Why Automating Fax, Email & EDI Orders Is Good for Business

ADDRESSING MANUAL ORDER MANAGEMENT IN AN SAP ENVIRONMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTSPurpose of This eBook ........................................................... 3

About the Author ..................................................................... 3

Traditional Order Processing: Where It All Goes Wrong ........................................................ 4

Turning to Automation for Help ............................................ 5

How Order Processing Automation Works ........................ 6

Value-Added Solution Features ............................................ 8

Benefits of Order Processing Automation.......................... 9

Customer Success Story: BASF .........................................10

Conclusion ..............................................................................11

About Esker ............................................................................11

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.

About the AuthorSteve Smith § U.S. Chief Operating Officer § Esker

Sales orders coming in via fax or email are a challenge for companies still using manual processing methods. Rather than deal with the high costs and inefficiencies, or force customers to EDI, this eBook highlights the benefits of order processing automation in an SAP environment. For more and more companies, it’s the perfect solution for bringing added value to every stage and stakeholder in the order management process.

Purpose of This eBook

Addressing Manual Order Management in an SAP Environment | 3

FaxTypically, 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 SAP® system.

EDIIncorrect item details in the EDI file can lead to an array of complex steps before the order is entered into your SAP system. It’s not uncommon for EDI orders with discrepancies to be as high as 35%.

EmailMany 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.

TRADITIONAL ORDER PROCESSING: WHERE IT ALL GOES WRONG

Addressing Manual Order Management in an SAP Environment | 4

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:

CUSTOMERS YOUR COMPANY

CSRs

CustomerService

POs

Manager

?

Fax

EDI

Email

SAP®

FaxMachines

OUCH! Manual order processing hits you where it hurts:

§ Slower order-to-cash (O2C) cycle § Higher order processing costs § More errors due to manual tasks § Increased reliance on IT resources § Difficulty prioritizing orders and claims § Reduced visibility, control and reporting § Lackluster customer experience

Addressing Manual Order Management in an SAP Environment | 5

TURNING TO AUTOMATION FOR HELP

The ideal order processing automation solution is one that treats every order as an electronic transaction while allowing customers to send orders in any format — providing the best of both

worlds for everyone involved.

More Satisfied & Self-Sufficient CustomersOrder processing automation transforms the way customers do business with you. With your CSR team free to focus on activities beyond data entry, they are able to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Plus, not only is every order treated as an electronic transaction, allowing customers to continue sending orders via fax, email, EDI or XML, Esker also provides a customer portal that offers a range of self-service options that improves communication, collaboration and customer confidence.

More Engaged & Empowered CSR TeamYou have a skilled and intelligent CSR team — yet most of their time is spent on menial tasks such as sorting fax orders or manually entering order data. By eliminating these manual touch points and providing full visibility into every order, automation allows them to focus their time on more high-value activities (e.g., resolving customer claims, fostering customer relationships, etc.), as well as elevate their careers with newfound insight on the skills necessary to run an efficient O2C process.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS?§ Eliminate time spent making order inquiry calls

§ Convenient self-service access to e-ordering and order status information

§ Faster, more accurate supply chain processes

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?§ Save time and money previously allocated to

responding to order status calls

§ Improve customer retention and strengthening relationships

§ Accelerate sales cycle while lowering supply chain costs

Addressing Manual Order Management in an SAP Environment | 6

HOW ORDER PROCESSING AUTOMATION WORKS

Esker provides all of the necessary functions and technologies for fully automated order processing in a single solution that works with any SAP environment.

Efficiency at Every StepReceived orders are automatically captured by Esker (regardless of format or delivery channel) and instantly dispatched to the right CSR. They are then validated and archived in Esker’s solution and linked back into your SAP system. The entire process is completed without any manual data entry and offers full visibility and control throughout.

Levels of AutomationEsker 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 SAP system.

Unique FunctionalitiesBuilt 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-PremisesEasily deploy order

processing automation any way you choose — on-premises or in the cloud — with minimal upfront costs

and maximum flexibility.

Capture Read Route Format Transport

Universal Application Connectors

Scan Email

Print Faxes

E-documents(XML,IDoc, ...)

Print Fax

ArchiveXML

Fax & MailOn Demand

Email

SMS WebPublishing

31 DOCUMENT CAPTURE DOCUMENT TRANSPORT

CustomerService

ElectronicArchive

Sales OrdersConfirmationsProposalsContractsAccounts ReceivablePurchase RequisitionsInvoices

ExtratedData

ABC253,9 %19,6 %Smith

Sales OrderImage

SAP®

InvoicesPurchase OrdersConfirmationsLettersQuotesReports

2 BUSINESS RULES ENGINE

Addressing Manual Order Management in an SAP Environment | 7

Esker minimizes the number of manual touch points without disrupting your current business operations, simplifying IT infrastructure and streamlining communication.

Addressing Manual Order Management in an SAP Environment | 8

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 & AnalyticsEsker’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.

Customer Issue ManagementUsing the same interface as their customer orders, CSRs can create, manage and track customer issues electronically while maintaining full process visibility from order creation to product reception. With immediate access to documents, CSRs are able to quickly answer order status inquiries and maintain good relationships on the customer side, while also improving collaboration and job satisfaction on the company end.

EDI Exception HandlingWith Esker, you can put an end to the costly and time-consuming aspects of handling EDI orders with exceptions. 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 and the need to pay two teams to do one job.

Addressing Manual Order Management in an SAP Environment | 9

BENEFITS OF ORDER PROCESSING AUTOMATIONHighly efficient. Fully visible. Completely paper-free.

§ Faster processing: Process orders up to 80% faster by removing manual activities.

§ Reduced costs: Lower O2C processing costs up to 70% while reducing stored data costs via electronic archiving.

§ Preserve accuracy: Maintain a high level of data entry accuracy and prevent lost, duplicate or misplaced errors by keeping them electronic.

§ Full visibility and control: Bring visibility, control and instant accessibility to every order processed with customizable dashboards and metrics.

§ Higher productivity: Free up staff time by up to 65%, allowing them to focus on more value-added tasks such as customer service.

According to Esker research, automated order management can help organizations overcome obstacles of manual order

processing through: 80%FASTER

PROCESSING

100%VISIBILITY

Addressing Manual Order Management in an SAP Environment | 10

CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY: BASF

BASF is the world’s leading chemical

company, with more than 110,000

employees, six Verbund sites and

approximately 380 additional

production sites around the world.

Key Requirements§ Automated recognition of incoming faxes and email attachments§ Integration into existing middleware infrastructure§ Validation based on master data§ Interface based on XML-to-EDI data structures§ Integrated creation of customer orders in the SAP system

The Results§ Integrated automation of customer orders in three regions of global

enterprise§ Leveraged existing infrastructure to reach all - Using IDoc EDI - Hooking fax and email with backbone§ Enhanced e-commerce system makes every customer an e-customer

What Esker Does§ Automatically captures and verifies incoming order information§ Reconciles item numbers, quantities and price with information

stored in SAP§ Approval workflow before orders enter the SAP system§ Orders containing no excpetions pass through without any manual

intervention

Addressing Manual Order Management in an SAP Environment | 11

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Esker is a worldwide leader in cloud-based document process automation software. Organizations of all sizes use our solutions to automate order processing, accounts payable, purchasing, accounts receivable and other critical areas of business communication.

After 30+ years of field experience, we have helped over 11,000 companies around the world in their efforts to Quit Paper™ and improve operational efficiency. Our headquarters are in Lyon, France, but we’re located just about everywhere paper needs quitting.

About Esker

Fax, email and EDI 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 an electronic transaction 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.

Conclusion