Lufthansa Cargo Optimizes Its Business Processes With A CRM Software Solution From RightNow
Goals
- Free up the Service Support Center
- Increase quality by managing information centrally
- Save time with independent searches
Achievements
- Smaller volume of email and telephone inquiries
- Automated procedures for managing information
- Customer satisfaction due to permanent availability of information
- Annual cost reduction well into six figures
Seek And Ye Shall Find
Lufthansa Cargo has created a central knowledge database which satisfies two requirements at once: it helps employees to understand IT problems and system messages; and the self-service solution provides knowledge about specialized processes. Both the Service Support Center and the more than 4,000 global users can use this to perform their tasks more efficiently.
Whenever Vitor Manhaes and his colleagues in Sao Paulo, Brazil have a problem, they can now quickly find a solution. And it makes no difference whether it’s a fault in the IT system, or whether they have a question relating to their specialist work or their typical processes. Not all freight is the same: hazardous goods, temperature-sensitive products, perishables, valuable goods and those at risk of theft, animal transports, and direct deliveries are all part of Lufthansa Cargo’s range of transports. Simply type in the search term and within a few seconds the answer appears, giving an explanation which answers your question. Manhaes is a manager in Lufthansa Cargo’s Customer Service Center . The system which supports him and around 4,000 employees worldwide is the “Electronic Service Support Center”―known as “eSSC.” The central core of this application is based on the CRM software solution from RightNow.
eSSC runs as an intranet application and can be called up via the company portal “eBase.” Employees in the Service Support Center (SSC) planned the solution themselves and turned it into reality with support from RightNow.
Previously Lufthansa Cargo had experienced inconsistencies between data from various sources of information. The amount of time wasted searching for information was high and it was uncertain whether the information found was up-to-date and in line with the quality required. Thomas Kunze, knowledge expert in LH Cargo’s Service Support Center in Frankfurt, describes the situation, “You could enter search terms, but you had to really know what you were looking for, and you could never be certain whether the information was really correct. For our employees it could be difficult, too difficult, and quite rightly they didn’t trust the data.” This situation had to be resolved.
The concept of eSSC, based on RightNow’s CRM software solution, was born. The application was to be available worldwide and would be managed centrally. For this reason, Lufthansa Cargo decided on an internet-capable platform running on a web server using the Linux operating system. In addition, all necessary functions and components such as search, knowledge storage, and self-service functions should be part of the standard scope of the system.
Another important point was the ability to analyze all activities. Was the answer comprehensive and helpful? The answer to this question is essential, to allow the content to be constantly improved. “Customer feedback allows us to continuously improve our hit quality,” says Kunze. The functionality of the RightNow CRM software solution allows these requirements to be fulfilled very well.
After a five-month in-house implementation and training phase, which was overseen by Kunze and his team, the RightNow CRM software solution, eSCC, has been in operation since April 2004. The eSSC is very simple to operate, as the underlying RightNow CRM software solution can be used intuitively meaning that LH Cargo can concentrate on optimizing its business processes rather than technology. Building the question and answer database however did pose a challenge. To do this, information from numerous separate systems had to be prepared and entered in the RightNow CRM software solution.
However, the expense was worthwhile―for both user groups: the employees in the Service Support Center and the several thousand users of LH Cargo are happy. “eSSC, based on RightNow, has become a sort of ‘one stop shop’ for us users,” Vitor Manhaes explains. He praises the performance of the system, “If you have a problem, you can find a good answer in eSSC, and very quickly too.” Compared with the previous situation, the time saved on searching for information is appreciable.
“iKnow―RightNow’s knowledge foundation―is dynamic, learns from every interaction and thus ensures that the solution provides more than just static ‘questions and answers’,” Kunze lists the advantages. Currently the RightNow system receives around 8,000 inquiries per month – and the number is increasing. This self-service application has taken a lot of pressure off the support team, and the “First Time Resolution Rate” has increased to about 75 percent – in other words, more than three-quarters of all inquiries to the Service Support Center can be resolved immediately. As a result, the number of email and telephone inquiries to the Service Support Center fell. Comparing the number of incoming calls and emails with the number of inquiries via the electronic system, it becomes clear that up to 5.5 times as many inquiries can be answered automatically with the RightNow CRM software solution―without any involvement on the part of Service Support Center staff. In spite of the increased number of IT applications which have to be managed, a saving of six man-years could be made.
An internal Cargo survey proves that acceptance of the system and user satisfaction are high. eSSC won the “Best Application” award in 2005 and 2006, above all other applications implemented throughout the company. To ensure that this remains the case, and to expand its use to an even wider audience, Kunze and his team carry out intensive internal marketing. “The more colleagues use eSSC, the greater the advantages for everybody because the question and answer system thrives and profits from being used by many people.”
About Lufthansa Cargo AG
Lufthansa Cargo operates a fleet of 19 of its own MD-11F aircraft and has several other freighters on charter. The company also markets the belly capacities of all passenger aircraft operated by Lufthansa AG. The route network encompasses more than 500 destinations, which are served by cargo and passenger aircraft as well as by trucking services. The bulk of the airfreight is trans-shipped at the Lufthansa Cargo Center at Frankfurt Airport, the company’s main hub.
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