A Guide to Scalable, Flexible & Reliable Document Process ......§ “B2B customers have different expectations than B2C customers.” § “We don’t want to lose the personal touch

A Guide to Scalable, Flexible & Reliable Document Process Automation

Esker on DemandWHITE PAPER

STREAMLINING END-TO-END O2C PROCESSES FOR MID MARKETS

www.esker.com

ORDER-TO-CASH

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction .............................................................................. 3

The Challenges of Manually Processing O2C Documents ............................................................................... 4

Esker’s O2C Solution for Mid-Market Businesses ............ 7

Order Processing Automation .............................................. 8

Order Processing: What Are the Key Benefits? ................. 9

Accounts Receivable Automation ......................................11

Accounts Receivable: What Are the Key Benefits? .........13

Order-to-Cash Success Story: Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. .......................................................15

Creating a Successful Implementation ............................16

About Esker ............................................................................17

Streamlining End-to-End O2C Processes for Mid Markets | 3

INTRODUCTION

As long as document processes in the order-to-cash (O2C) cycle remain manual, organizations will continue facing barriers in their business improvement efforts. Automation solutions are emerging as a promising alternative — and they’re not just for the enterprise-level company.

As mid-market organizations are looking to scale growth without adding headcount, new-age automation technologies are proving to be scalable enough to work with companies of any

size, growing and evolving with the business.

When mid-market businesses examine ways to gain a competitive edge, document processes within the O2C cycle emerge as key enablers of best practices for performance improvement. Reducing the time it takes to turn an order into money in the bank offers a number of strategic benefits to a business.

Strengthening customer relationships is among these key benefits. With manual processing, customer service suffers from the large amount of time spent chasing paper and dealing with backlogs. Human error is also a concern, as manual processing results in incorrect order entry, returns and billing disputes. Orders and billing documents can easily get “lost in the system.” And, as the volume of customer orders increases, the level of staff must increase.

How Automation Can Help

Converting to an automated document processing system is a proven and effective way to maximize cost savings and processing efficiencies throughout the O2C cycle. Along with reducing operational costs, freeing up staff members for more valuable tasks and improving accuracy, automation of O2C document processes gives businesses more control and insight into what is happening on a daily basis. What used to be a tool reserved for enterprise-level companies, is now available in the cloud and highly scalable and affordable.

Purpose of this White Paper

As a resource to help businesses be proactive about finding a solution that’s efficient and scalable, this white paper is designed to assist Customer Service Managers, Finance professionals, Executive Managers, Business Analysts and IT professionals in the mid-market that can no longer afford to do nothing about their growing manual processes and the challenges that they create.

WHAT IS THE O2C CYCLE?

DocumentDelivery

Order Processing

Accounts Receivable& Collections Management

Your companyYour customers

Payment

Order-to-cash, or O2C, is a generic term used to describe all the stages of business involved from the time a customer sales order is received to

the time an accounts receivable (AR) invoice is collected.

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THE CHALLENGES OF MANUALLY PROCESSING O2C DOCUMENTS

Using manual methods to orchestrate O2C operations creates heavy administrative burdens along with the potential for significant costs and inefficiencies that can directly affect the bottom line. In the following pages, we explore the common challenges associated with

traditional order processing, customer billing, and collections follow-up — a strong reminder that leaders need to make a shift from working in their company to working on their company.

Manual Order Processing

Processing an order the traditional way can take hours of preparation, data entry and document storage. Doing this likely wasn’t a big deal when your company was around $30M in annual revenue, but as your company grows and evolves, so do your business process needs. One wrong keystroke during data entry (e.g., inputting “100 units” instead of “10 units,”) could become a nightmare for you and your customer. All activities down the line, including invoicing, will be impacted.

When businesses receive customer purchase orders (POs), the process used to create sales orders in the ERP/business application and handle workflow can determine how much efficiency is achieved. Once data is entered into the system, there are issues of how to handle exceptions and track order statuses. When customers call to check on their orders, it requires tracking down whether the order is still in an email inbox, with the rep or already entered into the system.

