AstraZeneca- Service: Business application support for four different CRM systems and iOS apps in eight countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland), onsite and remote
- Project term: 36 months
New support approach for business applications and support for iOS
Over the next three years, Sycor will be providing business application support for four different CRM systems and the administration of several iOS apps for AstraZeneca, a research leader in the pharmaceutical sector.
AstraZeneca, a London-based pharmaceutical company, is a worldwide research leader among companies in the pharmaceutical sector and has specialized in therapies for the respiratory tract, circulatory system, metabolism, the digestive system, and cancer. The company has 57,000 employees around the world. To relieve internal resources and to increase flexibility, AstraZeneca wanted to outsource operating activities concerning 2nd-level business application and iOS support. AstraZeneca decided to partner with Sycor based on excellent support knowledge and many years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Based on a three-year contract, effective at the end of 2013, Sycor has taken responsibility for complete business application support for the CRM systems Veeva, Siebel, Oracle On Demand and a Cognos-Mobile-based in-house development as well as several iOS apps for eight European countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland). All services are provided in German or English.
Handling of all operational support
“The project is very comprehensive. Controlling of all CRM-related customer service and field representative activities such as appointment planning, documentation and providing samples is influenced by the restructuring of the internal processes. Having to meet the requirements of the various processes and systems as well as those in different countries with our support services is a special challenge. Not to mention that the various field representative lines (e.g. with KAMs, Medical Science Liaison or Healthcare Affairs) are using special solutions as well,” explains Harald Tingelhoff, Director of Business Information Service at Sycor. “Adapting the Remedy ticket system and setting up SLA reporting are crucial for the long term success of the outsourcing project as well”, he elaborates. In addition to a Service Manager who serves as the team lead as well as the primary contact person for the business partners of AstraZeneca, a team of consultants is responsible for the various support processes defined according to ITIL. These include Incident-, Problem- , Access-Management and Request Fulfillment. Sycor's application manager is also responsible for Change- and Release-Management as well as Customer- and Escalation Management. A regular exchange with the 1st Level Service Desk, and ongoing training for the agents is the key to meet the requirement of improving the service quality continuously.
Trusting cooperation
In addition to support for the CRM systems, Sycor is also in charge of the iOS landscape at AstraZeneca. The AstraZeneca field representatives use various apps to support their sales activities e.g. sample documentation, and the presentation of the product catalog. A dedicated team of Sycor consultants ensures smooth operation and coordinates communication between the various 3rd-party suppliers and the customers. Providing iPads for specific events is also among the responsibilities. “Cooperation across national and system boundaries has entered a new dimension with Sycor. The documentation of the processes and workflows has become far more transparent,” emphasizes Carsten Linow, Senior Business Partner and CRM Manager at AstraZeneca. A successful four-month transition phase and the smooth changeover to the operating phase are a result of to the trusting partnership between Sycor and AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca has been working closely with Sycor since 1998 in the areas of training and service.
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