Fujitsu invests $5 million in Clarify for customer care

Singapore, 10 November 1999 - Fujitsu is investing more than S$5 million in implementing Clarify eFrontOffice for its growing customer base in the Asia Pacific region. With the implementation, Fujitsu intends to provide customers of its Information Technology & Telecommunications (IT&T) infrastructure systems and services with world-class web-based customer support, contract management, field service and logistics.

Fujitsu's 24 x 7 regional customer-service centre, based in Australia, is fully equipped with strategic multi-lingual capabilities to service customers in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand. Fujitsu's unique support services include traditional preventative, predictive and remedial systems maintenance, plus remote support, systems configuration assistance, ISP user support, desktop applications assistance and software and network support services.

Fujitsu selected certain eFrontOffice modules, in the implementation, including:
· ClearSupport, to allow the call centre to manage information flow within Fujitsu for the efficient resolution of issues.
· ClearContracts, to automate key contract information and processes both before and after the sale.
· ClearLogistics, for field technician despatch, managing spare parts inventory and enabling high-volume repair centre operations, and
· ClearExpress WebSupport, to allow Fujitsu's customers to log cases over the web, check the status of their case, and to perform their own troubleshooting on the secure site.

The implementation has ensuingly enabled Fujitsu to replace more than half a dozen discrete call management systems with a single, integrated solution that delivers greater functionality, control and reporting capabilities.

"Web-based self-sales and self-service will be very popular with our customers, who will benefit significantly from our implementation of Clarify eFrontOffice," said Peter McFarlane, General Manager of Fujitsu Services, "With Clarify, our customers have access to their cases whenever and however they want to receive it. Clarify eFrontOffice provides a central repository with comprehensive records of what products our customers have, where they are located, service level entitlements, and the history of customer interactions. This ensures Fujitsu delivers service to the standard expected by the customer, and keeps us better informed so we can respond more quickly to service calls and always have the necessary equipment to address the problem," he added.

Fujitsu Australia provides its IT&T infrastructure systems and services to customers with data centre services and systems and network management, as well as IT infrastructure outsourcing and lifecycle management and multi-vendor systems support services. Support services managed by Clarify include traditional preventative, predictive and remedial systems maintenance, remote support, systems configuration assistance, desktop applications assistance and software and network support, as well as support for users of the company's Internet service.

With Clarify eFrontOffice, Fujitsu's customers can log into the system via the Internet to open cases, check the status and add new information to their cases over the web. Customers can also access a full listing of interactions relating to their organisation at their convenience, and perform their own troubleshooting with Clarify' self-service capabilities on Fujitsu's secure site. In addition, Clarify's powerful integration of various communications mechanisms means Fujitsu can notify service personnel in a range of ways - including telephone, pager and email. Clarify also provides a full audit to assist with case management and reporting.

Improved Services
Fujitsu chose Clarify to provide integrated management of customer service cases, contracts and logistics, as well as provide a single interface to the company's legacy systems. In addition, the company wanted a proven solution that is flexible and scalable to meet its future needs. Clarify eFrontOffice has enabled Fujitsu to replace nearly 10 discrete call management systems by centralizing its service centre and standardising on Clarify eFrontOffice.

Clarify eFrontOffice will enable Fujitsu to improve its performance meeting service level agreements (SLAs). Customer interactions by phone, email, fax and the web are captured in the integrated Clarify solution, which uses strong workflow and a unique ownership model to manage service fulfillment within SLAs.

"Not only does Clarify eFrontOffice offer the functionality we want, but it also meets our demanding standards for reliability and performance," said McFarlane. "Clarify delivers a single, integrated solution that delivers greater functionality, control and reporting capabilities," he added.

For instance:
Customer contract information is entered into Clarify only once, eliminating the need to re-enter information across multiple legacy systems Fujitsu captures customer requests and case details in Clarify eFrontOffice, which uses workflow and ownership to ensure efficient resolution of issues within SLAs Clarify dispatches field service technicians, and captures service records and spare parts and inventory movements, enabling efficient, high-volume repair centre operations

Fujitsu sees its investment in Clarify as a long-term commitment. "Clarify is a major player in the front office market and we expect to reap substantial benefits with Clarify eFrontOffice," said McFarlane. "We will continue to expand our Clarify implementation as we identify further opportunities to support and enhance our business processes, and improve the service we offer to our customers," he concluded.

About Fujitsu Australia
Fujitsu Australia is one of Australia's leading suppliers of solutions and services to target markets including Government, Retail, Utilities, Financial Services and Telecommunications. Fujitsu's portfolio of offerings includes customer relationship management (CRM), electronic business, enterprise applications, and information technology & telecommunications infrastructure systems and services. Fujitsu Australia recently received the 1999 global award from Teleperformance for "No. 1 ISP/internet help desk in Australia". Fujitsu Australia Limited is owned 71 percent by Fujitsu Limited of Japan, 18 percent by International Computers Limited of the United Kingdom, and 11 per cent by Amdahl Corporation of the USA.

About Clarify
Clarify is the world's second largest provider of front office software. Clarify eFrontOffice combines customer relationship management and e-business capabilities in a single solution, allowing companies to quickly deploy e-business sales and service initaticves. Clarify is used in corporations such as British Telecommunications, Fujitsu, First USA, General Electric, Gillette, Microsoft, Nortel Networks, Prudential, Sony and Toyota. Founded in 1990, Clarify is headquartered in San Jose, California. Its products are marketed through resellers including Compaq and Hewlett-Packard, as well as a direc tsales and service organisation with offices in Singapore, Australia, Japan, North America, South America, Europe, and the Middle East.