Articles

RSS

Metrix, one of the leading innovators of service management and mobile field service software, recently announced the commercial availability of Metrix 5. Metrix 5 is the first of a new breed of software applications available to service organizations and is already generating a buzz around the industry. Business leaders value the company's 27 years of experience and Metrix 5 delivers advanced service automation functionality at a reasonable price. IT managers want Metrix on the vendor short list for its leading-edge technology, ease of integration and full support of open standards. Metrix 5 utilizes the latest Microsoft technologies like .NET 3.0 to create a powerful service management solution.

"Metrix 5 is clearly superior to other enterprise service applications on the market today," said Larry Laux, president and CEO of Metrix. "Anyone that tries our software for ten minutes will understand why...it's extremely easy-to-use, feature-rich and incredibly fast. I'm very proud that we've been able to incorporate 27 years of design and development knowledge and completely rewrite our software from the ground up using contemporary technology that will benefit our customers for the next 20 years."

Successful large and small-to-medium size companies purchase Metrix to automate customer service, field service, service contracts and reverse logistics. The new release dramatically simplifies customer implementations resulting in lower total cost of ownership and faster ROI. Significant new features of Metrix Advanced Service 5 include the following:

Contact Center – Fully automates typical customer service and support processes, from initial request and triage, to problem resolution and closure. The Metrix 5 user interface (UI) makes entering new records, finding information and navigating screens so intuitive that new users will require little training. Work tasks are automatically triggered based on any number of customer-defined parameters. Metrix Advanced Service suite also includes projects, product quality, preventive maintenance, customer portal and partner portal. Call center technologies, like CTI or IVR, and knowledge management tools can be easily added as web services.

Field Service – An enhanced drag-and-drop schedule board helps dispatchers visualize field technician work calendars in real-time. Routes can be optimized based on skills, workload, time commitments, part availability, travel, region, priority and cost using Metrix Advanced Scheduling engine. Metrix Mobile runs on multiple notebook, tablet and handheld devices and wireless networks to enable real-time tracking of job status, activities, parts and labor including GPS, barcode, signature capture and online/offline support.

Contract Lifecycle – Managing service contracts in Metrix 5 is much easier with the new UI and administrators can quickly introduce new contract types, response codes, and coverage plans. A flexible pricing engine enables labor and part billing based on the line code and contract selected. Improved warranty functionality includes unlimited coverage types and automatic warranty creation and tracking through recovery.

Reverse Logistics – New configurable business rules provide unique ability to define the process steps, routing, shipping, receiving, stocking, turnaround, repair, credit, cost and billing rules that are used to automate downstream RMA processes. A single screen enables bench technicians to enter failure codes, repair codes, labor and parts used in the repair process. Enhanced inventory management and automation technologies like contract-based repair pricing enable new revenue generating service offerings.

User Experience – The Metrix 5 UI allows users to find the information they need quickly and easily without navigating to another screen. It does this by displaying all relevant data in a single view and executing user-defined searches with a single click. Metrix 5 is one of the few systems on the market that enables a user to go to any function in the application and then come back without losing their spot or any work in-process. It looks and feels like a desktop office tool, but has the power and utility of an enterprise software application.

Metrix 5, which was initially announced in April 2007, has undergone rigorous quality assurance testing in preparation for general availability, including beta customer evaluations. One of the first Metrix 5 customers is RF Technologies, a leading provider of RFID monitoring and healthcare asset management solutions. RF Technologies is deploying the full suite of Metrix Advanced Service across their call center, technical support and field service departments. RF Technologies will provide 24x7 support for their global customer base, track more than 10,000 installed devices and fully automate the service delivery process from incoming call to invoice.

"The combination of Metrix's years of experience, deep service management functionality, and the Metrix 5 architecture are what prompted us to select them," said Doug Sprague, COO of RF Technologies. "The new Metrix 5 user interface is outstanding and like nothing we've ever seen before. We are very satisfied with Metrix as a company and as a product solution. Metrix 5 was literally installed in a couple hours and we were up-and-running in one day."

According to Datex International, a Metrix reseller and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Metrix 5 will also benefit companies throughout Latin America. "We are very excited about the release and feel anyone interested in customer support and field service automation owes it to themselves to demo this state-of-the-art application," said Andy Armanious, Director of Product Development at Datex.

About Metrix:
Metrix software applications enable world-class service management through powerful contact center, field service, dispatch, contract lifecycle, warranty, parts logistics, return service, self-service and mobile workforce solutions. Leveraging over 27 years of experience, Metrix provides a competitive advantage to innovative companies like Ingenico, Olympus, Xerox, Ericsson, and Makino by automating field operations, streamlining service processes, improving customer satisfaction and increasing service profitability. For more information, visit www.metrix.com

SOURCE: Metrix