How manual order processing affects business efficiency: § Delayed cash collection § More expensive execution § Slower fulfillment times § Higher vulnerability to errors § Lower customer satisfaction

A maze of manual touch pointsIn many businesses, multiple manual touch points are required for order preparation, data entry and archiving. Most traditional systems work like this: Upon the arrival of a sales order, staff collects them from an email inbox, fax or printer, often makes paper copies, and stores them along with associated documents for later retrieval. Manual data entry is required for sold-to number, quantities, part numbers and other key fields.

Sales representatives and administrators can only hope that none of these manual touch points causes misplaced orders, delays in fulfillment and payment, or errors and returns of incorrect shipments that end up in the customer’s hands.

CSRs

CustomerService

POs

Manager

Fax

EDI

EmailERP

Fax

Your customersYour company

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Prioritizing orders Many businesses process orders on a first-in/first-out basis, which fails to account for certain customers and products may take priority over others. For example, orders might sit in an email inbox until they are disseminated by an administrator.

Archiving Businesses also spend a significant amount of time retrieving orders and order data for internal or external audits, and, to satisfy the requirements of regulatory frameworks such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Orders may arrive via fax with the risk of getting lost at the fax or printer and thereby delayed.

Conventional Invoice Delivery

As illustrated by the following diagram, conventional delivery of AR invoices involves numerous steps that consume a significant amount of time and resources, both human and material. Like order processing, manual touch points at nearly every step of the process represent costly inefficiencies.

Research by IT analysts over the years has consistently found that the average U.S. company can save a significant amount of money annually by sending invoices electronically. For example, according to results from a recent Sterling Commerce study commissioned by Forrester Consulting, AR invoices processed manually cost companies, on average, $4 per invoice.1

Beyond cost reduction, businesses want to increase billing process efficiency, boost customer satisfaction and improve their cash collection process. The percentage of electronically delivered B2B invoices is rapidly increasing as businesses seek additional Return on Investment (ROI) from ERP/business applications.

The e-invoicing deadlock Virtually all businesses would benefit from moving to electronic delivery of customer invoices and supporting documents, as it’s faster, less expensive, more reliable, and takes paper out of the process. Increasing the speed and accuracy of billing through document automation also allows organizations to collect cash faster because billing documents are delivered sooner.

However, despite the need for e-invoicing and availability of mature technology, a key obstacle stands between many businesses and e-invoicing: customers. While some customers understand the benefits of e-invoicing for them (e.g., moving money faster, reducing AP overhead, eliminating manual handling of supplier invoices, more effective compliance with regulations during the event of a tax audit, etc.), some are simply not ready to handle e-invoices.

To satisfy their preferences, businesses spend large amounts of time and money maintaining internal mailrooms or working with external mail houses. Employees and departments continue to manually print and manage paper documents for mailing. Cash is tied up in equipment, supplies, maintenance and labor to support mail operations.

Proof of Delivery and other billing documents Sending AR invoices actually represents only a small percentage of the tasks involved in billing and cash collection. What often hinders the process most is the inability to assemble and send packages of billing documents in a timely way to support the invoice. This is significant because, frequently, customers will withhold payment of invoices until they receive certain documentation that provides Proof of Delivery (POD).

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Manual billing processes pose a variety of challenges for today’s businesses. Among the biggest obstacles include:

P High operating costs P High dispute resolution costsP Delayed paymentsP Increased risk of human error

Collect supportingdocuments

Invoiceprinting StampingCopy for

archivingFolding and

insertingPost office

deliveryDistribution

HANDLING TIME 4 MINUTES TRANSIT TIME 2 DAYS COST OF SENDINGAN INVOICE $5.00

CHALLENGES OF MANUAL BILLING


The range of documents generated throughout a business transaction, establishing the fact that a recipient received a shipment sent by another party typically includes not only delivery receipts but also quotes or effectiveness of a service, POs, pick lists, packing slips, external shipping manifests, customs forms, tax documents and more.

Traditional Collections Management

As one of the largest assets on the balance sheet and dealing directly with customers, AR is a process that’s of critical importance to an organization.

Yet, according to a study by AIIM, 50 percent of all business still use manual processes, such as Excel spreadsheets and sticky notes to manage their receivables.2 This is at a time when the use of electronic applications are prevalent in other departments. For example, 83 percent of sales teams use CRM solutions to manage their workflow.3

The big question is, why does AR continue to remain an understaffed department that relies on inefficient and unaccountable processes?

