Fujitsu Outsourcing: Fujitsu Siemens Computers ECRM System Solution from Accenture

A Siebel-based eCRM system is helping Fujitsu Siemens Computers improve performance by maximizing the value of all its customer and partner interactions.

Accenture's ongoing research into the characteristics of high-performance businesses reveals that industry leaders distinguish themselves in a number of important ways. For example, they continually seek unique insights into drivers of present and future value. They are masters of action — transferring these insights into innovative product offerings and differentiated ways of working. And, perhaps most important, they tend to be obsessed with winning the battle for the customer.

Against these criteria, Fujitsu Siemens Computers acts like a high-performance business. The company's 100,000-plus products and solutions, which are among the most innovative in the industry, face fierce competition from domestic and foreign technology providers. Fujitsu Siemens Computers knows that to win the battle for the customer, its product portfolio needs to be matched consistently and appropriately to customers' needs. The company clearly has the customer as its focal point; its vision is to understand customers to serve them best. To deliver on this promise and continue to ensure the quality of service that its customers have come to expect, Fujitsu Siemens Computers recognized that it was critical to provide superior customer interactions at every touch point.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers recognized its mandate: bolster a customer relationship management focus and maximize the value of all its customer and partner interactions through integrated customer and product databases. To bring this mandate to life, the computer giant adopted a new customer-focused strategy, the centerpiece of which was a Europe-wide electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) solution supporting sales, service and marketing. Such a solution, based on applications from Siebel Systems, would:

• Create customer transparency.
• Increase customer and partner loyalty.
• Reduce non-sales activities.
• Enable the company to share all information from one information base.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers believed the eCRM capability would help expand margins, improve market penetration, increase customer and partner retention, and allow the company to better focus on high-potential customers and optimize sales opportunities.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers selected Accenture to help design and implement the eCRM solution for several reasons. Accenture has deep CRM knowledge, as well as proven Siebel expertise and an expansive reach across more than 20 European countries. This expertise would be invaluable in successfully introducing the Siebel-based eCRM solution. Additionally, Accenture suggested adopting a value-based billing approach to the project. Such an approach would create a risk-sharing tie between the two companies and link the company's investment to success metrics established upfront.

Accenture collaborated with Fujitsu Siemens Computers to analyze and diagnose the challenge, and then design the end-to-end eCRM solution. The team engaged users early on in developing the central, company wide, international solution. Based on the latest Siebel 7 software, the Web-based solution automates core CRM processes, including sales, marketing, service and call center. Solution components include account management, opportunity management, contact management, quote, proposal, order and forecast. The solution is seamlessly integrated with the company's back-office solutions, including SAP and the production systems. And with its Web-linked "zero footprint" client, the solution eliminates the need to install software on individual workstations.

To enable employees and partners to use and fully take advantage of the new system, the Accenture-led team conducted extensive, tailored training for executives, account teams and system administrators. Further, Accenture worked with Fujitsu Siemens Computers to create training materials that are distributed physically to the company's locations and also available online with each release. The team collected additional data and cleaned up existing databases to facilitate data migration, and established communication channels to ensure the timely, accurate and comprehensive exchange of information between the eCRM deployment team and all target user groups.

Based on the success of the Siebel design and implementation, Fujitsu Siemens Computers recently asked Accenture to assume responsibility for maintaining the new system for five years. Under the application outsourcing arrangement, Accenture is providing first- and second-level support, deployment, application development and configuration, data management, system administration and release upgrades for all Siebel applications. This support includes technical design, coding, testing, debugging, and procedure development and modification. The Accenture team has recently launched Fujitsu Siemens Computers's upgrade to Siebel v.7.8.

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With Accenture's help, Fujitsu Siemens Computers now collects relevant customer information on one, worldwide, streamlined server and database. Users can retrieve, within seconds, information on all customers and products worldwide. This means the company can more accurately segment its customers and better match services and products to customer needs — particularly those of their most valuable customers. Customers benefit, as well, from faster yet more specialized proposals from which to make their purchasing decisions.

The Siebel-based eCRM system — available to more than 2,500 internal users from sales, service and marketing, as well as more than 20,000 external sales channel partners-gives Fujitsu Siemens Computers a high degree of integration across all CRM areas and with all other systems in the company. Now, for example, when call center representatives conduct a campaign of outbound calls to customers, they can send leads of interested customers directly to an appropriate sales person. In addition, the eCRM solution is improving Fujitsu Siemens Computers's ability to share knowledge and gain greater control within their sales processes. Both company employees and channel partners can work together seamlessly, assessing product and component information and selling across departments and teams from one system.

Already, Fujitsu Siemens Computers reports a 60 percent increase in the speed of order processing. The outsourcing arrangement with Accenture is expected to improve service quality even further by allowing the computer giant to better concentrate on its core business. Equally important, the arrangement is expected to reduce costs by up to 33 percent.

By linking sales, marketing and service into eCRM, Fujitsu Siemens Computers has the agility to create customer and partner transparency. This, in turn, is allowing the company to break through the industry clutter, build recognizable loyalty and position itself for a market revival. Above all, the solution is helping Fujitsu Siemens Computers become a high-performance business by translating insights into action and supporting the company's goals.