6 CUSTOMER IN FOCUS

How do you make something that has never been

made before? Many organizations from small
production companies to large factories have
faced this challenge. Isah offers both the required
software and support by using TOPdesk and Team
Foundation Server.
ISAH MAKES IT
WITH TOPDESK
AND TFS
Text: Timme Hos
CUSTOMER IN FOCUS 7
Marco Vlijm (l) and Jos van Baal from Isah
Photography: Aad Hoogendoorn
8 CUSTOMER IN FOCUS
Certain things are easily taken for granted: a
passport, a traffc sign indicating a roadblock,
or biscuit packaging. However, creating
these items is a complex and often high-
tech process. Customers are not always
aware of the companies behind this, says
Jos van Baal, manager at Isahs Product
Development department. He is responsible
for the software used by the manufacturing
industry, a term describing all organizations
that make items ranging from large dredgers
to small car parts. Everything that is made
and is not readily available in stock has to
be manufactured in a unique way. Its those
companies we supply with our software.
Software for the manufacturing
industry
Isah is a Dutch company that develops and
supports ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
solutions. They started almost thirty years ago
and have since opened branches in Germany,
Canada and North America, and work with
partners in South America and Switzerland.
Isah helps around 650 companies worldwide
to create their products.
Marco Vlijm, manager of the Quality
& Support department, explains that
manufacturing companies use Isah for a
range of tasks. It starts with processing
quotes at offce sales. The estimated
production price of the product is based on
the quote. Isah tells them which materials,
machines and fnishes they need to create
the fnal product.
Isah is also used in the production facilities
where the software is used to book hours
and register materials. What makes our
customers unique, says Vlijm, is that they
make things that havent been made before.
Its important to them to settle on a good
price. Isah is good for calculations, even in
complex production structures.
The entire production process can be
supported with Isahs smart integrations,
starting with the frst drawing. Production
companies often use a supplied drawing
after which a machine or product rolls out of
the factory, says Van Baal. And this product
requires maintenance. Isah can import 2-D
drawings and 3-D models and communicates
with the engineering software. This lets
companies make changes even during the
development of a machine.
Devoted thanks to TOPdesk
The dedicated support team at Isah has been
helping customers worldwide and ensuring
Isahs quality for over ffteen years. We used
to support our customers using a tool we built
ourselves, says Van Baal. In 2007 we started
looking for a new application to better meet
our needs, and we chose TOPdesk.
Isahs customer base has expanded
considerably over the years. However, this
didnt mean Isahs support department had
to grow as well. The quality and productivity
of our support has dramatically improved,
says Vlijm proudly. Our support staff are
not necessarily tech-savvy, but rather they
understand how our customers use the
software. They know how manufacturing
companies work.
Helping the customer is what matters
most, says Van Baal. This is why we dont
judge our support staff on the number of
Marco Vlijm (l) and Jos van Baal
CUSTOMER IN FOCUS 9
processed calls, but rather focus on whether
they helped the customer. In some cases this
requires a lot of time.
The customers needs
The Quality & Support department deals
with all types of customer requests and
questions: from project planners to
bookkeepers responsible for the monthly
accounts. Around 80 per cent of all calls
and they receive over 25 calls a day are
processed in less than ffteen minutes.
If Isah suspects that something in their
software needs improving, the support
employee sends the incident to Change
Management.
The customers Isah supports beneft
greatly from TOPdesks Self Service Desk.
Its how we present ourselves to our
customers, says Vlijm. We are happy with
TOPdesks adjustable icons, because now our
customers can easily indicate whether they
want to report a bug or whether they have
a request. If they have a feature request, all
they have to do is click the Aladdin icon.
When Isahs change manager is informed
of the bug or feature request, he creates a
change. Thanks to the link between TOPdesk
and Team Foundation Server (TFS), the
change manager can easily register the
change in the latter. TFS helps us with the
source codes version management and
with managing the changes, says Van Baal.
If a developer checks the backlog and sees
the bug is external, that developer has
direct access to all background information
in TOPdesk, including the customers
attachments.
Continuous improvement
Thanks to the link between TOPdesk and TFS,
Isah can continue to improve its software.
The Product Development department has
already noticed the results. We started
using Scrum and have updated all our
tools, says Van Baal. This includes the link
between TOPdesk and TFS. We also resolved
and automated any tasks we performed
manually, too late or not at all. Now our
support staff can immediately tell the
customer whether their bug is resolved in
our products latest version. This has made
the procedure a lot clearer for customers,
adds Vlijm.
The manufacturing industry is always
assured of the most up-to-date software to
support their company processes. And those
things we take for granted from biscuits
to dredgers will continue to roll out of
factories across the world.
OUR CUSTOMERS
MAKE THINGS THAT
HAVENT BEEN
MADE BEFORE
Marco Vlijm
Manager Quality & Support