Excuses for Maintaining the Status Quo

When building a business case for AR automation, fear of automation is not the only obstacle you will encounter. Below are common excuses key stakeholders often give as to why remaining manual makes sense:

§ “This is how we’ve always done things.”

§ “We don’t have the IT resources to automate our process.”

§ “Implementation would take too long.”

§ “The alternative is too expensive.”

§ “B2B customers have different expectations than B2C customers.”

§ “We don’t want to lose the personal touch of our customer service.”

1 The Business Value of e-Invoicing: A New Look at the Challenges, Trends and Opportunities in the Global Marketplace. (2010). Sterling Commerce. PDF file.

2 Automating AP/AR Financial Processes — User Feedback on the Real ROI. (2014). AIIM. PDF file.

3 The Adoption Rate Challenge. (2014, March 1). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/Columns-Departments/Reality-Check/The-Adoption-Rate-Challenge-94828.asp

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ESKER’S O2C SOLUTION FOR MID-MARKET BUSINESSES

The bottom line is, mid-market businesses can no longer afford to operate like small companies. For those seeking to improve O2C performance, Esker offers integrated

solutions for automated order processing and AR invoicing, complete with a full range of inbound data capture and outbound document transport capabilities. By effectively reducing

the time between receiving an order and collecting the payment, Esker helps businesses achieve additional ROI in their current infrastructure investment.

End-to-End Automation Capabilities

Esker’s comprehensive platform streamlines document processes from start to finish by eliminating inefficient steps and making communication more efficient, personalized and cost-effective — regardless of the information source or type of delivery transport. Integrating with any ERP/business application, Esker minimizes the time-consuming touch points without disrupting current business operations.

Managing all inbound and outbound document processes through this central platform simplifies the IT infrastructure, reduces the time and costs, and streamlines the O2C cycle. Best of all, you’re able to standardize the parts of the process that should be standardized, without losing the unique “entrepreneurial vibe” of your company.

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Capture Read Route Format Transport

Universal Application Connectors

Scan Email

Print Faxes

Fax

Archive

Fax & MailOn Demand

Email

SMS

WebPublishing

31 DOCUMENT CAPTURE DOCUMENT TRANSPORT

CustomerService

ElectronicArchive

ExtratedData

ABC253,9 %19,6 %Smith

Sales OrderImage

ERP

Invoices

Purchase Orders

Confirmations

Letters

Quotes

Reports

2 BUSINESS RULES ENGINE

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

XML

Sales Orders

Confirmations

Proposals

Contracts

Accounts Receivable

Purchase Requisitions

Invoices

Esker automatically captures orders and other inbound documents in any format without the need for custom programming.

Patented Esker technology automatically recognizes and extracts data to determine formatting, conversion, and routing conditions and actions as defined by processing rules.

Esker distributes documents automatically, based on specific requirements. They can be delivered to multiple recipients in a full range of formats and media.

1 2 3


ORDER PROCESSING AUTOMATION

Incoming order documents are the catalysts that launch the O2C cycle. Automation minimizes the amount of manual labor and keystrokes required to complete the process.

These capabilities can yield millions of dollars in savings by reducing the number of touch points at each step of the process, providing the ability to identify and resolve bottlenecks,

and improving the customer experience via improved speed and responsiveness.

A Path to Better Order Management

To optimize inbound order processing, these three essential areas must be automated:

§ Inbound document capture to eliminate manual data entry and handling of paper § Workflow to coordinate approval and other activities throughout the order lifecycle § Access to documents and reportable information throughout the process

Key financial management benefits of automating all of these areas include real-time cost control, budget control, sales monitoring and forecasting. This level of automation also enables businesses to:

§ Increase speed and responsiveness — make the entire process quick and efficient § Reduce operational costs — remove manual tasks by adding business rules to

corporate forms § Reduce per-transaction costs — streamline throughout and save money while

improving service § Gain a clear view into the process — use and share the information for more

effective management

§ Realize rapid ROI — reduced costs and improving controls boosts the bottom line

§ Maintain high-quality presentation — apply consistent rules to all your online and offline processes

§ Repurpose staff members — address more value-added tasks vs. data entry

§ Effectively manage issues -- identify and resolve customer issues quickly to maximize global customer satisfaction

Esker’s Order Processing Automation Solution

Esker’s solution automates every phase of order processing in the ERP application or other business system. Using advanced automation functionalities and no predefined templates, each order is 100% electronic and fully visible throughout its lifecycle. This allows businesses to see when a particular order comes in, where it is in the system, who has it and what the next steps are. Here is how Esker’s Order Processing solution works:

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RECEIVE & SCAN EXTRACT VERIFY & MANAGE ARCHIVE ANALYTICS & AUDIT TRAIL

CUSTOMERPORTAL


ORDER PROCESSING: WHAT ARE THE KEY BENEFITS?

