Ensure fail-safe communication
The core competence of Axpo WZ-Systems AG (hereinafter Axpo) as a system integrator is the engineering, construction/realization and operation of connectivity solutions for critical infrastructures. For its customers such as "blue light organizations" (government authorities for rescue operations and security) as well as companies from the energy supply sector, transport sector, financial services sector and health care secure communication solutions are considered "mission critical". A guaranteed availability of 99.995% is standard. AXPO offers among other things highly available communication networks and professional services for crisis-proof, fail-safe data communication.
With its ITC infrastructure that has evolved over time and the various, in part non-integrated applications, Axpo was no longer able to meet the increasing demands of its customers. In order to ensure a high level of professionalism, it is essential to offer fully automated, traceable and efficient service processes. Therefore, Axpo was looking for a professional service management solution. In the selection of a provider and tool, bundling all important ITIL® processes into one suite and close orientation of the processes to the ITIL standards played a major role. The USU solution fulfilled both of these requirements so that the effort for customizing and own developments could be minimized.
USU’s flexible and scalable solution enables us to digitize service processes along the added-value chain according to our needs.
René Oester, CEO Axpo WZ-Systems AG
At a glance
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Website
www.axpo.com
About Axpo
Challenge
- Axpo is confronted with increasing, demanding customer requirements on highly available and audit-proof service processes.
- A central solution with uniform data management for the complete process chain should be introduced for a professional service management.
- A high customer satisfaction should be ensured with standardized and flexible, need-based services.
Why did we select USU?
- USU Service Management best fulfills all functional requirements - both through standard processes and through the high flexibility of the solution for customer-specific adaptations.
- The solution can be operated as an on-premise solution - a must criterion because of the critical infrastructures on the customer side.
- Axpo has great confidence in USU’s solution competence: A multitude of references demonstrates the competence, efficiency and service-readiness of USU.
Project milestones
- Development of ITIL®-conforming processes and setting up the basic system
- Agile approach with swift implementation of processes for incident management and change management
- Comprehensive knowledge transfer for independent customizing and integration of the solution also at Axpo customers
- Successive introduction of additional processes for asset and contract management
Benefits of the USU solution
- Customer satisfaction increased by 100% due to the professionalization and digitalization in service management.
- Thanks to the standardized change process, it was possible to reduce outages due to IT changes in no time by 30%.
- The flexible scalability of services enables Axpo to increase sales by 20%.
- USU Service Management is the foundation for further expansion.
One solution for internal and customer-specific services
The project started with the development of ITIL®-conforming process structure and their mapping in USU Service Management. The goal of the first project phase was to implement the incident management process as swiftly as possible. Thanks to an agile project approach, these expectations were fully met and the process was put into operation according to plan. Tests, intensive product training and ITIL training as well as the reorganization processes required at Axpo were successfully completed and supported the further course of the project in which the process for change management was introduced. Axpo’s requirement to achieve a very high level of internal “vertical integration” turned out to be a challenge. The service management solution should not only be used internally at Axpo but it should also implemented individually at Axpo customers. Thanks to its flexibility, the USU tool allowed Axpo a customer-specific, independent customizing.
Key Driver for Exponential Growth
With its central service management solution, Axpo works today on about 3,000 tickets annually - largely automated and with high transparency. Customers can access the status of their tickets at all times and they are enthusiastic about the quality of service. The number of complaints decreased significantly and customer satisfaction increased by 100%. Through changes, it was also possible to reduce outages by 30%. Digitalization of additional service processes advances rapidly, among others the digitalization of asset management, request fulfillment and contract management. In the medium term, it is planned to implement the processes for knowledge management and service level management along with a self-service portal.
Therefore, USU Service Management has become the foundation and driver for Axpo’s further strong expansion and its exponential growth. Thanks to the scalability of services based on the central platform, it is possible to service significantly more customers with the same resources. The user figures are increasing by about 20% each year.