Open-source CRM + BPM A process for contract takeover management
With a takeover procedure energy providers can change the name of a supply contract holder, for example in the case of a transfer, without having to change the point of delivery (POD) or even replace the meter.
For this reason, takeover procedures involve lower costs for end customers and operators alike. In addition, if completed rapidly, they secure complete customer satisfaction and improve the economic return and reputation of the energy provider.
From this point of view, contract takeover procedures involve sales and technical aspects, but also internal, administrative-organizational ones.
1) Administration Department – 2) Sales Department – 3) Technical Department
The administration department has the main responsibility of filing data and information correctly, so that the technical aspects of the takeover procedure can be entrusted to a technician as soon as possible, subject to his existing work commitments.
Based on how effectively the whole procedure is managed, the sales department may or may not benefit in terms of increased competitiveness, customer satisfaction and corporate image. Being able to offer guaranteed takeover times to potential customers is a prerequisite for customer loyalty in a highly competitive market.
The technical department relies on a more rational scheduling of technician visits based on number of visits and geographical area to be covered, thus succeeding in concluding takeover procedures by the deadlines originally planned.
A smooth, efficient process safeguards the company from customer complaints, possible legal costs, failed activations and delays. A prerequisite for this is the implementation of a process-driven solution (Open-source CRM + BPM) with which employees in the three departments can communicate using objective, repeatable criteria and be entrusted with responsibilities and scheduled tasks with a view to complete management of the process.
This article presents the contract takeover process and also includes a downloadable flowchart for the management of administrative aspects. With the next article we will show you how to establish a ‘dialogue’ between the administration and technical departments.
MANAGEMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS OF SWITCHING PROCEDURES AND CRITICALITIES
In concrete, the criticalities most often encountered during a similar process are essentially caused by:
- inefficient organization of data collection, lack of objective criteria for the management of takeover operations,
- loss, unavailability or lack of data completeness due to the customer not having all information available, or to the operator reporting the information incorrectly or incompletely (meter data or variations in power loads or contracts),
- errors in filling in the takeover forms in the CRM system, resulting in the impossibility of changing the name of the POD holder, slow problem resolution times and increased customer complaints,
- incorrect power consumption readings. For this reason, a time-based consumption logbook significantly minimizes the possible occurrence of criticalities..
To address this situation, the BPM process designed for the administration department effectively prevents the occurrence of errors associated to the management of takeover procedures related to an existing contract. It also ensures procedures are successfully concluded in a short period so that the technical aspects can be dealt with as soon as possible.
The process features a Wizard that guides the operators step by step, indicating required form-filling steps. At the end of the process the takeover contract is duplicated, showing a new holder but the same POD.
Processo BPM _ Management of contract takeover procedures
The process begins with a new customer requesting a contract takeover. The system checks whether the customer’s details are already present in the database. Based on whether or not the customer’s details are already in the company’s CRM system database, three options are available:
- The customer’s details are present in the database. The process continues with a possible request for a power load increase.
- The customer’s details are not present, so they are added to the database using the wizard (recommended procedure).
- The customer’s details are not present, so they are added to the database using traditional forms.
1) Customer’s details present in the database (no request for a power load increase)
If the customer’s details are present in the CRM database, the process continues with a possible request for a power load increase. If no power load increase is requested, a takeover date is scheduled, the takeover is confirmed, a script task updates its status and the customer’s details are checked again. If all the customer’s details are present, the process ends with a confirmation of the contract takeover and the same POD is assigned to the new customer. The file is then transmitted to a technician.
2) WIZARD guided filing of customer’s details (no request for a power load increase)
If the customer’s details are not present in the database, the wizard requires the operator to carry out four different task scripts to create the contact, associate the newly created contact with the POD and starts a new power supply, with a possible request for a power load increase. If there is no request for a power load increase, as described above, a takeover date is scheduled, the contract takeover is confirmed, a script task updates its status and the customer’s details are checked again. If all the customer’s details are present, the process ends with the assignment of the same POD to the new customer.
REQUEST FOR A POWER LOAD INCREASE
If, in each of the three cases described above, there is a request for a power load increase, a pop-up message provides the operator with a summary of details of the procedure (date, POD number) and requests information about power, voltage and phase. The next script task checks all the data entered and checks the customer’s details again. At this stage the data is updated, a new date is scheduled for the new contact, and then the contract takeover is confirmed. The process ends with a new check and a status update. The technician can now work on the meter at the new customer’s home.
The Open-Source CRM + BPM process guarantees that the entire process of collecting the details of a new customer and assigning the POD is carried out quickly, without any errors or filing mistakes. By standardizing operations, the administration department can implement strategies and draw up statistics on the number, type and resolution times of takeover applications so that the process can be further improved.
As will be described in the next article, optimized planning allows for a better management of scheduled visits by technicians in charge of working on a new customer’s meter and will definitely speed up the whole process and improve customer satisfaction.
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