TECHSTREET MODERNIZES ERP AND CRM TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE EFFICIENCY
WESTERN COMPUTER MIGRATES LEGACY APPLICATIONS TO MICROSOFT DYNAMICS 365
THE SOLUTION
Techstreet provides subscriptions to industry standards issued by multiple publishers and provides services to help clients access the standards. Soon after the company was acquired by Global Knowledge Solutions, the pressure on the Techstreet IT team quickly mounted as the firm needed to migrate its applications off the infrastructure hosted by the previous parent company.
With the deadline to complete the move approaching quickly, Michael Klinger, the CEO of Global Knowledge Solutions, knew Techstreet needed help. “We maintain a lean internal IT team and keep them focused on assisting clients,” says Klinger. “We were also using legacy applications for ERP, CRM and customer service functions that we wanted to modernize, so we saw the migration from the previous environment as the perfect opportunity. We also knew it would be a challenge to get our end-users to feel comfortable with the new software. They had used the legacy applications for many years.”
Klinger first determined Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (ERP) and Microsoft Dynamics CE Enterprise applications of Dynamics 365 Sales and Dynamics 365 Customer Service (CRM and customer service) would provide the advanced capabilities Techstreet required. He also valued how using Microsoft Dynamics 365 makes it easy to integrate data and processes across the business. There’s also a wide range of third-party applications that connect easily to the Microsoft platforms for any additional capabilities Techstreet wants in the future.
Just as important as the choice of technology, Techstreet also needed to identify a partner to implement and configure Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service. After conducting research and talking to several potential partners, Klinger identified Western Computer as the ideal choice.
“While the other potential partners tended to focus on justifying their cost to complete the project, Western Computer focused on detailing the game plan on how they would deliver what we needed. That gave us confidence they could do the job.”
THE BENEFITS
The initial phase of the project (completed in advance of the deadline) focused on implementing the Techstreet applications in its Amazon Web Services environment. This included moving off a custom ERP application to Dynamics 365 Business Central and transferring customer service functions from Salesforce to Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service. A future phase will focus on moving CRM processes from legacy applications into Dynamics CE.
Improving case management processes—handled by Techstreet customer care team members working from home offices—was a particular focus. The team helps internal users set up customer accounts and subscriptions to standards. The team also assists customers with accessing the standards. Western Computer integrated Dynamics 365 Customer Service with Dynamics 365 Customer Service Chat Omnichannel, which enables chat sessions between the customer care team and customers visiting the Techstreet website.
Western Computer also set up a Dynamics 365 Customer Service syncs with Talkdesk to enable Techstreet to analyze metrics pertaining to the performance of the customer care team. Customer care reps can view client account notes, and any new notes taken during customer calls are automatically uploaded into Dynamics 365 Sales, which facilitates follow-up activities with customers.
“Our customer service workflow efficiency has improved significantly,” says Klinger. “We also have a more stable environment, and it’s easier to track the status of cases through the service metrics we can generate. Cases are automatically routed to the correct queue, and we stay on top of any issues we need to address to meet customer needs.”
A key factor in the success of the migrations to the new ERP and CRM applications is that Klinger involved the Techstreet management team and end-users early in the project. This helped users embrace the change and has increased user adoption.
“With guidance from Western Computer, we showed what the current and future phases involve and how Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service will help us do our jobs more effectively,” says Klinger. “Our users then bought into the concept of automated processes rather than having to manually manage workflows through spreadsheets.”