eBook: Order Processing
THE GREAT ERP ORDER PROCESSING PREDICAMENT How Fax and Email Orders Hold Your Business Back — and Why Automation Is the Best Way Forward
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TABLE OF CONTENTS THE GREAT ERP ORDER PROCESSING PREDICAMENT
Purpose of This eBook...............................................................3
How Fax and Email Orders Hold Your Business Back — and Why Automation Is the Best Way Forward
Turning to Automation for Help.............................................5
About the Author.........................................................................3 Fax & Email Orders: Where It All Goes Wrong...................4 How an Automated Order Processing Platform Works.....6 Value-Added Solution Features............................................... 8 Benefits of Paperless Order Processing...............................9 Customer Success Story: Health Company........................10 Conclusion...........................................................................11 About Esker................................................................................11 Learn More.................................................................................11
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Purpose of This eBook Sales orders coming in via fax or email 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 an ERP environment, 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.
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FAX & EMAIL 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
Email
EDI
Typically, fax orders require a separate environment for capturing and distributing them among Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) who then have to enter the information into the ERP/business system.
Many companies send puchase orders (POs) to suppliers by email. While this eliminates paper on the customer side, CSRs still have to print the email, walk back to their desks and key it in just as with a fax order.
Incorrect item details in the EDI file can lead to an array of complex steps before the order is entered into your ERP/business system. It’s not uncommon for EDI orders with discrepancies to be as high as 35%.
OUCH! How fax and email orders hit your company where it hurts:
Fax
§ Lengthened order-to-cash cycle § Increased order processing cost § Added IT complexity § Difficulty prioritizing orders and claims
Customer Service
Fax Machines
ERP Email
CUSTOMERS
YOUR COMPANY
§ Reduced visibility, control and reporting CSRs
§ Poor responsiveness to customers EDI
?
POs
Manager
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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
Enhanced Customer Satisfaction
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 the ERP/business application. Information such as value of orders waiting to be processed and products/ customers the orders are for is instantly accessible.
Esker lets you treat every order as an electronic transaction, allowing customers to continue sending orders via fax, email, 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
Email
EDI
ERP CUSTOMERS
YOUR COMPANY
Manager
CSRs
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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 delivery channel) and instantly dispatched to the right CSR. They are then validated and archived in Esker’s solution and linked back into your ERP/business system. 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.
In the Cloud or
On-Premises Easily deploy order processing automation any way you choose — onpremises or in the cloud — with minimal upfront costs and maximum flexibility.
Levels of Automation Esker offers three levels of automated fax and email 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 the ERP system.
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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 BUSINESS RULES ENGINE 1 DOCUMENT CAPTURE
Scan
Print
Email
Faxes
3
Sales Orders Confirmations Proposals Contracts Accounts Receivable Purchase Requisitions Invoices
DOCUMENT TRANSPORT
Invoices Purchase Orders Confirmations Letters Quotes Reports
E-documents (XML,IDoc, ...)
ERP Sales Order Image
ABC 253,9 % 19,6 % Smith
Extrated Data
Universal Application Connectors
Electronic Archive
Fax & Mail On Demand
Email
Print
Fax
XML
Archive
SMS
Web Publishing
Customer Service
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VALUE-ADDED SOLUTION FEATURES The benefits of Esker’s solution go beyond efficiency in fax and email order processing to provide a truly streamlined user experience in virtually every aspect of order management. Dashboards & Analytics Esker’s Order Processing solution comes equipped with intelligent dashboards that enable users to facilitate daily tasks, monitor performances, and react quickly to prevent problems or spot opportunities early — making every action smarter and more strategic. Dashboards are also customizable so that users can choose what they want to display and to which user or profile.
Optimized EDI Orders With Esker, you can put an end to the costly and time-consuming aspects of processing EDI orders. Esker takes information captured from an EDI order and creates a human readable version which CSRs can complete or correct and start the workflow as usual — eliminating dependence on IT.
Customer Issue Management Using the same interface as their customer orders, CSRs can create, manage and track customer issues electronically while maintaining full visibility from order creation to product reception. With immediate access to any claim, CSRs are able to foster better customer relationships.
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cy cy en r sten pa nsi s o n sC 99.5% Accuracy es c o r Proces s
No Pain, All Gain: § Process increasing order volumes without increasing your headcount
P
Cus tom er
Se rv ice Pro ce ss Tr a
BENEFITS OF PAPERLESS ORDER PROCESSING
Effi cie y nc
§ Reduce fax order processing time up to 90% § Eliminate manual data entry, allowing your staff to devote more time to Customer Service activities
ON
§ 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
Co nv e rsa tio n
[+1 0
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CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY: HEALTH COMPANY Key Requirements § 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
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.
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 - 9.38 trees - 2,306 kilowatts of electricity - 3,975 gallons of water - 3,201 lbs. of CO2
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The Great ERP Order Processing Predicament | 11
Conclusion Fax and email 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.
About Esker U.S. Headquarters: Madison, Wisconsin
World Headquarters: Lyon, France
Esker is an industry leader in cloud-based document process automation software, helping organizations around the world Quit Paper™ and improve how their business information is processed and exchanged within order processing, accounts receivable, accounts payable, purchasing and more.
Learn More Follow Esker on Twitter at twitter.com/eskerinc and join the conversation at blog.esker.com. You can also check us out at www.esker.com. Share this eBook!
© 2015 Esker S.A. All rights reserved. Esker and the Esker logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Esker S.A. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
