How a Global Medical Device Manufacturer Achieved a 28% First-Time-Fix Increase and 98% SLA Compliance
- Industry: Manufacturing
Introduction
A global medical device manufacturer, serving hospitals and clinics across 60+ countries, was facing a growing challenge - delivering responsive, consistent, and SLA-compliant service for their high-value, mission-critical equipment. With expanding customer bases and rising expectations around uptime and compliance, the organization needed a way to standardize and elevate their entire service delivery chain.
They turned to Tntra and IFS Enterprise Service Management (ESM) to modernize their field operations, empower technicians, and embed real-time SLA intelligence into every interaction.
This case study explores how IFS ESM not only resolved long-standing operational inefficiencies but also became a catalyst for growth, trust, and customer retention.
The Challenge
When business outgrows its systems, even the basics become bottlenecks. That’s exactly what happened here.
Despite their leadership in the medical device industry, the company’s post-sales service infrastructure was falling behind in three major areas:
Inconsistent First-Time-Fix (FTF) Rates
Technicians often lacked access to historical service records, diagnostic data, or real-time inventory visibility. As a result, multiple visits were needed to resolve even routine service tickets, negatively affecting FTF rates and customer satisfaction.
Missed SLAs and Penalties
With over 10,000 service contracts in play, the company struggled to meet contractual SLAs - especially across rural or high-traffic regions. Disconnected scheduling systems and manual dispatching led to uncoordinated, reactive field operations.
Lack of Service Intelligence and Feedback Loops
Data from the field was scattered across spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems. There was no consolidated way to track SLA breaches, analyze failure trends, or optimize technician performance at scale.
This lack of visibility not only cost them in penalties but also jeopardized long-term renewals and customer trust.
Our Solution
Tntra implemented the IFS Enterprise Service Management (ESM) platform to deliver an integrated, SLA-first field service transformation. The rollout was phased over six months, combining strategy, execution, and enablement.
AI-Powered Scheduling & Dispatch
The first priority was implementing IFS's Planning & Scheduling Optimization (PSO) engine. This replaced spreadsheet-based dispatching with dynamic, skill- and SLA-based routing. Real-time factors like traffic, technician skillsets, part availability, and customer priority were now baked into every job allocation.
Mobile Field Enablement
Each technician was equipped with the IFS ESM mobile app, enabling them to:
- Access equipment history and schematics
- Upload inspection photos and parts usage
- Sync work data offline in rural areas
- Receive voice-assisted, hands-free AR guidance
This eliminated the need for paper logs or post-visit data entry, saving hours each week and increasing time spent on actual repairs.
SLA & Warranty Governance
We configured IFS to embed contract-specific SLA timers, warranty validations, and dynamic pricing models into each work order. This allowed field engineers to act in real-time - knowing exactly what was covered, what deadlines applied, and what actions were permissible.
Real-Time Service Intelligence
Through Power BI dashboards integrated with IFS ESM, leadership could now:
- Monitor SLA compliance at national, regional, and technician levels
- Spot recurring failure trends by equipment type or geography
- Run root-cause analysis and predictive churn models
- Share executive scorecards with operations, finance, and sales
This gave decision-makers the power to proactively intervene and optimize.
Outcomes & Impact
In the 12 months following implementation, the transformation was undeniable:
28%
Increase in First-Time-Fix Rate
With full access to asset data and better job prep, technicians could complete more service calls on the first visit - saving time, reducing repeat costs, and boosting customer satisfaction.
98%
SLA Compliance Across All Contracts
SLA monitoring was no longer reactive. Dispatchers received real-time alerts before a breach occurred, and mobile technicians could prioritize accordingly. Missed SLA penalties dropped to near-zero.
22%
Reduction in Dispatch Costs
Better routing, optimized technician time, and fewer repeat visits led to substantial operational savings. This directly impacted cost-to-serve metrics and freed up resources for new client onboarding.
40%
Faster Technician Onboarding
New hires were fully ramped within weeks instead of months, thanks to voice-guided checklists, AR instructions, and a growing service knowledge base integrated with IFS.
Record-High Customer Renewals
Satisfied clients renewed contracts at a higher rate, citing responsiveness, transparency, and trust in the company's ability to meet equipment SLAs even in emergency situations.
IFS ERP wasn’t just about technology—it became the foundation for profitable, predictable, and scalable growth.
Our Solution
For this medical device leader, IFS ESM was more than a software upgrade—it was a service revolution. With the support of expert IFS consulting services , they unified planning, dispatch, mobility, and intelligence into one system, turning their field operations into a true competitive advantage.
Whether you're managing MRI scanners, utility grids, or telecom towers, the lesson remains the same: modern field service needs real-time intelligence, mobile empowerment, and SLA accountability at its core.