By eliminating the manual aspects of order processing, Esker allows mid-market businesses to achieve the benefits throughout every phase of order management.

Workforce Flexibility & Scalability

Along with capabilities to process orders faster and smarter, today’s businesses are looking to create a more flexible and scalable workforce to respond to changing business trends. Many need to be able to redistribute order processing operations on a global basis, find new ways to make the most effective use of resources during seasonal peaks, and avoid customer delays during out of office time.

Esker’s modernized technology enables businesses to accomplish these tasks with ease through a worldwide network of on-demand facilities (to shift processing to another site if a disaster occurs), advanced reporting capabilities (to track order volumes and move staff to different product lines), and automatic routing (to avoid customer delays when a rep is sick or on vacation).

Handle Customer Issues Intelligently

Another predicament today’s businesses find themselves in is how to process and monitor customer claims with greater ease, efficiency and effectiveness with the end goal being to response time and maximize customer satisfaction.

Esker offers a truly automated and streamlined tool to optimize the issue management process on a global scale. With Esker, CSRs are able to log, track and manage all claims from the same interface used to process their customer orders, improving customer service, boosting satisfaction rates, and providing CSRs with a greater sense of achievement and job satisfaction — a win-win situation for both suppliers and customers.

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§ Cut order processing costs in half § Process orders up to 80% faster § Increase percentage of orders and order line

items captured electronically § Prevent lost or misplaced orders by keeping

them electronic § Free-up staff time by as much as 65% § Increase data entry accuracy by up to 99% § Reduce returns and waste § Avoid adding staff as order volume grows § Analyze customer complaints and determine

the source of potential weaknesses in order processing

These figures are approximate and based on Esker customer results.

IMPACT ON BUSINESS PERFORMANCE:

§ Ability to leverage existing systems § Achieve 100% visibility of all orders § Simplification of the IT infrastructure § Order monitoring and prioritization § Order traceability and automated routing § Process data for customer profitability and

employee performance analysis § Less redundant processing of duplicate orders § Electronic capture of approvals § Auditing of delivery or billing block processing § Issue creation, follow-up and resolution within the

same interface § Easy access to all orders, claims, and order/

delivery notes § Greater sense of achievement and job satisfaction

keeps CSR teams motivated and productive

IMPACT ON MANAGERS & SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS:

Issue Management


Making the Most of EDI

Many businesses have an electronic data interchange (EDI) system to automate the capture of incoming orders. But in the typical scenario, businesses use EDI only for their largest customers and often through custom-configured channels of data exchange set up for each customer which adds unnecessary complexity and inefficiency to the process — costly and time-consuming process, especially for a mid-market company.

Esker helps businesses fill the EDI automation gap and increase the percentage of orders processed via EDI without altering their existing business procedures or IT infrastructures. With Esker, a business is able to treat all of its customers, large and small, as EDI-enabled — even if they are not. And for non-EDI transactions, Esker can feed order information directly into ERP/business applications via Business Application Programming Interface (BAPI) mechanisms.

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Archive

Fax

Scan

Email

EDI

ORDER

Receive

Extract

Verify

Manage

ESKER ON DEMAND ERP

Dashboard & Audit Trail

ANALYTICS

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AUTOMATION

Automated AR invoicing solutions optimize the delivery of invoices and associated documents directly from ERP applications. For the sender, this means every customer invoice can be sent,

archived and tracked electronically. On the other end, invoices arrive by mail as they always have (paper in envelopes) electronically, or via portal according to customer preferences,

allowing businesses to immediately gain the efficiencies and savings of e-invoicing without negatively impacting customer satisfaction.

Automation: More Than Invoices

Ideally, e-invoicing is part of a comprehensive platform for automated billing, document processing, customer payment and communications. By automating billing and collections instead of relying on manual methods, businesses reduce costs, increase speed and improve the quality of information exchange with customers as part of the O2C cycle. These outcomes result in greater efficiency in billing and collections, ultimately contributing to overall profitability and return on IT investments.

