Customer Fulfillment System
A large pharmaceutical company needed a way to improve the way it processed, tracked and fulfilled basic facilities 'moves, adds and changes.' The time-honored tradition of receiving each request by phone, manually transcribing each request, individually faxing orders to each separate vendor (and of course, then hoping for the best) had to change. The system was breaking down due to increasing call volume. This laborious paper-based methodology and the difficulty in tracking the status of requests, resulted in a limited fulfillment capacity and prevented any guarantee of SLA response times.

Challenge
We needed to be able to replace a manual, paper-based system that had established workflow practices, with a web-based version that mirrored the current personnel framework - yet increased performance by automating tasks and streamlining approvals.

Method
In order to articulate business requirements, we interviewed multiple tiers of users, documenting comprehensive workflows for each unique type of request. This involved tracking the precise hand-off from one role to another, and the manual methodology for tracking the status of each request. We then returned to the client stakeholders with a Findings Report documenting the current workflow and a strategic plan for implementing an optimized workflow that addressed each step of the process, yet adhered to their governance model.

Solution
We created an intranet web form that provided employees with intuitive 'move, add, change' request options that allowed them to quickly drill-down to the specific service request they needed to have fulfilled. Multiple levels of coordinators, managers, fulfillment personnel and administrators were able to log-in to customized views that provided pertinent information to each role. While new ways to work were created in the optimized workflow, there was also effective use made of pre-existing good practices wherever encountered. Key constituents could get to work with the new tools faster because they were based on an already familiar workflow. Not only did the target audiences use the new applications, they raved about them. Our post-implementation usability interviews revealed that the new tools and workflow actually helped many stakeholders understand their job responsibilities better.

Result
In addition, many repetitive tasks were automated and higher standards of service were realized. With the launch of the new application, the fulfillment department was able to process 400%; more requests than it did previously; and found that it was now able to precisely track the status of each request, thereby effectively managing client expectations through guaranteed SLA response times.