Mobile customer service

Storopack, based in Metzingen, Germany, is a specialist in protective packaging with production facilities and subsidiaries in Europe, North America and Asia. The after-sales area is of great importance.

The company employs service technicians worldwide for regular maintenance and for unscheduled repairs of the machines used. The company was looking for a mobile solution to support their operational work - to facilitate customer care and increase the speed of processes.

One system for all processes

Before the introduction of this mobile solution and SAP Service Management, the service technicians recorded and documented their orders decentrally on paper, using Outlook, Word and Excel.

SAP Service Management was to be used to create uniform processes and structures worldwide and to improve internal and external communication. One system for all processes and the avoidance of media discontinuities - these were the declared goals.

This should also increase efficiency in product development while ensuring transparency of costs, after-sales investments and overall service handling.

An important criterion for the mobile solution was that the employees in the field could work with it independently and access all relevant data from SAP Service Management on a mobile basis at any time via Windows 8 tablets. First, Storopack drew up specifications for the mobility solution.

The choice fell on ISec7 Mobility for SAP. The solution can be easily customized and extended for individual requirements - with simple Abap knowledge by Storopack's own SAP developers.

It is Windows 8 compatible and can be used offline. After the implementation of the SAP Customer Service module in the existing Storopack SAP ERP solution, an in-house development by Storopack based on SAP ERP for the management of the machines by Varelmann, the mobilization with the Mobility for SAP solution took place in the specified very short project time.

The key users were then trained. With the prototype of the mobile solution, they were able to productively book service orders and display them on the move within three days.

The solution is based directly in the Abap deck without middleware. The data imported there is data delivered in its own country, which is then available on the frontend via two wrap services and configuration.

The app located on the frontend is loaded onto the mobile device in order to process and display the data. There is no need to build a complex software environment; rather, the infrastructure remains very lean.

The proxy server makes it possible to bypass the VPN client. The service technicians in the field have mobile access to all relevant data from SAP Service Management. They receive the necessary information about machines and customers for the respective operation.

The system automatically links the individual deployment locations to create an optimal tour. The service technicians can also provide feedback on deployment times, materials and status quickly, flexibly and from anywhere via tablet, as well as document photos of damage and report them back internally - for the customer as well as for internal use.

The date and duration of the malfunction and the restart of the machine can now be recorded exactly. Signatures can be recorded electronically. The "Measures" function automatically generates a mail to the administration that triggers follow-up activities - without any further communication via other media.

At the end of an order/operation, a service report with all data is automatically generated. The data automatically runs into Storopack's financial administration - internal billing and invoicing to the customer can take place on this basis.

The solution provides transparency on the costs and processes of all service technician assignments related to the maintenance and servicing of the packaging machines. Implementation took place within six months and within budget. All enhancements are possible through the company's own SAP developers.

Example tour planning

With the new solution, a service technician can search for jobs near his current location, the job locations are displayed in Google Maps and connected to an optimal tour using the app.

This is displayed directly on the start screen of the app. The technician receives all information about customers and assignments, knows when he will arrive at the customer's site, how many jobs he will process in total that day, etc.

Clicking on customers leads to all information about them, clicking on order shows information about the order. The history of each individual machine can also be viewed and faults can be traced in detail.