THE GREAT ERP ORDER PROCESSING PREDICAMENT

Transcription

1 ebook: Order Processing THE GREAT ERP ORDER PROCESSING PREDICAMENT How Fax and Orders Hold Your Business Back and Why Automation Is the Best Way Forward

2 The Great ERP Order Processing Predicament 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE GREAT ERP ORDER PROCESSING PREDICAMENT How Fax and Orders Hold Your Business Back and Why Automation Is the Best Way Forward Purpose of this ebook...3 About the Author...3 Fax & Orders: Where it All Goes Wrong...4 Turning to Automation for Help...5 How an Automated Order Processing Platform Works...6 Benefits of Paperless Order Processing...8 Customer Success Story: BASF...9 Conclusion...10 About Esker...10 Learn More...10

3 The Great ERP Order Processing Predicament 3 Purpose of this ebook Sales orders coming in via fax or represent a roadblock for companies who want to modernize order processing. Rather than deal with paper or force customers to EDI, this ebook highlights the benefits of using one platform to automate order processing in ERP, while allowing customers to send orders as they please. For more and more companies, it s the perfect solution to the great order processing predicament. About the Author Steve Smith U.S. Chief Operating Officer Esker As U.S. Chief Operating Officer at Esker, Steve Smith is responsible for all operations in North and Central America. Steve joined Esker in 2003 after 17 years at Equitrac Corporation as the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and two years in sales at Pitney Bowes. Steve earned his bachelor s degree in Marketing and Finance from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater.

4 The Great ERP Order Processing Predicament 4 FAX & ORDERS: WHERE IT ALL GOES WRONG Regardless of an organization s size, there are always customers who are unable or unwilling to adopt electronic processing. As a result, sales orders typically arrive in one of three ways: Fax Usually, fax orders require a separate processing environment to capture and distribute them among Customer Service Reps (CSRs) who then have to enter the information into ERP. Many companies send POs to suppliers by . While this eliminates paper on the customer side, CSRs have to print the , walk back to their desks and key it in just as with a fax order. EDI Incorrect item details in the EDI file can lead to an array of complex steps before the order is entered into ERP. It s not uncommon for touchless EDI orders to be as low as 65 percent. OUCH! How fax and orders hit your company where it hurts: Lengthened order-to-cash cycle Fax Fax Machines Customer Service Increased order processing cost Added IT complexity Difficulty prioritizing orders Reduced visibility & control Poor responsiveness to customers CUSTOMERS YOUR COMPANY CSRs ERP? POs EDI Manager

5 The Great ERP Order Processing Predicament 5 TURNING TO AUTOMATION FOR HELP The ideal automation solution is one that turns every order electronic and still allows customers to send orders in any format, providing your company the best of both worlds: Improved User Experience Esker captures all the necessary data, automatically routes it to the appropriate CSR, and gives full visibility into the process before orders are entered into ERP. Information such as value of orders waiting to be processed and products/customers the orders are for is instantly accessible. Enhanced Customer Satisfaction Esker lets you treat every order as an electronic transaction, allowing customers to continue sending orders via fax, , EDI or XML. Companies also have the option to send out auto-confirmations to customers when an order is received improving communication and customer confidence. Customer Service Electronic archive Fax CUSTOMERS YOUR COMPANY ERP EDI Manager CSRs

6 The Great ERP Order Processing Predicament 6 HOW AN AUTOMATED ORDER PROCESSING PLATFORM WORKS Esker provides all of the necessary functions and technologies for completely electronic order processing all via one universal and source-independent automation platform. Efficiency at Every Step Received orders are automatically captured by Esker (regardless of format) and instantly dispatched to the right CSR. They are then validated and archived, either with Esker or in an existing archive, and linked into ERP. The entire process is completed without any manual data entry and offers full visibility throughout. Unique Functionalities Built on patented rule-based technology, the Esker Dynamic Data Capture module uses OCR and ICR functionalities to read information in image files and extract it from anywhere on a document. Users can teach the system to recognize different formats to continually improve its intelligence over time. Levels of Automation Esker offers three levels of automated fax and order processing, ranging from a basic quit paper solution to full-blown data extraction to intelligent OCR that determines if the captured information is correct inside ERP. In the Cloud or On-Premises Easily deploy automation any way you choose on-premises via Esker DeliveryWare or in the cloud via Esker on Demand with minimal interfacing and support.

7 The Great ERP Order Processing Predicament 7 Esker minimizes the number of manual touch points without disrupting your current business operations, simplifying IT infrastructure and streamlining communication. Capture Read Route Format Transport 2 DELIVERYWARE RULES ENGINE 1 DOCUMENT CAPTURE DOCUMENT TRANSPORT 3 Scan Print Faxes Sales Orders Confirmations Proposals Contracts Accounts Receivable Purchase Requisitions Invoices Invoices Purchase Orders Confirmations Letters Quotes Reports Fax & Mail On Demand Print Fax XML Archive E-documents (XML,IDoc,...) ERP SMS Web Publishing Sales Order Image ABC 253,9 % 19,6 % Smith Extrated Data Universal Application Connectors Electronic Archive Customer Service

8 [+10] The Great ERP Order Processing Predicament 8 BENEFITS OF PAPERLESS ORDER PROCESSING Customer Service Process Transparency Process Consistency 99.5% Accuracy Process Efficiency No Pain, All Gain: Process increasing order volumes without increasing your headcount Reduce fax order processing time up to 90% Eliminate manual data entry, allowing your staff to devote more time to Customer Service activities Bring visibility, control and instant accessibility to every order processed Handle multiple orders within a single fax Prioritize orders to get them to the right people automatically Replace multiple point-to-point systems with a single platform Join the Conversation

9 The Great ERP Order Processing Predicament 9 CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY: HEALTH COMPANY Key Requirements This $10 billion global healthcare products company creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes. With more than 40,000 employees worldwide, the company s products are sold in over 100 countries. Convert fax orders into EDI for ERP integration Replace existing template-based solution with SaaS solution Prioritize and route orders to specific agents Process multiple orders on one fax Achieve visibility to identify specific faxes for order changes What Esker Delivered 100% throughput with no templates needed 100% visibility of received and processed orders A single process for handling fax orders More powerful technology at a lower cost Ability to recognize and prioritize special orders The Results 50% higher (and rising) touchless processing rate 40% increase (to 100%) in electronic order throughput Nearly 60% reduction of labor overhead in order entry Over 40% reduction of monthly order processing cost Green savings after the first six months trees - 2,306 kilowatts of electricity - 3,975 gallons of water - 3,201 lbs. of CO2

10 The Great ERP Order Processing Predicament 10 Conclusion Fax and orders play a common and, ultimately, confounding role in order processing. Instead of accepting this reality, Esker recommends an automation solution that treats every order as electronic and combines the necessary automation functions in one platform. It s a proven and cost-effective way to modernize order management, improve customer service and gain a clear competitive advantage. U.S. Headquarters: Madison, Wisconsin World Headquarters: Lyon, France About Esker Esker is an industry leader in document process automation solutions, helping organizations around the world Quit Paper and improve how their business information is processed and exchanged within Order Processing, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, E-Purchasing and more. Learn More Follow Esker on Twitter at twitter.com/eskerinc and join the conversation on the Esker blog at You can also check us out at

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