Trauma Link, trading as Netcare 911, has improved its business reporting capabilities with the implementation of MicroStrategy reporting and data mining tools. Netcare 911 is part of the Network Healthcare Holdings group and is Africa`s largest 24-hour integrated emergency assistance, evacuation, emergency planning and travel health specialist, providing services on air, land or sea.
Charles Bresler, Netcare 911`s IT manager, says the company initially rolled out a Cognos application as its sole reporting solution. Its role was to extract information from the company`s SQL Server-based data warehouse and present the resulting reports in various formats to users.
"With the advice and assistance of Knowledge Integration Dynamics (KID), we conducted a cost and functionality comparison between our existing tools and MicroStrategy`s offering," says Bresler. "We were immediately impressed by the ease of use and the analytical and reporting functionality MicroStrategy offered, and decided to switch." KID was responsible for the conversion.
The first to adopt the new application was the billings and sales department, followed by operations and finance. Once implemented, the new tools made it easier for users to design and run reports without assistance. This meant that not only did the MicroStrategy application cost less, but the time and traditional cost of getting all users up to speed and trained was also minimised.
"Because we make use of a `thin client` architecture in which users create and view reports on their PC screens via a Web browser and not a `fat client` application, a vital selling point was the ease with which our users could help themselves," says Bresler. "Not only does this give users more independence, but also the ability to meet their own needs instead of relying on standard reports that might not deliver precisely the information they require and to prevent unproductive waiting periods."
Netcare 911 plans to take the Web interface further in future and allow clients to access their own data over the Internet. Clients will be able to extract information on their utilisation and, using the appropriate passwords and access authority, view any data they require before phoning Netcare 911. Not only is this faster and more convenient for clients as it speeds up the turnaround time of their queries, but the business benefits from happy clients who no longer have to contact Netcare 911 staff to provide the information they need.
"The obvious business benefit we gained from implementing MicroStrategy is the immediate and easy availability of information to any authorised person, even those without specific MicroStrategy product training," says Bresler. "Our technical staff will benefit from this as they can focus on supporting the company with value-added services rather than supporting users in their quest for information."
For Bresler, the MicroStrategy feature that stands out above all others is the ease with which Netcare 911 could incorporate the new product line into the corporation`s day-to-day operations. "Integrating the software into our existing IT infrastructure and specifically the SQL Server-based data warehouse was simple, easier than any other products we tried," he says. "In addition, staff took to the application quickly because of its phenomenal ease of use.
"The support from Netcare 911 employees played an important role in the deployment and success of the roll-out. Often staff can slow the speed with which new software is adopted because of the difficulty of usage.
Usually you would experience that staff are reluctant to change as a matter of course and simply would not want to adapt to new systems, irrespective of the potential benefits it offers. We had none of these problems," says Bresler. "Once the system was set up it was quickly adopted, and most importantly, effectively used due to its simplicity of operation. Understanding the interface and navigating through the menu system is simple, as is setting up management reports."
Once reports have been generated, Netcare 911 personnel can easily isolate specific data and drill down to more in-depth information contained in the data warehouse. The data warehouse is updated daily with operational data to ensure all queries are run on the most current information.
Overall, Bresler reports that the decision to implement MicroStrategy has been proven correct in every respect. "From the time, cost and simplicity of the implementation to the querying of the data warehouse and user acceptance and adoption, MicroStrategy and KID have delivered on all our expectations, with no disappointments," he concludes.
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