EDA THESSALONIKI-THESSALY SA

Case Study

Company: EDA THESSALONIKI-THESSALY SA

Category: Energy

Applications: Dynamics 365 for Energy

Company

EDA THESSALONIKI-THESSALY SA was established in 2017 and operates as a Natural Gas Distribution Network Administration within the geographic areas of the Prefecture of Thessaloniki and Region of Thessaly, determined in no. Δ1/Γ/Φ7/11819/31.08.2000 (Government Gazette B 1086) and Δ1/Γ/Φ7/11818/31.08.2000 (Government Gazette B 1087) Ministerial Decisions, according to the provisions of the applicable legislation.
More specifically, the framework of the above activities include the construction, maintenance, operation, management and general utilization of the Natural Gas Distribution Network in the above geographic areas, as the above activities are determined in the Distribution License and the natural gas Distribution Network Management License.
The PUBLIC GAS CORPORATION SA (DEPA) and a foreign strategic investor (Eni Gas e Luce), also providing management, participate in EDA THESS by 51% and 49% respectively.
The company was established further to the liberalization of the market, granting the right of selection of a natural gas supplier to Industrial customers and domestic customers and providing functional separation of companies holding a distribution license or managing the natural gas distribution network.

Need

Given the challenges faced during the last few years by the energy sector and in the framework of the rapidly changing needs created under the light of the liberalization of this market, EDA THESSALONIKI-THESSALY SA sought for a modern, international Customer Relationships Management solution which would contribute to the effective handling of the following business challenges:
• Constant products and services renewal from the sector companies, due to high competition and increased customer expectations in service and pricing policy, without additional budget costs
• Flexibility of adjustment to the fluctuating and constantly changing legal and regulatory framework. Immediate harmonization with the applicable provisions
• Deployment of “eco-friendly” technological innovations responding to the profile of energy companies sector, with high environmental footprint
• Finding a modern and specialized Informatics solution, focusing on the customer instead of measurements

Solution

In order to cover the above requirements, EDA THESSALONIKI-THESSALY SA chose Data Communication (DC) based on its verticalized experience in this market. The Energy Dynamics Accelerator solution was picked, providing integrated Sales Management, Service & Marketing, exclusively for the Electrical Energy and Natural Gas sectors. This solution, developed by DC on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Dynamics ΝΑV platforms, was awarded for the the specialized functionality it provides, utilizing the structural features of the platform’s productivity & innovation, as well as best international practices (IMPACT Bite Awards 2016 & 2018).

The following were completed as part of the project:
• Automation of the entire sales cycle, starting from the application, regardless of how it is submitted (physical presence at the counter, customer visit or self-service portal) up to the signing of the contract
• Complete monitoring of basic data of contacts, customers, external partners, management of service requests, “Cases” and complaints
• Complete organization of 24-hour emergency center processes
• Development of an entity managing gas network expansions further to connection applications in areas not covered by the existing network
• Digitalization of historic records of documents an deployment of an automated process for the digitalization and association of new documents related to customer requests with CRM entities an Content Management solution (Microsoft Sharepoint)
• Deployment of an extranet web portal for external partners access (natural gas installers – engineers) and management of related processes (e.g. electronic submission and approval of installation surveys & related supporting documents, installation inspections)
• Deployment of a customer service corporate web portal (My EPA) to de-congest the customer service department and provide prompter customer service and updates
• Deployment of applications for mobile devices (iOS Tablets) to ensure remote access and coverage off the business activities management and the sectors of constructions, network management and immediate intervention needs
• Integration with the following systems:
• Business Resources Management system (Microsoft Dynamics NAV) for bilateral data transfer between the two systems
• Call center for Dial in-out and automatic identification of incoming calls and customer sheet on CRM
• Call logging solution and association of recordings with associated CRM entities
• GIS Mapping System to monitor map data for installed equipment in the gas network
• Document Management Solution (Microsoft Sharepoint) to utilize the related functionality through the CRM workplace
• Customers and external partners service web portal for successful data migration between the two systems
• E-mail solution for automated sending of messages
• Data migration for original import of basic data
• Information availability from multiple channels on any device
• Utilization of Business Intelligence (BI) features provided y the solution for the creation of Dashboards and reports

Benefits

• Increase of customer satisfaction & loyalty rate due to quicker requests settlement, personalized service and self-service options
• Increase of productivity & effectiveness indicators for all group departments and the external partners network
• Increased productivity and effectiveness indicators for all Group and external partners network departments
• Prompt response and quick adjustment to the new market data
• High rate of solution deployment by system users, through a user-friendly and familiar workplace and native integration with Microsoft Office
• Timely and valid administration information on critical performance indicators (KPIs), useful for making administrative decisions