Coastline systems consulting

Customer response system

Introduction

In this section you will learn background information that will prepare you to understand and complete
each of the milestones of this case study. This information includes a history of the business, a
description of the business’s current facilities, and the descriptions of the problems that triggered the
project.

Case background

Coastline systems, consulting is a small solutions provider company located in Destin, Florida. The staff
of seven IT technicians, designers, systems analysts, and programmers provides a range of networking,
computer hardware, and software solutions to area businesses, coastline works with client to analyze
their business needs, they then provide a packaged solution that often combines custom-built hardware,
purchased software, and custom programming, in addition to the seven technicians, coastline has one
receptionist/bookkeeper.

As a small organization, coastline is an informal, ”shirt-sleeve” environment. Everyone is on a first-name

basis, even with Pete Charles, the president.

Organization structure

Coastline systems consulting

Peter Charles
President/Analyst

Dane Wagner Jeff summer Doug Drake

Kathy Frey
Web server IT consultant Analyst/progra
Receptionist/
administrator mmer
Bookkeeper

Ben Logan Anna Kelly

IT consultant Analyst/Progra
mmer

Travis Munroe
Web content
Designer

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Information systems facilities

PCs

 Each technician works uses a Dell notebook:

o Pentium III class machines with 128 MB RAM, 10-20 GB hard drives
o Pentium 4 class machines with 512 MB RAM, 30-50 GB hard drives
 The bookkeeper/receptionist has a Dell Optipex desktop running a Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, and
an 80 GB hard drive:
 Operating systems-MS Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 Professional, or Windows XP
Professional
 Tools-MS Office XP suite plus other software depending on use
 Internet Browser- Internet Explorer(version 6 or higher)
 Various injet and laser printers

Servers

 Dell PowerEdge Server

o 512 megabytes of RAM, 40 GB RAID-5 hard drive storage
o Operating system-MS Windows 2000 Server
o Providing DHCP, Security, and internet Access, and Database Management(SQL Server
2000)
 Dell PowerApp Appliance Servers
o Providing Webhosting
o Operating system-Windows 2000 Server with IIS

Networking

 The company headquarters is equipped with wireless networking so notebooks can roam
throughout he building. Notebooks also have integrated Ethernet NICs and modems so they can
connect to the Internet at home and at clients’ palaces of business.

The problem

The it technicians are drowning in a sea of work and work for clients is not being done in an optimum
manner. Clients call and e-mail both to the general office and to individual consultants whenever they
have any kind of hardware or software problem. Consultants manage the request that come directly to
them. Kathy Frey, the receptionist/bookkeeper, passes on request that come through the general office.
If the problem is complex it may require multiple trips, and the technician has to keep track of what he
or she has done to try to fix the problem. Sometimes a second technician has to be dispatched,
necessitating communication concerning the previous work.

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 PROBLEMS, OPPORTUNITIES, OBJECTIVES, AND CONSTRAINTS MATRIX

CAUSE AND EFFECT ANALYSIS SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT OBJECTIVES

Problem or Causes and Effects System Objective System
Opportunity Constraint
1. The IT 1. Client’s system configuration is not 1. Allow clients to submit 1. Project cannot
consultants are tracked; consultants often have to and track requests via the exceed $50,000
drowning in a make multiple trips to the field. Internet. without owner’s
sea of work, 2. Previous request solutions are not 2. Eliminate duplication consent.
and work for kept in a data repository; as a result, of work. 2. Software must be
clients is not consultants might implement 3. Track historical data on compatible with
being done in previously identified incorrect request problems and Windows
an optimum solutions. solutions. NT/2000/XP and
manner. The 3. There is no consistent flow of 4. Track client’s current written in JAVA.
issues are not information and work to be done or and previous system 3. The new system
tracked and already accomplished. The IT configurations. must be compatible
recorded consultants have to keep track of what 5. Track, calculate, and with existing
properly when they have done to try to fix the generate time-and-billing business processes
the request is problem. Sometimes there is information. to minimize impact
submitted or duplication of work. 6. Implement security on clients.
when 4. Bookkeeping of consultants work restrictions to Internet 4. Clients are our
technicians go performed is tracked only using scraps site. number one priority;
out in the field. of paper and are turned in at random 7. Allow consultants to we cannot allow the
Currently time intervals after the work is electronically retrieve project development
serviced by an completed. As a result, time-and- client’s request to impact our
inefficient billing is not accurate and efficient. information and transport primary duty.
system, the 5. Clients cannot submit their requests it to the field.
areas are not electronically, and cannot track its
well integrated progress. Clients get frustrated when
to minimize they cannot get through to submit a
costs, and request via telephone, and when they
maximize cannot get up-to-date information on
profits, and their request.
increase
customer
satisfaction.
The president, Peter Charles, wants to develop a system that is both more responsive to clients ans
helpful to technicians. He would like to see a system that allows clients to directly enter their service
requests. The system would track the status of each request along with the hours spent for billing
purposes. Mr. Charles also wants the system to be able to generate statistics and reports so he can
pursue continuous improvement in this area.