Automation enables users to match up POD and other documents with corresponding orders and invoices at any point in the billing process. POD documents can be sorted, archived, sent and tracked electronically. Businesses can also store billing documents and data from a full range of sources and in a variety of formats, and automatically send billing document packages via a range of media according to specific customer preferences — including postal mail, email or other electronic channels, or a combination of these.

AR Automation with Esker & TermSync

Esker’s AR capabilities go beyond invoice delivery thanks to its recent acquisition of TermSync. The comprehensive solution offered by TermSync combines all the necessary tools to consolidate AR processes from start to finish using one full-featured automation platform.

Through a modern, user-friendly interface, both vendors and their customers benefit from full process control and visibility. Vendors can manage their entire AR workflow (much like a sales team uses CRM technology), while their customers are given access to a self-service web portal where they can make payments, pose questions, apply credits and more.

Pick-and-choose componentsOne of the biggest advantages of TermSync’s AR offering is that it’s not an all-or-none proposition. The solution’s primary tools (listed below) address the most important four components of AR, but companies can pick and choose which tools they utilize based on their business needs. The result is a truly customized AR experience.


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INVOICE DELIVERY

An on-demand service to automate the sending and archiving of invoices based on customer preferences that includes access to a

worldwide network of mail production facilities

INVOICE ASSIST

An online platform used by over 350,000 businesses worldwide

to manage AR payments

AR BOOST

An innovative, CRM-like tool that transforms

outdated manual collection tasks into a

highly efficient process

MANAGEMENT REPORTS

An advanced system of reporting tools used to set goals, measure

results and benchmark performance


Payment convenienceEsker enables businesses to easily pay any open invoice online directly from a secure web portal using a credit card, ACH and more. Once paid, transaction payment details are available to you and can be updated in the ERP/business application.

Benefits of online payment capabilities:

§ Faster cash collection thanks to online options

§ Reduced collections overhead thanks to a self-service tool § Improved customer satisfaction by offering more payment options and greater access to invoices and

statements

§ Eliminated risk for a data breach by supporting PCI compliance

Easing the Transition to E-Invoicing

Customers can take a realistic, step-by-step approach that creates a continuum between legacy media and future e-invoicing mechanisms. This path from manual-to-automated-to-electronic invoicing follows your customer adoption curves so that you can start gaining efficiencies and reducing costs immediately. Esker and TermSync allows businesses to send electronic and paper invoices to small and large customers instantly, eliminating the time and expense of managing costly mailroom operations or other manual means of delivery.

Best Practices for Billing & Collections

No more sticky notes, one-off emails, calendar reminders or spreadsheets — Esker’s TermSync-powered AR solution allows businesses to bring their collections follow-up process into the 21st century. In addition to staying on top of post-sale collection interactions with customers, the solution also brings advanced analytics to the table, enabling AR departments to measure results, set goals and benchmark their progress. Teams are able to work smarter, faster and more strategic insights thanks to tools such as:

§ Payment reminder emails. Customize payment reminders to be automatically sent to customers based on the rules you select.

§ Task lists based on workflow rules. Enter your own workflow rules for how to follow up with past-due customers, helping your team prioritize which customers need to be contacted and ensuring that the policy is being followed.

§ Account lookups & call logging. Easily scan the call task list to view a complete snapshot of any customer account. After the customer is contacted, any notes and schedule follow-ups can be logged directly in the solution.

§ Root cause analysis & deductions. Identify, track and categorize common root causes for late-paying customers, deductions management or other areas. This allows you to improve processes and identify early warnings signs of potential problems.

§ Collections forecast. Predict your likelihood of getting paid before the end of the month on every outstanding invoice. In addition, set collection goals and track your progress.

§ Payment plans. Keep your company from losing out on business or appearing inflexible — any payment arrangement you can think up can be incorporated in the solution and presented in easy-to-understand terms.

§ Monthly KPI report. Obtain an overview of your team’s monthly performance compared to your average performance over the past six months to ensure your team is accountable and results are achievable.

§ Create your own customized reports. Create virtually any report you can dream up — simply select the criteria you’re looking for.

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ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: WHAT ARE THE KEY BENEFITS?

