Four Questions for Deborah Albrecht

The Business-IT department at GEBHARDT guides every contract in the background. Without IT infrastructure, the other departments cannot work effectively. In the latest edition of "Four questions for...", we spoke with Deborah Albrecht from Business IT about how the value creation processes, which already begin in sales, affect Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and our ERP solutions used.

Hello Deborah, what benefits do our customers ultimately receive from the IT solutions used on site?

Albrecht: IT solutions provide structures in the background. The added value for our customers is generated by the individual departments. The entire value creation process is supported by many IT systems - from marketing and sales to production and customer service. By way of example, I would like to highlight the advantages of our CRM system.

The CRM system is used in sales and service. It creates many advantages for GEBHARDT and, therefore, also for our customers. If a prospective customer has queries about offers, a sales employee can still provide information if a colleague calls in sick. The person placing the order is assigned a customer representative in the CRM system. The same sales employee always serves as the contact person to ensure efficient, focused, and optimal consulting. The service department also uses the CRM system and documents all service requests via tickets, some of which are created automatically. Short response times result from digital and fast information transfer, both internally and externally. SLAs (Service Level Agreements) are explicitly displayed in the ticket, prioritizing the person handling the issue who finds a solution based on a knowledge database or historical data. Customers receive status updates regularly and, in the event of faults, receive a summary of the errors and corrective measures taken.

The digital market offers many different support solutions. How do you go about finding, testing and then implementing the right product for GEBHARDT and ultimately for the customer?

Albrecht: The basis for software selection is a requirements analysis to identify the functionalities needed from the business departments. Then the requirements are prioritized and compared with the software solutions on the market. Standard software can be attractive for a medium-sized company in many aspects. On the one hand, there is no need for great programming efforts; on the other hand, processes are re-evaluated and possibly optimized. If standard functionalities can't cover the requirements, individual adaptations are programmed. With the rapidly growing software landscape, integration is essential. Consequently, out-of-the-box integrations and central middleware greatly simplify software rollouts and thus create greater acceptance.

The Customer Service department is becoming increasingly important. Above everything else, customer loyalty and support are very important to us as a service provider. What are your tasks here so that your colleagues can provide even faster, more reliable, and more goal-oriented support?

Albrecht: The greater importance of service can be felt in IT. Various solutions such as the CRM, a customer portal and a field service management tool supports the IT department to provide customer service. The CRM includes a ticket system that provides an overview of all service requests, and the customer portal allows access to all documentation on the conveyor system. In addition, it can be used as a self-service option so that maintenance staff can independently carry out certain activities such as replacing motor rollers, guided by a 3D visualization of the individual steps. Digital scheduling, feedback of times, and recording of service checklists are the core functionalities of the field service management tool. The three software solutions mentioned above are further developed and maintained by Business IT so that Customer Service can provide a fast, targeted solution for our customers.

Would you give us an insight into your daily work? How can we imagine which tasks and processes you accompany every day?

Albrecht: I administer various cloud solutions such as CRM, Marketing Automation Tool, Intranet, Customer Portal, FSM, and software for text module management. If users from the marketing, sales, and service departments have questions or problems with the process, I am happy to help them. My tasks are a mix of recurring activities and new interesting projects like extending existing solutions or testing, customizing, and implementing new tools. In addition, interfaces between systems are continuously monitored. New releases appear monthly or quarterly in the cloud environment, whose functionality is tested and implemented after consultation with the department.

Deborah Albrecht, Cloud Systems Administrator