Productivity
Trendset brings high-tech efficiencies to the logistics industry. The company provides electronic payment processing between shippers and carriers, as well as online analysis of their shipping activities. Trendset has doubled in size over the last few years, and it’s this growth that has impaired the company’s ability to fulfill its goal of offering outstanding customer service. Customer calls were bounced from person to person, issues were lost, and employees were duplicating efforts and wasting time. With the help of Microsoft® Certified Partner Customer Effective, Trendset deployed Microsoft CRM and Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 with Microsoft Windows® SharePoint® Services. The new solution has allowed Trendset to resolve customer problems faster—from several days to several hours—and even offer Web-based problem submission and tracking. As Trendset grew, customer service began to suffer. Employees wasted too much time tracking down redundant information, and customer response time lengthened to days. Trendset deployed Microsoft® CRM to centralize customer information and enforce a sound customer response process that eliminated wasted effort.
Situation
For every truck you see rolling down the road, there is a wide highway of paper flowing through the offices of the buyer, seller, and shipper of those goods. Trendset, Inc., of Greenville, South Carolina, is intent on transforming that paper highway into a highspeed digital expressway. The company provides advanced freight payment solutions that integrate Web-based freight payment, logistics, and financial reporting systems to deliver real-time information and reduced costs.
Trendset was founded in 1982 by Gary Selvaggio with a focus on providing freight auditing and payment services. The company’s 100-plus clients include Fortune 1000 companies in a wide variety of industries. Its innovative business-tobusiness transaction network helps companies transform cumbersome paperbased billing and payment data into a realtime digital database providing sophisticated online analytics. Trendset scans millions of freight bills and processes more than U.S.$1.5 billion in freight payments annually from its 25,000-square-foot state-of-the-art data center in Greenville. From the Web, clients can access digital images of invoices, billing data, and payment data in order to better understand their costs and spot areas for improvement.
Trendset has experienced rapid growth over the past several years as companies have sought smarter ways to reduce costs and eliminate inefficiencies from their internal processes. While Trendset welcomed growth, it wanted to ensure that it could maintain the high levels of customer service that have contributed to its success. The company also wanted to control overhead while reaching for higher revenue goals.
Trendset understood that improving employee productivity was critical to its future. Management began asking questions such as: How can we work smarter instead of harder? How do we make it possible for our employees to work on the right task at the right time? How can we spot customer issues before they become problems? How can we help our customers get answers to their questions faster and more reliably? How can we better anticipate our customers’ needs and demands?
Employees were spending far too much time tracking down basic customer information and didn’t have a way to effectively communicate about customer problems. Most employees were taking down customer calls on a pad of paper and then tracking down the source of the issue by walking around, calling each other, or sending e-mail to a large group. They were in effect creating paper highways through their own offices— something that they worked hard to eliminate from their customers’ operations.
Trendset has experienced rapid growth over the past several years as companies have sought smarter ways to reduce costs and eliminate inefficiencies from their internal processes. While Trendset welcomed growth, it wanted to ensure that it could maintain the high levels of customer service that have contributed to its success. The company also wanted to control overhead while reaching for higher revenue goals.
Trendset understood that improving employee productivity was critical to its future. Management began asking questions such as: How can we work smarter instead of harder? How do we make it possible for our employees to work on the right task at the right time? How can we spot customer issues before they become problems? How can we help our customers get answers to their questions faster and more reliably? How can we better anticipate our customers’ needs and demands?
Employees were spending far too much time tracking down basic customer information and didn’t have a way to effectively communicate about customer problems. Most employees were taking down customer calls on a pad of paper and then tracking down the source of the issue by walking around, calling each other, or sending e-mail to a large group. They were in effect creating paper highways through their own offices— something that they worked hard to eliminate from their customers’ operations.
“Sometimes we’d have six people working on the same issue without knowing it,” says says Bill McCown, Senior Corporate Manager of Infrastructure and Operations at Trendset. “It was hard to tell who, if anyone, owned a problem."
