Customer Solution Case Study
/ / Legal Software Developer Improves Data Access, Streamlines Processes
Overview
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Legal
Customer Profile
For 65 years, Stenograph has been the leading supplier of products and services to the court reporting industry. The company is based in Mount Prospect, Illinois.
Business Situation
Stenograph had two systems that supported its business and customer management needs. However, the aging technology was not intuitive and limited the company’s ability to access data quickly.
Solution
The company teamed with Solution Systems and deployed Microsoft® Business Solutions–Navision® software to 120 employees in its organization.
Benefits
n Creates a highly efficient, effective work environment
n Streamlines processes with online, real-time information access
n Supports a seamless deployment / “Microsoft Navision provides capabilities that were not possible in our old environment. We have a more efficient workforce and have streamlined processes, all with a system that was easy to deploy.”
Bill Weigel, Director of Information Technology, Stenograph
The 150 employees at Stenograph are dedicated to serving the court reporting industry with high-quality, innovative products and services that boost job performance. To manage business operations, the company used independent enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. But after one provider discontinued its product support, Stenograph grasped an opportunity to replace the aging technology with a single, integrated solution. After partnering with Solution Systems, Stenograph rolled out Microsoft® Business Solutions–Navision® software to 120 employees. The company completed the entire project in 100 days and now has a robust solution that supports all aspects of doing business through an intuitive user interface. In addition, employees have real-time access to information, shortening the standard order fill rate by 50 percent.
Situation
Built on a reputation of innovation, quality, and service, Stenograph has a long-standing track record of success in the court reporting industry. For over 65 years, the company has provided tools of the trade and training services to students and professionals alike. In addition, Stenograph is the leading developer of computer-aided transcription (CAT) software, which is used by over 11,000 professional court reporters in the United States.
To help manage business operations and its customers, Stenograph used two systems: An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system by SSA Global, and a customer relationship management (CRM) system from Marketing Information Systems. While these systems provided sufficient support to the company for the past 15 years, the company’s CRM system provider recently was bought out and discontinued its product support, leaving Stenograph with unsupported software. The company viewed this as an opportunity to search for a new business management solution to better support the company’s business needs today and into the future.
Bill Weigel, Director of Information Technology for Stenograph, explains, “We wanted a state-of-the-art solution that would provide a single environment for our ERP and CRM-related data, and a full business package with financial, call center, and manufacturing capabilities. In addition, we wanted to move away from the character-based, green-screen user interface of our old system to a more intuitive user interface.”
Solution
After an extensive search for a comprehensive business solution, Stenograph narrowed its selection down to three contenders, from which Microsoft® Business Solutions–Navision® software quickly emerged as the clear choice.
Microsoft Navision integrates critical financial, manufacturing, distribution, CRM, and e-commerce data into a streamlined, comprehensive solution for growing midsize businesses. In addition, Microsoft Navision has an intuitive interface through which users access all system features. Stenograph’s research showed that Microsoft Navision can facilitate rapid deployments.
To help implement Microsoft Navision, Stenograph teamed with Solution Systems, a Microsoft Certified Business Solutions Partner. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Solution Systems offers a wide range of integrated, end-to-end business applications and services designed to help small and midsize businesses connect with customers, employees, partners, and suppliers. In a timeframe of just 100 days, the team from Solution Systems and Stenograph took the project from start to finish, including planning, implementation, data migration, testing, training, and a final rollout of the product to 120 employees.
Microsoft Navision is installed in a single-server environment running the Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 operating system and uses the Microsoft Navision Database Server for information storage. It also incorporates several Microsoft Navision add-on products, such as E-Ship and Credit Card Processing by Lanham Associates, Call Center Management by Open Door Technology, and Product Configurator by SimCrest. While most employees access the system locally, the company has several remote employees (including an offsite sales team) who use remote desktop connection software to access Microsoft Navision.
In addition, employees use the Microsoft Office Excel® 2003 spreadsheet software and Microsoft Office Word 2003 to interact with data stored in the Microsoft Navision database. Stenograph extensively uses the mail-merging capability of Word 2003 to produce e-mail and mail campaigns based on CRM data on customer segments.
Benefits
With Microsoft Navision, Stenograph implemented a solution that will support the company in years to come. Weigel explains, “Microsoft Navision provides capabilities that were not possible in our old environment. We have a more efficient workforce and have streamlined processes, all with a system that was easy to deploy.”
Creates a Highly Efficient, Effective Work Environment
Before implementing Microsoft Navision, employees at Stenograph juggled two separate systems to manage business operations, and neither system provided a user-friendly interface. But Microsoft Navision delivers comprehensive access to company information through a familiar Microsoft Office interface that is easy to navigate, making it easy to locate information.
“Because Microsoft Navision presents an intuitive interface, it’s easier to get new employees up and using the system, and it’s easier for employees to access business information. As a result, our employees can work in a more focused way,” explains Weigel.
For example, the sales team can easily identify customers whose service or maintenance agreements are coming up for renewal and initiate the process to update those agreements. The sales team also uses the information in Microsoft Navision to run more effective call campaigns. This entails a wide variety of scenarios, such as calling customers who have purchased certain products in the past but need to upgrade, re-order, be informed about price or availability changes, and more.
Streamlines Processes with Online, Real-Time Information Access
Stenograph’s old ERP and CRM environments required employees to analyze business results on reams of paper as this information was not readily available electronically. But with Microsoft Navision, Stenograph is moving away from a paper-based environment and can now access real-time business results, online. For example, the Chief Financial Officer can review the financial statements online and know that it’s up-to-date, instead of analyzing results on a printed report created a day or two before. For deeper analysis, financial information can be pulled directly into Excel 2003.
“With Microsoft Navision, we now have real-time access to information, which streamlines our processes at both the strategic and tactical level,” says Weigel. For example, the company now has real-time, online visibility to open orders. This enables Stenograph to monitor the order fill rate on a daily basis. As a result, the company reduced processing time on standard orders by 50percent.
Shipping processes have improved now that the company has online access to both order status and UPS and FedEx. The company knows in advance if next-day delivery is available, which helps employees set the right expectations with customers. Electronic access to information also improved the accuracy of billing for shipping and handling. In addition, online order access enables employees to prioritize shipments, ensuring that high priority orders go out before standard orders.
Supports a Seamless Deployment
Stenograph chose Microsoft Navision because it provides a straightforward solution to the company’s business needs. Microsoft Navision delivers out-of-the box functionality to support the company’s ERP and CRM requirements and provides the flexibility to be enhanced with add-on products to meet any unique qualification, quickly and easily.
“Our success lies in the depth and breadth of what we accomplished: In 100 days, we moved from what had become a highly tailored system to Microsoft Navision,” says Weigel. “In doing so, we eliminated our dual-database environment and implemented a single database environment that provides complete, easy access to real-time company information, delivered through an easy-to-use interface.” Weigel continues, “Our success is also attributed to the fact that we had complete company buy-in, from the top down, during our implementation of Microsoft Navision.”
Microsoft Business Solutions
Microsoft Business Solutions offer integrated business applications and services that allow small and midsize organizations and divisions of large enterprises to connect employees, customers, and suppliers for improved efficiency. The financial management, customer relationship management, supply chain management, and analytics applications work with other Microsoft software, including the Microsoft Office System and the Windows® operating system, to streamline processes across an entire organization. This gives businesses insight to respond rapidly, plan strategically, and execute quickly. Microsoft Business Solutions are delivered through a worldwide network of channel partners that provide specialized services and local support tailored to a company’s needs.
For more information about Microsoft Business Solutions, visit:
www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions