At the beginning of 2014, Fingrid started preparing for the implementation project of a CRM system. The project aimed to enhance Fingrid's value creation capability by streamlining the handling of information related to various stakeholders, improving project management efficiency, guiding customer work, and increasing transparency of customer information throughout the organization.
Following a thorough vendor evaluation, twoday was selected as the partner, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 was chosen as the product
"twoday's genuine enthusiasm and interest in developing our operations, combined with their extensive expertise, convinced us. The decision was ultimately easy," said the project manager of the initiative, Katariina Saarinen
The project was initiated in the spring, and the implementation phase was carried out using agile service development methods in two-week sprints. Instead of heavy upfront specifications, the functional areas of the CRM solution were defined and implemented gradually, in close collaboration with Fingrid's project personnel and twoday consultants. The technical implementation of the CRM service was completed on schedule in December 2014, and the training services related to the service's deployment were conducted in December-January.
The design of the solution aimed to leverage the out-of-the-box functionalities provided by the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform, as well as the platform's adaptable data model and processes, as efficiently as possible. This approach aimed to minimize the need for customer-specific, tailored software extensions.
In the implementation project for CRM, the following functional components were realized based on Fingrid's business requirements, among others:
- Modeling of service information and main contacts related to customer groups
- Centralized definition of customer care models and systematic monitoring of customer plans
- Guidance of process steps related to the main grid connection using the visual Business Process Flow function in CRM
From the very beginning, a key starting point for collaboration was the development of customer-oriented practices and customer information management as an ongoing process, rather than a one-time project. Development activities for the next phase have already been initiated in January 2015
"The agile project model provided us with excellent visibility into the progress of the implementation and allowed for continuous review of the solutions being implemented, directing the implementation work based on user experiences. The project stayed within budget, and the experiences from the early stages of implementation have been extremely positive. Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides us with an excellent platform, and by leveraging its features, we can continue to develop customer-centric practices within our organization," says Jussi Jyrinsalo, Director at Fingrid.