Case Study: FCS Financial

Aspect Software has helped FCS Financial increase the quality of customer service and improve response times.

The Company

FCS Financial is part of the nationwide Farm Credit System located in Jefferson City, MO that provides lending opportunities and financial services to more than 14,000 farmers and farm-related businesses through 29 branch offices.

The Business Challenge

FCS Financial has a tenured workforce with many branch representatives and field staff holding more than fifteen years’ experience with the organisation. However, the company lacked a centralised information system for customer information, leading to lower-quality customer service and increased response times.

As a member of the Farm Credit System, FCS Financial used a number of application and information systems provided by AgriBank, a financial intermediary to all Farm Credit organisations. However, information relating to different FCS financial products was kept in scattered, separate systems, including an accounting system still based in a green-screen environment.

FCS desired a scalable, centralised CRM solution that could be leveraged across the entire organisation, allowing employees quick and easy access to customer information. FCS wanted this solution to increase customer service and improve response times, and ultimately grow the business at a faster rate.

The Solution

FCS Financial determined a full overhaul of its ageing Novell-based infrastructure would be required. They desired a solution that would allow them toconvert sales leads more effectively and compete in the marketplace.

FCS Financial then turned to Aspect because of their many years experience in implementing countless Microsoft CRM solutions across a wide number of industries and organisations, large and small. With its national practice in Microsoft Dynamics CRM software, Aspect quickly provided guidance for centralising FCS Financial’s data and developed improved processes for providing customer information to branch office staff as well as to the sales and marketing teams.

Results

• Greatly improved customer service and response times
• Positioned organisation for 20% business growth in first year following solution implementation
• Solution is economical to customise and scale across entire organisation
• Customer information is accessible in a central location
• FCS Financial is moving customer transactions through the pipeline 30-35% faster
• Central Microsoft Dynamics CRM database houses competitor information, leading to competitive business intelligence and concrete information when responding to competitive bids
• Many of FCS Financial’s sales staff can now access a mobile CRM application using a smart phone
• Employee satisfaction has increased due to the flexibility mobile access provides; they are also able to provide better and more timely service to customers
• Familiar toolset enables end users to quickly adopt and use the solution