Intralox boosts customer service effectiveness with Dynamics 365

Centralization is key to stellar customer service 

Intralox is rightfully proud of its 99.4 percent customer service accuracy rate. Providing exemplary service while streamlining processes to improve efficiency is an important part of the company’s business strategy. And, as the eyes of the organization, the customer service teams see firsthand how well their systems are working, and where further innovation could help.

More than 500 customer service representatives and field service technicians manage more than 80,000 accounts globally. With 18 languages to support and a conglomeration of technologies for call center activity and customer relationship management (CRM), providing consistent communication and outstanding service to new and established customers was challenging. Intralox wanted a centralized system that would help it connect more closely with customers, improve the productivity of customer service and field service teams, and boost customer satisfaction.

Intralox chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 to enhance and standardize service operations and meet the modern demands of its growing customer base. The company partnered with Hitachi Solutions to seamlessly implement cost-effective solutions that address the unique challenges remote customer service teams face.

Intralox began the shift from Oracle CRM On Demand to Dynamics 365 in 2019. Dynamics 365 Sales went online first, followed by Dynamics 365 Customer Service in 2020 and Dynamics 365 Field Service in 2021.

“With Microsoft Dynamics 365, we went from using several different systems that required redundant tasks, or had gaps in data flow, to a fully unified, secure, and easily managed solution for our customer service and field service teams,” says Jordan Farley, Customer Service Business Lead at Intralox.

Automation improves efficiency

It was time to upgrade the company’s previous systems to unify and standardize processes, as well as take better advantage of new automation capabilities. Dynamics 365 brought customer information and service management together, making hand-offs from customer service to field service smooth and fluid. With fully integrated and centrally managed customer and activity management, Dynamics 365 allows teams to share up-to-date information to provide the best service possible. And Dynamics 365 is agile and flexible, integrating easily with other Intralox applications like Cisco IP Telephony for voice capability, and Oracle Enterprise Business Suite enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

“Our global customer service team relies on the localization and voice capabilities of Dynamics 365 omnichannel for 24/7 access to customer information when providing remote customer support. It has already proven to increase the productivity of our customer service team,” explains Andrew Koehler, Sales Business Lead at Intralox.

With more than 2,400 service visits each year, ranging from initial consultations, custom system design, and installation to regular system health checks and equipment repairs, intelligent automation that simplifies service order creation and shortens response time is key. For instance, when a conveyor product needs to be installed or serviced, Dynamics 365 pulls information about the product components from the Oracle ERP system, providing asset details needed for service activities. A Power Pages app displays the information in a system-specific work order template, prompting field technicians for equipment and task details. Work orders are generated quickly, saving time and reducing data entry errors. Another Power Pages app automates the creation of field service inspection reports, using job-specific data to generate questions relevant to a specific piece of equipment.

Precise service tasks make assigning resources easy. Dispatchers use Dynamics 365 Universal Resource Scheduling to match work orders with technicians’ specialized skills, knowledge of unique equipment, history with particular customers, and availability. Scheduling the right technician is simple with a drag-and-drop interface—and dispatchers can use the same scheduling board to align the arrival of specialized equipment with technicians’ appointment times. The result is fewer support calls, more accurate work orders, and timelier dispatch of technicians, eliminating the need for callbacks.

On-site or in the field, techs are in the know

When booked, field technicians receive a notification to make sure they’re informed and well prepared for their visit. While they’re in the field, they use the Field Service (Dynamics 365) mobile app to view appointments, customer information, and work order details. Access to asset history in the app, from initial installation specifications and custom design details to maintenance records, is especially valuable. And with language assistance, they can confidently communicate with customers no matter where they are in the world. Whether they use a laptop or a mobile device, online or off, with the Field Service (Dynamics 365) mobile app technicians are equipped with all the information they need to meet customer service needs quickly and expertly.

Service powers up with Dynamics 365 omnichannel engagement

In 2023, Intralox took the next step in its Dynamics 365 transformation with the deployment of the omnichannel engagement capabilities of Dynamics 365 Customer Service. Omnichannel capabilities add robust and fully integrated voice and chat channels, while AI-enabled bots provide productivity-boosting automation and intelligent reporting.

Before, customer service reps used multiple applications to manage a single phone interaction. After answering the call in Cisco Finesse, reps would search Dynamics 365 for contact details and then record the call and notes, and then return to Cisco Finesse to close out the call. "Now," says Jordan Farley, Customer Service Business Lead, “that is basically consolidated into one motion, so they’re working in Dynamics 365 all the time. There’s no popping around to different windows.” Omnichannel capabilities integrate voice channels seamlessly. Callers can be identified and routed to the right location and agent in real time. Agents can view all the information related to the customer before the call even starts.

“Simply processing a customer request or creating a work order involved pulling from call center information and manually inputting data into the Dynamics 365 system. Now, there is less admin work, no bouncing between systems, no looking up how this customer is tied to the organization. Dynamics 365 has made the lives of our service reps so much easier,” says Jordan Farley, Customer Service Business Lead at Intralox.

A single international WhatsApp phone number was rolled out to streamline global support and better serve customers regardless of where they’re located. To address global calling and language needs, an industry-specialized Power Virtual Agents bot receives incoming conversations, greets customers, and intelligently routes those conversations according to the customer’s location. Because the bot handles language-based customer greetings before transferring the conversation to a live agent, customers enjoy a seamless support experience.

Omnichannel engagement gives agents confidence each time a call or request comes in. With a 360-view of customer and case data, agents have immediate access to a customer’s history and system information during the conversation.

“Our shift to Dynamics 365 Customer Service with voice capability has improved productivity and our customer experience because we’re now able to quickly understand our previous interactions with the customer, efficiently create a work order that’s based on specific customer needs, and communicate with the customer no matter where they’re located. It was a big productivity win,” says Andrew Koehler, Sales Business Lead at Intralox.

Seamless growth into the future

Since the company’s implementation of Dynamics 365 Customer Service, the numbers tell the story: In the first year, more than 3,000 customer cases were created, nearly 2,500 customer inquiries to the call center, more than 3,800 email messages sent or received, and 250 onsite visits scheduled. The following year was even more spectacular, with nearly 10,000 accounts managed, more than 30,000 cases created, more than 2,400 service visits scheduled, and 75,000 emails sent—all from Dynamics 365. In fact, Intralox recorded a remarkable 2,140 percent increase in customer call activities since the initial implementation, yielding rich insights into their customers and the products they use.

“With Dynamics 365 we’ve seen impressive efficiency gains in omnichannel effectiveness, work order administration, and case management,” confirms Jeff Serpas, Commercial Business Relationship Manager at Intralox.

Intralox has seen meaningful benefits from its Dynamics 365 implementation, from faster and more efficient customer service and case creation to a better-connected field service team. Its new centralized system automates manual tasks and shortens service response times, saving costs and eliminating redundancy. And with future copilot AI features, Intralox can look forward to even more work order creation enhancements.

“We’re hearing more about copilot capabilities and think it could be a great enhancement to Intralox’s work order creation process. Automatically converting field service emails to work order drafts would be fantastic and save a lot of time and energy,” says Reham Darwiche, Solution Architect at Hitachi Solutions.