Esker and TermSync’s complete AR automation solution offers capabilities previously unavailable in the receivables market—a truly end-to-end AR experience for streamlining

virtually every aspect of invoice delivery, customer self-service and collections management.In many ways, the benefits speak for themselves.

A Clear Competitive Advantage

Business benefits: § Get paid faster

§ Improve customer relations

§ Enhance productivity

§ Reduce administrative costs

Popular Tools

Payment reminders and account statementsTermSync users can automate the parts of their process that should be automated by auto-sending customized payment reminders or account statements to your customers. In other words, you control:

§ Your branding § You control the timing, messaging, and content § You select which customers receive them

§ You can even have different rules for different customers or customer groups

Customer portalWhether they click through a payment reminder email or log in through your website, your customers can:

§ Make payments § Ask questions § View invoice information § Request supporting documents § Apply credits

Customized workflow toolsEasily create customized workflow tools allowing your team to work faster and smarter: § Automated to-do list based on the rules you set up § Log notes in a central location § Categorize and analyze reasons for late payments (root cause analysis) § Set up different rules for different customer groups, divisions, individual customers, or

virtually any other way you want to divide things up

Visibility and analyticsTermSync automatically analyzes all of your data points to help you improve your results to: § Review deeper metrics that ultimately improve DSO & customer relations § Hold your team accountable with customizable performance tracking for each team member or division

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Ease of implementation: § Works with any accounting system

§ Up and running quickly (days not weeks or months)

§ Completely customizable based on your process

§ Very little IT involvement required

CompanyX,

Thank you for doing business us at ABCcompany.The tables below summarize your open account with us.Please use the links provided if you’d like to perform an action such as schedule a payment, apply credits, or ask questions.

Payer Rating Excellent within 5 days of due date

Apr 20 2016 $459.00 $808.00 $0.00 $1,267.00 View Your Full Account Statement

As Of Past Due Due Within 7 Days Other Current Account Balance

Payment Reminder from ABCcompany: Week of Apr 20 2016 Inbox x

10:30 AM (30 minutes ago)ABCcompany <[email protected]>to me

COMPANYABC

Powered by TermSync

Customer responses needed

Collection calls needed

Root Cause: Reasons for lateness

Root Cause: Disputed

Set To Do List Preferences

To-Do List • overall

Manual tasks to be completed Done

Payments to be entered 5 View

11 View

2 View

19 View

163 View

Applied credits to be entered 11 View

To-DoList

Payment Reminders

Customer Portal


DSO Advantages

Conventional billing processes typically include processing and sending invoices at the end of a set time period. Whether it is weekly or monthly, invoices that are ready to go sit and wait until the set time arrives. However, the faster you get invoices into the hands of your customers, the sooner you can receive payment. With Esker and TermSync, invoices can be sent as they are prepared, and customers can start their internal payment process right away. This real-time invoicing can significantly reduce DSO.

Additional Cash

With Esker and TermSync’s Accounts Receivable automation solution, the average DSO can be reduced by up to seven days (amounting to an estimated $1.5 million in early payments for a business earning $100 million per year using conventional invoice processing). With an average ROI at 5%, the early cash collection could earn the business an additional $70,000 in the bank.

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REDU

CTIO

N IN

DSO

EARLY PAYMENTS

10 DAYS

8 DAYS

7 DAYS

6 DAYS

4 DAYS

2 DAYS

400,000

800,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

2,000,000

Company with Annual Revenue of

$100M


ORDER-TO-CASH SUCCESS STORY

Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. (TKI) accelerated its processing times of customer orders and invoices by 50% thanks to Esker’s order-to-cash (O2C) automation solutions.

Objectives

Accounts receivableTKI’s initial step toward O2C automation started with AR; specifically, reducing the amount of paper involved in invoice approval. TKI needed to maintain the interim pricing-check step for each invoice prior to delivery, and wanted to take the high cost and inefficiency out of the process. In its previous process, invoices followed a similar path:

§ Invoices were batch-printed daily to a physical printer. § Employees would check each document to validate and add it to the pile of other invoices to be approved. § Approved invoices would go to other employees to be collated, folded, stuffed, stamped and delivered by mail.

