Cloud enables cross-border contact centre communication

The Paul Hartmann AG, which has been in operation for over 200 years, is the oldest German dressing material manufacturer and producer of the well-known Kneipp-branded products. The medical and hygiene products maker, based in Heidenheim on the Brenz River, is a broad-based, globally operating, medium-sized company that focuses on its ability to diversify. Its management knows that a digitisation strategy is paramount for its future success, with communication being a key element in this. So, the company chose the Genesys Cloud platform to expand its contact centre communications strategy. Through its Genesys implementation partner Deliberate, the Paul Hartmann AG contact centre can now cover inbound, outbound, chat and email for all locations.

A comprehensive IT strategy and focused solutions

One of the most important elements of its digitisation strategy was to have a central IT organisation. Starting from company headquarters in Swabia, Germany, this powerful IT organisation is globally networked and delivers mutually approved IT solutions. This means that each country branch can make almost independent IT decisions. But as a customer-oriented service provider, the central IT service desk supplies the solutions.

“We create IT solutions and then offer them to the country branches,” said a project manager at Paul Hartmann. “For each area of business; however, we prepare a singular offer and provide clarity through it.”

When the time came for the communications department to create a digitisation proposal, it had to be centrally administrable but still give country branches the space necessary for individual needs. For this purpose, a multiclient-enabled solution was critical. Paul Hartmann had a few criteria for the system. It needed to be modern; have up-to-date, meaningful reporting; and easily integrate with other solutions. In addition, the application has to be simple to use. Ultimately, a native cloud solution that offers maximum data security and the highest possible level of data protection was required.

Meeting country-specific requirements

The Genesys Cloud platform meets several requirements for Paul Hartmann. The entire system management tool can be set up with just a few clicks, as can vacation requests and scheduling for agents, for example. Administrators have quick access to all the essentials in the browser. They can enter group changes and configurations, and upload messages, in a few simple steps. Because the solution is easy to maintain, team members can quickly initiate rollouts and configurations.

Country branches receive granular reporting from the Genesys Cloud platform, which wasn’t possible with the previous solution. Teams receive informative statistics and can immediately track call volumes, in real time, with only a few quick clicks in the browser window.

Easy integration with other systems

Genesys Cloud supports the customer-oriented approach at Paul Hartmann. The company’s Salesforce system easily connects to the platform; Paul Hartmann plans to integrate its ServiceNow solution with the contact center through the Genesys AppFoundry Marketplace.

“Thanks to the deep integration of Salesforce, the customer can now automatically transfer outbound campaigns from the CRM system to the Genesys Cloud solution, which significantly increases process efficiency,” said Sven Schuhknecht, Senior Consultant at Genesys partner Deliberate.

The company did encounter small challenges with the port activation and the use of softphones, but overcame those issues. “We were able to resolve that easily with Deliberate. In general, we are very happy to have such a strong support partner,” reported the project manager.

Ninety users are currently working with the Genesys Cloud platform, 70 of whom are located in Germany and 20 in the Czech Republic. And these numbers will grow substantially in the coming months. In line with its IT strategy, Paul Hartmann relies on Genesys Cloud for its customer-centric communication solution; the service desk performed a global rollout. Other Paul Hartmann companies in France and Spain have decided to do the same. In addition, because its headquarters strategically relies on Microsoft products and uses Microsoft Teams and Skype Response Groups, the world-class connection of these services to the Genesys Cloud platform is indispensable.

Meeting a desire for simplicity and high performance

The Genesys Cloud platform addresses the comprehensive IT strategy at Paul Hartmann, as well as the company’s desire for simplicity and high-performance security. “We can really say that the new solution meets our requirements 100%,” said a project manager.