Colchester, UK

Access, the mid-market consulting, software and solutions provider, has implemented its Service Manager system at FUJIFILM UK, helping it meet the rise in new business demand from Europe. The company, one of the best-known of the 230 multinationals that make up the FUJIFILM brand, has already seen significant returns on its investment.

Marc Horner, web development manager at FUJIFILM UK, commented, “As a result of streamlining the system, we’ve soaked up the equivalent of an entire person’s workload - proof to me the software has worked. Going forward, we anticipate a 15% increase in repair work which I’m confident we can handle without increasing head count.”

The company is based in Bedford, where it employs around 400 staff across many divisions including: Medical and Graphics Systems; Photo Imaging; Data Storage; Motion Picture and Industrial Imaging. Camera repairs are handled by its Digital Service and Support Group, who as a result of the system, has certainly seen a positive impact on customer service. “Customers can now enter details online and a job is then automatically created in Service Manager.

It also sends them an automated message to confirm safe receipt of their camera,” said Marc, who currently sees more than 72,000 camera repair jobs each year pass through the workshop, managed by a team of 20+ highly skilled technicians and administration assistants.

Today, information flows seamlessly between Service Manager and FUJIFILM UK’s finance system without re-keying and parts are now allocated electronically providing a single stream of accurate information. This data is then automatically used to create invoices, update the stock control and ultimately, management reports.

“The system has also proved itself very cost-effective to maintain,” said Marc. For example, setting up a new site on the system is very quick and straightforward and because less internal resource is required for support, the cost of ownership is down.”

Prior to the implementation, the operation hadn’t been quite so highly efficient and streamlined. “Around 70% of bookings are managed online and while the front end worked well, underneath things were pretty clunky, taking us to achieve in five steps what we should have achieved in two.”

Each layer of complexity compromised the quality of information, affected productivity and ultimately, the speed and accuracy of service the team could provide. With more European business heading its way, the need to streamline FUJIFILM’s back-office operations became increasingly urgent. This, plus high maintenance costs, spearheaded the search for a new system.

Marc chose Service Manager, following a visit to SME Expo where he met with Access. While other vendors advised a new and costly build, Access offered Marc, through its configurable yet “off the shelf” service management software, a cost-effective and flexible solution.

Access software consultants configured Service Manager to meet FUJFILM’s specific requirements – right down to terminology, the processes used by the repair division, and custom reports - providing a system that’s highly efficient and easy to use. Alongside FUJIFILM’s existing financial system, the solution is also integrated with a third-party invoicing archive.

Following a phased plan, implementation took place smoothly. “Of course, there’s risk involved in any project like this, but I was very impressed with the way everyone pulled together,” says Marc. “I would strongly recommend Access. They were 100% committed to the project, great to do business with and we look forward to continuing the relationship.”