Founder and President Gary Selvaggio adds, “We knew we had to change the way we operated in order to take our business to the next level. That meant getting rid of the paper shuffle and addressing customer issues with clear responsibility. Our vision was to create a seamless electronic process connecting everyone in our office to our customers so that our people and our customers knew exactly what was happening at all times.”
Solution
Trendset began to search for an easy way to let employees share customer data and communicate internally about customer problems. The company worked with Customer Effective, Inc., a Microsoft® Certified Partner that specializes in customer relationship management (CRM) to identify and implement a solution.
The Search
Customer Effective introduced Trendset to Microsoft CRM, a business solution that automates and streamlines customer interaction. Microsoft CRM supplies a central repository of customer information that provides each employee with up-to-date customer profile information. It also provides a historical view of every interaction that has occurred with specific individuals from each customer. This central database serves as a companywide electronic contact file, keeping everyone on the same page about what is happening with a customer.
“We really liked the simplicity and ease of use of Microsoft CRM, as well as its integration with Microsoft Outlook®,” McCown says. “It’s a flexible product that allows us to enhance its core capabilities to accommodate our complex business. We knew that Microsoft would provide great support as the product evolved, and the price was attractive, too.”
The Process
When a customer call comes in, Microsoft CRM shows the Trendset customer service representative (CSR) the caller’s name even before the CSR picks up the phone (a Customer Effective customization). From the customer’s screen in Microsoft CRM, the CSR can quickly create a customer service “case;” additional customizations created by Customer Effective enable Microsoft CRM to automatically populate customer-specific fields to speed the process.
A business rules engine that Customer Effective created in Microsoft CRM determines the nature of the problem (related to IT, accounting, rates, operations, and so forth) and routes the problem to the appropriate person. The system also automatically sends an e-mail to the customer providing them with the case number, status, and Web address for tracking. If the problem requires the input of other employees at Trendset, the case is routed to appropriate individuals, and they update Microsoft CRM with every action taken.
The Search
Customer Effective introduced Trendset to Microsoft CRM, a business solution that automates and streamlines customer interaction. Microsoft CRM supplies a central repository of customer information that provides each employee with up-to-date customer profile information. It also provides a historical view of every interaction that has occurred with specific individuals from each customer. This central database serves as a companywide electronic contact file, keeping everyone on the same page about what is happening with a customer.
“We really liked the simplicity and ease of use of Microsoft CRM, as well as its integration with Microsoft Outlook®,” McCown says. “It’s a flexible product that allows us to enhance its core capabilities to accommodate our complex business. We knew that Microsoft would provide great support as the product evolved, and the price was attractive, too.”
The Process
When a customer call comes in, Microsoft CRM shows the Trendset customer service representative (CSR) the caller’s name even before the CSR picks up the phone (a Customer Effective customization). From the customer’s screen in Microsoft CRM, the CSR can quickly create a customer service “case;” additional customizations created by Customer Effective enable Microsoft CRM to automatically populate customer-specific fields to speed the process.
A business rules engine that Customer Effective created in Microsoft CRM determines the nature of the problem (related to IT, accounting, rates, operations, and so forth) and routes the problem to the appropriate person. The system also automatically sends an e-mail to the customer providing them with the case number, status, and Web address for tracking. If the problem requires the input of other employees at Trendset, the case is routed to appropriate individuals, and they update Microsoft CRM with every action taken.
If a customer submits a problem over e-mail, the CSR creates a customer service case from the e-mail message using a special Microsoft CRM toolbar that Customer Effective added to the company’s Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 messaging and collaboration client. Microsoft CRM automatically populates the customer identification fields and transfers the e-mail text to the problem description field.
Because most Trendset employees were already comfortable with Microsoft Outlook for e-mail and Microsoft Internet Explorer for Web browsing, Microsoft CRM provided them with a familiar user interface that Customer Effective made accessible—anytime, from anywhere—by using a Web browser.
