Customer stories


Eagle Warranty Corporation

It's All in the Implementation

When you buy a used car from one of more than 4000 reputable dealers covering ten states, Eagle Warranty stands behind the sale, providing extended service contracts on pre-owned vehicles. It's the same dedication to customers you get when you buy FileMaker Pro, the award-winning database software application from FileMaker Inc.

Ted Bieryla is Eagle Warranty's system/network administrator and it's his job to ensure a smooth, steady flow of information from company to dealers and back again. "Our growth and success comes from the fact that we pay our claims fast, and we stand behind our service contracts," says Ted. "Keeping track of over 4000 dealers, with 18 to 20 thousand active service contracts and their related service information, plus 10 to 12 thousand claims since the first of the year, along with a call center that handles up to 27 thousand calls a month -- that's our challenge."

For Eagle Warranty the need for a database was critical. "In a business where you're only as good as the next claim you pay," he says, "having all the information at your fingertips is key."

But it wasn't always so. Not too long ago Eagle Warranty was in the market for a office integration system -- and soon learned that not all database applications are created equal. "We hired a Philadelphia-based company to implement a Microsoft Great Plains and Siebel system -- which failed miserably, Implementation and deployment was a nightmare, with months of fixes, patches, head-scratching, and work-arounds. And it left us without a usable system. Printing up a simple mailing label was a 16-step process. At the rate we were headed, with all the extra modules, tools, and extra training required just to keep the system up, we estimated we would have spent approximately $500,000. And we would have ended up out of business long before that because we wouldn't have been able to effectively service our dealers!"

So early in November 2001, "I was handed a box containing FileMaker Server 5.5, FileMaker Pro 5.5, and Developer 5.5," he recalls. "Before November 2001 I had never done database work -- but within a month I had designed and implemented working databases for our company. No technical database knowledge was required -- so implementation was a breeze! We had the ability to design a system specifically to our needs. It makes the employees' jobs so much easier, and so more work gets done in less time. We are easily saving in the hundreds of thousands of dollars with FileMaker compared to other systems -- there's less maintenance and that means more productivity."

FileMaker makes a difference all the way down the line -- from Eagle Warranty to the used car dealer to the person who really matters most of all -- The Customer. "When a customer has no hassles because FileMaker keeps the data fresh," Ted notes, "the customer remembers that service. It reflects back on the dealer who sold the car -- and it reflects back on us as the warranty company standing behind that sale."

Within a year, Eagle Warranty's network of 25 FileMaker Pro databases contained more than 350,000 records -- accessible to dealers over the web, and even to company representatives in the field, who synchronize to the databases using Kyocera Smart Phones -- uploading new information and downloading the latest dealer account information. And says Ted, the implementation of FileMaker Pro 6 brings even greater efficiency for this system, thanks to the software's XML capabilities.

Smooth-implementing, smooth-functioning -- FileMaker keeps Eagle Warranty flying high.



Contact information

Contact Info for Customer:

Theodore Bierlya
Eagle Warranty
800-735-2529
netadmin@eaglewarranty.com


Filemaker Contact:

Kevin Mallon
Public Relations Manager
FileMaker Inc.
408-987-7227
kevin_mallon@filemaker.com
http://www.filemaker.com


Overview
  • When it comes to a sophisticated database application, smooth implementation is more than half the battle. And for Eagle Warranty Corporation, FileMaker offers the smoothest implementation of all.
Industry
  • Automotive/Transportation
  • Insurance
  • Small Business