Ricoh Leasing Revamps BI
WebFOCUS Delivers Improved Communication, Strategy, and Security
Sales, marketing, and support staff working in the field for large, dispersed organizations often feel hampered by lack of access to timely customer and corporate information, while people in management often feel concerned about data security when information is more open and available to the field. Navigating these two demands – for accessible, timely, consistent information and security – is a challenge for many organizations.
Ricoh Leasing, though, found the right solution with WebFOCUS.
It wasn't always easy. When Ricoh Leasing first built its data warehouse and introduced a business intelligence (BI) tool, processing was slow and still required a lot of paper, data was not being used effectively or practically and security was questionable.
Established in 1976, as the sales promotion arm of Ricoh, Ricoh Leasing leases products such as medical equipment, industrial machine tools, and vehicles. It also provides collection, loan, and financial services for these leases. The field staff is large and deals with many different kinds of customers, and they often had developed their own systems for handling customer information.
In a mature business like leasing, the field and management have to communicate well in order to find new customers and make the most of their existing customer base. Building a data warehouse and acquiring a business intelligence tool was a logical first step for accessing more customer and prospect information and bringing the field and management together.
Three Challenges With the Data Warehouse
The data warehouse system, however, as it was originally designed and implemented, did not catch on with the field. Takaaki Obuchi, the Information Systems Division section chief for Ricoh Leasing, explains that there were three problems after the data warehouse system was introduced:
- Information literacy in the field
- Cost of using the system
- Security of the system
The original business intelligence tool was attractive for power users, but not for most people in the field, who were used to their own different systems and did not have the time to learn a new tool that did not exactly suit their needs. To make it more accessible, the Information Systems Division switched from a client/server-based to a Web-based system. This, however, made the cost prohibitive, because licensing was based on the number of users, and with Web-based access the number of users was now potentially the whole company.
The Web-based system also raised security concerns. Because Ricoh Leasing handles sensitive financial information for clients, centering on their leases and contracts, it is essential that they keep a log of everyone who accesses any kind of information. The existing system did not provide this function, which is a critical requirement.
Making the Switch to WebFOCUS
Ricoh Leasing turned to WebFOCUS, TCF consultants, and K.K. Ashisuto, Japan's premier distributor of computer software packages for large enterprises and an Information Builders representative.
"With WebFOCUS, we had a Web-based interface that was secure. Employees in the field could access information from anywhere. And it was priced for extensive use by large numbers of users," explains Obuchi.
To make the transition, it was also important to Ricoh Leasing that they receive dependable support. "A cooperative, substantial support organization was essential," says Obuchi. "In the past, we had bought packaged products and were not given the support we needed. If support isn't there during a critical moment, our business could come to a halt. This system is critical to our operations."
Hideki Takemoto, from Ricoh Leasing's Information Systems Division, observes, "We noticed that Ashisuto had extensive experience supporting transitions from one system to another. It didn't matter to them what tool we were using, but they said that when changing from one system to another, what was most important was that the tool be easy to use. They recommended WebFOCUS for that reason."
Takemoto also found Ashisuto worked well with TCF, a consultant who developed an application called DataSurfing to work with WebFOCUS. While WebFOCUS delivered formatted end-user reports, users turned to DataSurfingto intelligently browse their target data sources in order to quickly identify search criterion to use with the WebFOCUS reports. The consultants, software, and applications all worked together seamlessly, providing the complete application Ricoh Leasing desired.
Results That Speak Volumes
WebFOCUS helped Ricoh Leasing shorten the working hours necessary for system operation, cut costs, and improved the functioning of the system. Among other functions, Ricoh can now manage a track record by employee grade, goods, and place-of-business. As a result, managers can make much quicker decisions. The biggest change, though, is the mobility of information, greatly improving communication within the company.
"Now data that was scattered throughout the company is collected efficiently," says Obuchi. "The system immediately improved communication between employees and management. Any information can be checked and verified. If a manager tells an employee something, and the employee doubts it, then the employee can check if for himself. That power alone has had a very positive influence on the way the company works."
In addition, the system now logs who acquires what information, making it easy to verify security and also to see how the system is actually being used, again improving communication and operations.
Of the 260 employees working at Ricoh's Leasing department, 140 were slated to use the new WebFOCUS application. At the time of this writing, nearly 100 employees are using it. Ricoh also plans to open up a self-service WebFOCUS application to over 4,000 customers currently leasing their products.
Because statistics were not available with the old system, Takemoto cannot say how much usage has increased, but the value of the usage has increased dramatically. As Obuchi notes, the brokerage department is not required to use the system, but people are moving to it because of the value it offers.
Business Intelligence Uncovering Future Gold
"The system is so accessible that all employees can master it," says Obuchi, "and we're seeing usage increase steadily. Most importantly, it's effective usage."
"As the leasing business matures," explains Obuchi, "in order to continue to grow and achieve, we not only have to find new customers, but also uncover existing customer's needs. This is the role business intelligence plays, and it's a very large role."
Using WebFOCUS and their new system, Ricoh Leasing's employees in the field and managers in corporate offices now have the practical information and tools they need to work with flexibility, agility, and effectiveness, uncovering and seizing opportunities. With plans to offer a self-service WebFOCUS application to their customers, Ricoh Leasing can look forward to even greater growth.