The Implementation
Trendset and Customer Effective implemented Microsoft CRM in approximately 60 days using a three-stage process:
- The business and project goals were first defined and documented. Customer Effective trained the core implementation team at Trendset on Microsoft CRM and visually mapped out critical customerfacing business processes.
- Customer Effective customized Microsoft CRM to reflect the unique business processes, data fields, forms, and terminology that Trendset used. Customer Effective also converted and added existing customer data to the Microsoft CRM database.
- Finally, Customer Effective trained Trendset staff to use Microsoft CRM and provided plenty of handson assistance during the company’s “go live” period.
The Trendset implementation of Microsoft CRM runs on a single server under the Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 operating system. Customer data resides on a separate database server running Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000. Microsoft CRM communicates with the company’s messaging system, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, which resides on a third server. Windows Server 2003, SQL Server 2000, and Exchange Server 2003 are part of Microsoft Windows Server System™ integrated server software.
Benefits
Since its implementation of Microsoft CRM, Trendset has watched the time it takes to resolve customer problems drop from several days to just a few hours. Customer issues are tracked efficiently and accurately, and they are resolved by fewer employees with much less redundant effort. Customers are happier with the improved turnaround time and the new ability to track customer service online. Microsoft CRM has enabled Trendset to take on a dozen new customers without expanding its CSR staff.
Problem Resolution in Hours vs. Days
Since deploying Microsoft CRM, Trendset has reduced its customer service response time from several days to several hours. “In most cases, we’ve reduced our response time to less than one hour versus one business day before,” McCown says. “The worst-case scenario is four hours. This is a dramatic speed-up for us.”
By assigning issues to the most appropriate employee for the task, Trendset employees know who is doing what with a given customer at any given time. They can provide customers with the assurance that they will get accurate and timely answers to their questions, without having to explain their problem repeatedly to different people.
“Customers are very happy,” McCown says. “The number of issues we track in Microsoft CRM has risen dramatically over the last few months, indicating to us that customer adoption is huge.”
Trendset shares monthly Microsoft CRM reports with several large customers, which helps them track customer service issues. Trendset also uses Microsoft CRM reports to better manage its own CSR staffing and workload projections.
Web-based Problem Tracking
Customer Effective integrated Microsoft CRM with Microsoft Windows® SharePoint® Services—a portal and collaboration technology built into Microsoft Windows operating system—to post customer service issues to a customer portal. As soon as a customer reports an issue to Trendset, Microsoft CRM generates an e-mail directing the customer to the portal. Once logged in, the customer can view and track the progress of all outstanding (and resolved) customer service issues. Customers can submit problems while on the portal and even post documents for Trendset CSRs to review. Conversely, Trendset can use the portal to share documents with customers.
“We have plans to upgrade the foundation of our customer-facing portal to Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server, which will allow us to create customized Web sites for individual customers,” McCown says. “Our goal is to create closer ties with our customers and find new ways to treat them better. Microsoft CRM and Microsoft SharePoint technologies are giving us new ways to do that.” Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server is part of Microsoft Windows Server System™ integrated server software.
Increased Productivity
Trendset employees can now easily share customer information in a centralized database, eliminating the practice of roaming the halls to track down contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses. More importantly, each employee can see a customer’s entire contact history at a glance, along with the most recent e-mail dialog between Trendset and that customer. “Microsoft CRM has made everyone in our company more productive, not just our customer service staff,” McCown says. “Over the past year we’ve added more than $250 million in new business without hiring additional CSRs.”
Simple, Effective Target Marketing
Microsoft CRM has proven to be more than just a great tool for solving customer problems faster; it’s also helping Trendset more effectively. At the recommendation of Customer Effective, Trendset integrated Microsoft CRM with a verified third-party emarketing campaign product called Britemoon (from Britemoon, Inc.).
Trendset marketing personnel take advantage of the detailed customer data in Microsoft CRM to sort customers by attributes such as geography, business segment, carrier, and billing volume. By clicking a customized “marketing” tab, marketing staff launch Britemoon, which allows them to create marketing e-mails that are customized with individual customer names and other data.
