DPSciences uses PowerHelp® for Contracts and Warranty Upsell Capabilities

Reselling computer products is a tough business with razor-slim margins and endless competition. DPSciences Corp. (DPS), a Cincinnati, OH-based value-added reseller, found that better managing its manufacturer maintenance program provided a competitive edge. And its use of Vertical Solutions, Inc.’s (VSI) PowerHelp software has helped it more than triple its top-line revenue in this market.

DPS specializes in building, deploying, and supporting network and communications solutions from major manufacturers. Its customers include many companies within the Fortune 500, a lucrative but price-savvy market. Seeking new ways to connect with its customers and build extended relationships, DPS reviewed its “pass-through”, or manufacturer maintenance program. This service enables DPS customers to purchase maintenance on critical components directly from DPS, including same-day/next-day repairs and break-fi x service. While the DPS sales team actively sold the maintenance service, the company realized it was leaving money on the table by not better managing the renewal process. “We realized there was a huge opportunity by following up with customers to renew,” says Tim Shelton, Treasurer, DPS.

DPS hired a team to pull information out of company databases and develop spreadsheets that would help it get a handle on the process. While renewals rose, along with revenues and profi ts, the company realized it needed a sophisticated software application to capture the true potential.

“We needed an application that would get us off of spreadsheets, and give us true visibility into our customers,” says Shelton. DPS reviewed packages from many vendors, but also received a reminder from its internal IT team about a package already in place. “We were using call-center management software from Vertical Solutions, and found that the company had launched a full cycle CRM application,” says Shelton, referring to VSI’s PowerHelp. “We looked at it and were really impressed. We realized that with PowerHelp, we could not only manage our sales funnel, but we also could manage our customer contracts.”

VSI develops PowerHelp, a suite of customer-experience management software solutions. These robust, modular applications offer in-depth functionality for customer support, fi eld service, sales and marketing automation, and mobile environments. Companies in a variety of industries and throughout the world use PowerHelp to improve service response and resolution times, reduce the costs of delivering service, capture actionable customer data, seamlessly integrate with external partners, and broaden their portfolio of service offerings.

DPS purchased PowerHelp in 2003, worked with VSI technicians to architect the workfl ow to meet DPS’s contract management needs, and went live within three months. The speed to deploy was one of the benefi ts for DPS over other applications. “We had the application up and running within months, when we knew that would not be the case with software from other developers,” says Shelton.

The rapid deployment helped DPS quickly achieve benefi ts from the system: “We have so much more visibility into our customers,” says Shelton. “We can look into each area of our business – TAC, sales, contracts – and get the accurate and timely data we need to work with our customers.”

Better visibility into expiring contracts has enabled DPS to be more proactive in selling maintenance renewals, which signifi cantly raised customer retention. “We can notify customers in advance of their contract expiration, and offer multi-year support, an option that customers like,” says Shelton. “We have so much better data than we had with our old spreadsheet system and we have improved our quoting capabilities substantially.”

Because PowerHelp is web-based and designed on an open architecture, data is available to a vast group of people, including DPS’s sales team, management, support, and the customers themselves. Customers can view their contracts and look at history and coverage on individual products, all the way down to the serial number. “Our customers now have 24/7 access to their account history, and that has not only improved our relationships with them, it has helped to slow down some of the margin erosion that we were experiencing,” says Shelton. “Our VSI data base and customer portal have given us a value-add and competitive edge.”

PowerHelp has helped DPS grow its manufacturer maintenance revenue substantially: it has experienced a more than 300-percent increase in top-line revenue in its fi rst four years of deployment. “The ROI was tremendous,” says Shelton.

DPS has expanded the program beyond hardware to include its customers’ software assets as well. PowerHelp helps DPS track software licenses for its customers, reminding them of renewals and maintenance, and is fi rst in line to get that business.

VSI develops its software programs with a modular strategy that enables companies to deploy solutions in specifi c areas to achieve benefi ts quickly. This approach works for DPS, which is in the process of deploying PowerHelp Project Management for its professional consulting group, and anticipates a go-live date within months. “The software is open and visible to our entire enterprise, which helps our whole company,” says Shelton.

In addition to the impact of the software solutions, DPS also values its relationship with VSI. “I was used to participating in user group activities for other large software developers, where you provided your ideas, but you rarely saw any action on them,” says Shelton. “With VSI, we work closely with their consultants and professional services people, and our ideas are used in future releases. VSI is fl exible and accommodating.”

About PowerHelp®

By developing technology based on two decades worth of experience in field service and support, VSI’s PowerHelp, with its unified architectural design, provides a “closed loop” process that leverages and consolidates critical sales, contact center, and field service information across the enterprise. An integrated mobile solution extends the competitive advantage to the field with quick, efficient, and timely information that enhances the customer experience. PowerHelp customers include ABB Automation, GBC Division of ACCO Brands, Rubbermaid, and Mitsubishi.

About Vertical Solutions, Inc. (VSI)

VSI develops, implements, and supports its award-winning PowerHelp suite of customer-experience management software solutions. PowerHelp is a robust, modular application that offers in-depth functionality for Customer Support, Field Service, Sales and Marketing Automation, and Mobile environments. Companies in a variety of industries and throughout the world use PowerHelp to improve service response and resolution times, reduce the costs of delivering service, capture actionable customer data, seamlessly integrate with external partners, and broaden their portfolio of service offerings. PowerHelp is flexible, integrates easily with legacy systems, and offers one of the industry’s fastest deployment times, all of which contribute to its low total cost of ownership and high return on investment. The company’s customer list is 100-percent referenceable, and includes General Binding Corp., Reynolds and Reynolds, ABB Automation, and A. O. Smith Water Products Company. VSI is headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, with offices and partners worldwide. Fast ... Powerful ... Guaranteed.