Customer Solution Case Study
/ The DMS Health Group Experiences Rapid Return on Investment
Overview
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Medical Devices
Customer Profile
The DMS Health Group (DMS) provides fixed base and mobile medical imaging equipment and services to hospitals and clinics.
Business Situation
DMS needed a solution to track the service support needs of 2,300 units to their 550 customers. They also needed an accounting system to execute the complicated billing structure.
Solution
DMS implemented Microsoft® Business Solutions–Great Plains® with the help of Microsoft reselling partner, I.B.I.S.
Benefits
n Rapid return on investment
n Real-time information
n Improved reporting / "When we did the analysis, we thought it would take a year and a half to two years to reach a break even point from the original costs for the rollout of the service software..."
Jim Adank, CIO, DMS Health Group
The DMS Health Group (DMS) provides fixed base and mobile medical imaging systems to hospitals and clinics. Headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, they sell, install, service, lease, and provide mobile MRI, CT and PET scanners and imaging services to customers throughout the United States. DMS implemented Microsoft Business Solutions–Great Plains with the help of Microsoft reselling partner, I.B.I.S. While the company expected to receive a return on their investment in a year and a half, or possibly two years, their total cost of the software was returned to them within the first quarter of operation. DMS implemented a service call center to provide customers with immediate, real-time information. With all employees having access to integrated information, DMS now efficiently responds to calls about contracting, billing, and service personnel status.
Situation
The DMS Health Group (DMS) is a diagnostic imaging equipment and mobile imaging service provider. They have provided services for more than 30 years and their primary business is providing fixed base and mobile medical imaging equipment services for hospitals and clinics. The company installs imaging equipment within medical facilities and their mobile fleet of magnetic resonance imaging systems (MRI), computer tomography systems (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET) scanners.
The company is headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, with regional offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Houston, Texas. More than 430 staff members provide services to 550 customers in throughout the United States.
DMS has annual revenues of more than $100 million and is an operating company of Otter Tail Corporation which is traded on the NASDAQ (OTTR).
As a growing company, DMS was facing a number of challenges. They needed a solution to track the service support needs of 2,300 units to their 550 customers. They also needed an accounting system to execute the complicated billing structure for the mobile imaging group.
DMS created a needs assessment team which included executive management, accounting, the service department, the IT department, and purchasing. Since most of the service aspects had been handled manually, DMS devoted a couple of months to discussing those needs and the processes they needed to put into place to meet them.
They decided the product selection should be based on the software's ability to integrate with the existing system software, the ability to address all of the service tools needed by DMS, and the ability to find a vendor that would be successful in implementing the overall solution.
As DMS identified needs, they looked at field service productivity, improving invoice accuracy, improving inventory management, managing contracts to improve profitability, and improving the quality of customer service.
As they reviewed vendors, one vendor stood out from the rest from the very beginning. Interactive Business Information Systems (I.B.I.S.) from Georgia did an excellent job of providing detailed suggestions on their product. I.B.I.S. explained how their solution could meet the needs of DMS and provided an overview of the integration techniques that would allow success in rolling out the integration.
Solution
While they looked at a number of third party solutions, DMS chose to implement Microsoft® Business Solutions–Great Plains including the modules for Field Service Management, Financial Management, Supply Chain Management, and Customization Tools. Their solution also included FRx® software Reporter and Enterprise Reporting from the Analytics and Reporting module.
I.B.I.S. used a program called AIM (accurate implementation methodology) to walk DMS through several milestones and achieve a successful implementation. This included pilot testing and prototype tests. After two months, the system was able to go live on the exact day they had planned.
Using Microsoft Great Plains® software, the company was able to implement an improved service procedure process. DMS established a service call center where they could handle customer calls with real-time information.
Employees throughout the call center now have immediate, integrated access throughout the entire system to billing, accounting, and service engineer dispatch information. They can identify where an engineer is when he hasn't been on site and where he is if he has been on site and a callback is needed. Service to customers is greatly improved.
The system was also set up to provide reports including key performance indicators. This additional information enabled Adank to make improved decisions quickly.
The company is now looking ahead and plans to add portal viewing for their enterprise solution. Other managers have seen the benefits to the service division and realize what they have been able to accomplish by having access to that immediate information. DMS plans to roll that out for other managers within the company.
Benefits
Rapid Return on Investment
"When we did the analysis, we thought it would take about a year and a half to two years to reach a breakeven point from the original costs for the rollout of the service software," says Jim Adank, CIO of DMS. "We actually found that we were able to meet our total cost return within the first quarter of using the software."
Improved Customer Service
Access to integrated, real-time information has improved customer service for DMS clientele. Establishing a service call center with access to integrated information enables DMS employees to immediately respond to requests for information about contracts, billing, and service call requests.
Improved Reporting
"I don't think they [management] fully understood the amount of business information that was going to come in with this tool," says Adank. Following implementation, the company has geared up to design several reports now available to management. They plan to distribute the information that has been developed for the service division to other divisions that can benefit as well. Improved reporting has provided them with the ability to make better business decisions.
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, go to:
www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions