Harris Leverages eVerge Group and Oracle Siebel Solutions to Speed Product Repairs

When a company’s products are used on the battlefield, responsive customer service can be a matter of life or death. The RF Communications (RFC) segment of Harris Corporation, located in Rochester, NY, resolves nearly 30,000 requests for service each year, many for products deployed worldwide in extreme combat conditions. Harris RFC ensures the scalability and fast turn-around time for equipment repairs through Oracle Siebel CRM, as implemented by Oracle partner eVerge Group based in Plano, Texas.

The software effectively streamlines customer and product service by using the application’s Field Service module and cutting-edge bar-coding functionality. eVerge Group was selected to manage the implementation due to its extensive history of successful Siebel CRM projects and its Oracle Partner Network Specialized status in Oracle Siebel CRM, Oracle CRM On Demand, and Oracle Business Intelligence Foundation, among others.

“Harris tactical radios create a truly networked battlefield, where warfighters are always connected, never alone,” said Jim Quinn, Senior Operations Manager, Harris RFC. “A highly responsive customer service system is essential to deliver on that promise.”

According to Ajay Pandey, Vice President, CRM Practice at eVerge Group, Harris uses a variety of Oracle products throughout the organization, including Oracle Hyperion and Oracle PeopleSoft applications, so Siebel CRM easily integrates with their business systems. Further, Harris’ decision to implement the application was based on its out-of-the-box functionality. The new system went live in the U.S. and U.K. in 2011. The Oracle Siebel Field Service system now supports the entire process, providing the ability to track inventory in real-time and easily manage return authorizations.

Another key feature is the use of Siebel’s bar coding module to boost system efficiency. eVerge Group improved Siebel’s out-of-the-box scanning functionality so that scanners dynamically recognize different types of barcodes. With the advantage of historical data as well as the customer install base, personnel are able to verify the warranty status of equipment, and thereby decrease turnaround time for repairs.

“Turnaround time is key to Harris’s customers, so the faster the system can move equipment through the cycle, the better,” says Pandey. “In fact, the system has halved the time to process a radio repair.”