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System Improvement Objectives and Recommendations Report
[Analysis of the Current Coastline Systems Consulting System]
I. Executive Summary
A. Summary of Problems, Opportunities
1. Lack of submitting and tracking service requests
2. Lack of systems integration and efficiency
B. Summary of Recommendation
1. Implementation of Customer Relationship Management System which provides a
powerful, solution for unifying, tracking, and managing customer process across
the company.
C. Brief Statement of system Improvement Objectives
1. Increase service functionality
a. Ability to capture and tracking of service request information
b. Complete histories of service requests activities and customer communication.
c. Monitored service request changes
d. Automatic assignment for service requests to the most appropriate individual
e. Provide world-class support via voice, voicemail, e-mail, Internet.
f. Efficient management of complex, multi-person agendas

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 2. Increase account management
a. Automatic tracking of account history
b. Comprehensive data sharing for providing enhance service
c. Integrated analytics to facilitate focus on high-priority contacts
3. Increase Time and Expenses Management
a. Capture more billable hours and track billable expenses to clients
b. Fully integrated, web-based time & expense features reduce double entry
and save up to 80% of the time
c. Generate timesheets and expense reports for billing purposes
d. Track labor and not labor costs

II. Background Information

A. List of Interviews and facilitated group meetings conducted
1. Interview between the President (Peter Charles) and the Analyst programmer
(Anna Kelly)
a. This was the initial discussion concerning the proposed customer response
System. The goal was to discuss the possibility of pursuing such a project
that is responsive to clients, helpful to the technicians and to obtain facts
about the problems and opportunities in order to prepare the “Request for
System Services” and the “Problem Statement Matrix”.
2. Meeting held between Analyst Programmer (Anna Kelly),
Receptionist/Bookkeeper (Kathy Grey) and the IT Consultant (Ben Logan)
a. The goal of this meeting was to design a system that would allow clients to
submit Service requests and problems, forward those requests to one and
only one consultant, and track the progress of the requests until it is
resolved.
B. List of other sources of information that were exploited
1. Entire project team
a. System Owners
b. Users
c. Analysts
d. Designers
e. Builders

C. Description of analytical techniques used

1. To fully understand the problems in current system
a. Identify the inefficiencies of the current tracking service requests
b. Identify the inefficiencies of the systems integration
2. Understand what is needed in the new system
a. Design a customer response system
b. Design better tracking system
3. Document any constraints for designing the new system (things that either must do
or things must not do)
a. (Technology) PC Components change over time. Need to know what
components were previously installed on each PC and when they were
changed out.
b. (Schedule) The new system will require at least 6 months to initiate (roughly)

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 4. Design first, build second
a. Systems have a way of growing way beyond of what is expected
III. Overview of the Current System
A. Currently an IS system does not exist for Coastline Systems Consulting
1. Client requests are reported through e-mail or phone messaging
2. Bookkeeping is handled with spreadsheets

IV. Analysis of the Current System

A. Performance/Efficiency problems
1. The current system works in an extremely inefficient manner. The main problem
is that of communication between the IT consultants - they need to be able to track
each other’s (and their own) client requests.
2. This inefficiency is the basis of client dissatisfaction and has also caused the IT
consultants to waste valuable work time due to making multiple trips to the client.
B. Information problems
1. Arise as a result of the IT consultant’s lack of knowledge about what each other
have accomplished on a day to day basis.
2. Currently there is no data repository for past issues with clients, which can result
in ‘consultants trying to implement previously identified incorrect solutions.’
3. The current system, which is that of jotted down notes and transferred phone calls,
is unable to offer a timely response to the client’s needs.
4. Information needs to flow more smoothly between the Coastline Systems’
employees.
C. Economic problems
1. The current system does not maximize Coastline Systems’ profit potential due to
the lack of internal organization.
2. There are also bookkeeping issues. The receptionist/bookkeeper currently re-
enters each line on the spreadsheets into the accounting system. As a result, an
unnecessary task is being completed every month which costs the company more
man hours.
D. Service problems
1. Since client issues are not tracked and recorded properly, the ability of the IT
consultants to properly satisfy customer’s needs is greatly diminished.
2. Coastline Systems Consulting is a service oriented company and should always
put the customer first. Therefore the system currently in place does not satisfy
everyone’s needs.

V. Detailed Recommendations
A. System improvement objectives and priorities
1. Allow clients to submit and track requests via the Internet (high)
2. Eliminate duplication of work (high)
3. Track historical data on requests (high)
4. Track client’s previous and current system configuration
5. Track, calculate, and generate time-and-billing information
6. Implement security restrictions to Internet site (high)

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 7. Allow consultants to electronically retrieve client’s request information and
transport it to the field
B. Constraints
1. Project budget cannot exceed $50,000 without committee review
2. Software and Hardware constraints: Windows NT/2000/XP compliant, written in
JAVA – current platform
3. Develop system without drastic changes to existing business processes to minimize
impact on clients
4. Cannot allow project development to take services away from clients
C. Project plan – Refer to Problems, Opportunities, Objectives, and Constraints Matrix