Trendset can track whether the e-mail was opened, if the customer clicked the URL provided, where on the Trendset Web site the customer went, and how long he stayed. This information—indicating products and services in which customers showed interest— automatically becomes part of that customer’s contact history in Microsoft CRM.
“Our ultimate goal is a company-wide initiative called ‘Open Vision,’” Selvaggio says. “We want to make all customer-related information available to our clients through online portals. This includes not only customer service information but financial information such as billing and payment data. We’re implementing Microsoft Business Solutions–Great Plains® to do this. We’re moving toward a customer self-service model, and Microsoft products are helping us get there.”
Problem Resolution in Hours vs. Days
Since deploying Microsoft CRM, Trendset has reduced its customer service response time from several days to several hours. “In most cases, we’ve reduced our response time to less than one hour versus one business day before,” McCown says. “The worst-case scenario is four hours. This is a dramatic speed-up for us.”
By assigning issues to the most appropriate employee for the task, Trendset employees know who is doing what with a given customer at any given time. They can provide customers with the assurance that they will get accurate and timely answers to their questions, without having to explain their problem repeatedly to different people.
“Customers are very happy,” McCown says. “The number of issues we track in Microsoft CRM has risen dramatically over the last few months, indicating to us that customer adoption is huge.”
Trendset shares monthly Microsoft CRM reports with several large customers, which helps them track customer service issues. Trendset also uses Microsoft CRM reports to better manage its own CSR staffing and workload projections.
Web-based Problem Tracking
Customer Effective integrated Microsoft CRM with Microsoft Windows® SharePoint® Services—a portal and collaboration technology built into Microsoft Windows operating system—to post customer service issues to a customer portal. As soon as a customer reports an issue to Trendset, Microsoft CRM generates an e-mail directing the customer to the portal. Once logged in, the customer can view and track the progress of all outstanding (and resolved) customer service issues. Customers can submit problems while on the portal and even post documents for Trendset CSRs to review. Conversely, Trendset can use the portal to share documents with customers.
“We have plans to upgrade the foundation of our customer-facing portal to Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server, which will allow us to create customized Web sites for individual customers,” McCown says. “Our goal is to create closer ties with our customers and find new ways to treat them better. Microsoft CRM and Microsoft SharePoint technologies are giving us new ways to do that.” Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server is part of Microsoft Windows Server System™ integrated server software.
Increased Productivity
Trendset employees can now easily share customer information in a centralized database, eliminating the practice of roaming the halls to track down contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses. More importantly, each employee can see a customer’s entire contact history at a glance, along with the most recent e-mail dialog between Trendset and that customer. “Microsoft CRM has made everyone in our company more productive, not just our customer service staff,” McCown says. “Over the past year we’ve added more than $250 million in new business without hiring additional CSRs.”
Simple, Effective Target Marketing
Microsoft CRM has proven to be more than just a great tool for solving customer problems faster; it’s also helping Trendset more effectively. At the recommendation of Customer Effective, Trendset integrated Microsoft CRM with a verified third-party emarketing campaign product called Britemoon (from Britemoon, Inc.).
Trendset marketing personnel take advantage of the detailed customer data in Microsoft CRM to sort customers by attributes such as geography, business segment, carrier, and billing volume. By clicking a customized “marketing” tab, marketing staff launch Britemoon, which allows them to create marketing e-mails that are customized with individual customer names and other data.
Trendset can track whether the e-mail was opened, if the customer clicked the URL provided, where on the Trendset Web site the customer went, and how long he stayed. This information—indicating products and services in which customers showed interest— automatically becomes part of that customer’s contact history in Microsoft CRM.
“Our ultimate goal is a company-wide initiative called ‘Open Vision,’” Selvaggio says. “We want to make all customer-related information available to our clients through online portals. This includes not only customer service information but financial information such as billing and payment data. We’re implementing Microsoft Business Solutions–Great Plains® to do this. We’re moving toward a customer self-service model, and Microsoft products are helping us get there.”
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