Sharp originally set ambitious targets to increase the efficiency of its Customer Information Centre through the automation of support processes and integration of separate systems in order to retain its competitive advantage based on customer service. Hornbill’s Supportworks was selected after assessing systems from 20 vendors, and from a shortlist of three.

Twelve months on, Sharp’s Customer Information Centre had been completely transformed and as Paul Copley, Team Head at Sharp’s Customer Information Centre explains, "the system continues to meet and surpass our expectations."

Paul Copley explained: “Winning this award is a true recognition of the difference that Supportworks has made to our business. Our industry is very competitive and where margins are tight, customer service is the differentiating factor. Our investment in Supportworks has helped us transform our e-service and response to customers, enhancing our brand loyalty.”

Supportworks acts as the single interface to a multitude of critical business systems and has replaced a vast number of standalone databases that were once in use. All the information needed to process a support request is now held centrally within Supportworks, not in isolated pockets throughout the business. As a result, requests are processed more efficiently and the customer experience is greatly improved.

Customer support response times have been cut by 80%. Paul Copley commented, "After only nine months, analysis of the call statistics provided the financial justification to redeploy two members of staff to other areas of the business without any impact on call handling or efficiency. In isolation, this justifies the investment in the Hornbill system, but this was only the tip of the iceberg. Sharp has seen a real and tangible return on investment since deploying Supportworks."

The goals set by Sharp Customer Information Centre and IT teams have been realised, Supportworks acts as the single interface to a multitude of critical business systems and has replaced a number of standalone databases. All the information needed to process a support request is now held centrally within Supportworks. As a result, requests are processed more efficiently and the customer experience is greatly improved.

Speaking about Sharp’s emphasis on customer service Paul states, "In a customer service environment, you have to be able to provide service through a variety of different media. It’s okay to have a call centre to deal with customers by telephone, but what happens when your customer prefers to send an email at midnight? It's important that we provide service regardless of which medium the customer chooses to use, whether it by email, the web, telephone, fax or letter and I think that is the key to it; Supportworks underpins our customer service approach and gives us the ability to provide excellent service regardless of the media."

Gerry Sweeney, Managing Director of Hornbill Systems commented: “For any company an investment in IT has to make a real difference to the bottom line. Hornbill’s Supportworks provides information and systems that enable service desks to process customer requests – whether internal or external -efficiently and quickly. Improving efficiency, customer service and building brand loyalty are all important differentiators for business today. ”

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