Order processingFollowing AR, TKI shifted its attention to order management. Processing 35,000 orders each year, TKI’s previous manual operation pulled CSRs away from customer service activities, and placed added pressure on the team (75% of TKI’s orders delivered in the first five months of the year). Consequently, TKI needed a solution that could:

§ Automate the order management process and reduce the time needed to enter an order into SAP § Increase customer response times § Repurpose existing employees to higher value needs/functions within the organization

The Solution

Having already been familiar with Esker, TKI selected Esker’s Accounts Receivable and Order Processing solutions to replace its manual processes. With AR automation, invoice jobs batch-print to Esker and are accumulated in a queue. Invoices that are correct are approved and then emailed, faxed or printed for physical mail delivery, depending on customer preferences. On the order management side, every order — from reception to its creation in the SAP system to electronic archiving — can be tracked and managed with full accuracy, visibility and efficiency.

Results

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The results have been fantastic — we’ve actually reduced our order processing time from three minutes down to one-and-a-half minutes by automating with Esker.

Dan McMenomy, Director of Business Systems

Processing an invoice used to take one to two minutes. Now it’s only taking 30 seconds. The CSR group loves this new tool. Our only regret is not implementing it sooner!

Dan McMenomy, Director of Business Systems

About Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc.

Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. (TKI) produces and markets specialty chemical solutions to diverse markets, operating 10 manufacturing plants throughout North America, in addition to an extensive terminal network. TKI is a subsidiary of Tessenderlo Group, a worldwide specialty company, that employs about 7,000 people.


CREATING A SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION

Inefficiency in the O2C cycle can cause businesses to miss valuable opportunities for improved profitability, and can keep them from emerging as market leaders. Achieving the best results

with document processing automation requires a careful assessment of the available solutions to find one that meets your requirements.

To succeed in your move from conventional O2C document processing to an automated solution:

1) Search for a solution that can be integrated quickly. Measuring the cost of deployment, integration and scalability to meet your and your vendors’ needs is crucial in choosing the correct solution. Look for one that can be implemented quickly and integrate within your existing ERP/business applications.

2) Choose a vendor with proven expertise. Successful implementation of an O2C document process automation solution must include both technology and knowledge. How long has the business been implementing these solutions and how many successful installations have they completed? Make sure they have a thorough understanding of the essential tasks involved.

3) Find a solution that creates added value. The solution must offer the ability to automate document processes in every phase of the O2C cycle. It should leverage your existing infrastructure, thereby increasing the return on your company’s infrastructure investment.

What to Look For

Specific capabilities of value to ERP/business application users in automating O2C document processes include:

§ Full data capture and document transport options § Automated order assembly and bundling of billing documents § Electronic exception-handling workflow § Reporting capabilities to monitor sales order processing and billing activities § Order entry and invoice delivery notification returned to the ERP/business application § Electronic indexing and archiving of original document images for easy search and retrieval § Link to archived documents available directly from the ERP/business application § Built-in document formatting functionality

Expert Consultancy & Project Methodology

Vendors who use the principles of agile development in their solution delivery methods create an environment for customers, business partners and their key stakeholders to be actively involved throughout and achieve maximum value in every phase of the project. Unlike traditional “waterfall” approaches, agile methodology enables decisions to be made with context, invests resources in the most value-added features, and allows solution features to be tested and used in a short amount of time.

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GO LIVE

Increment#1

User feedback+ features list #2Features list #1

Increment#2

User feedback+ features list #3

Increment#3

• Product Vision• Project Definition• Initial Release Plan• Contractual agreements

ProjectPresales


ABOUT ESKER

Esker is a worldwide leader in cloud-based document process automation software.Organizations of all sizes use its shared platform of solutions, offered on-demand or on-

premises, to automate accounts payable, order processing, accounts receivable, purchasing and more. Esker’s solutions are compatible with all geographic, regulatory and technology

business environments.

Global Expertise

Founded in 1985, Esker’s solutions are used by over 11,000 customers globally, from small to mid-sized businesses to large corporate entities. Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France, and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin.

Data Security & Integrity

Esker has earned SSAE 16 Type 1 and Type 2 compliance for its on-demand automation solutions (following an audit conducted by A-lign™ Security and Compliance Services). This means Esker’s processes, procedures and controls have been formally reviewed and are documented in accordance with the rules of internal control outlined in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act legislation.

Esker Customers Who Automated the O2C Cycle

Esker on Demand

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