Current economic conditions are putting a strain on companies both locally and abroad. Not only are decision-makers forced to come up with more innovative ways of doing business, but they also need to do so while keeping costs to a minimum. So where does selecting IT solutions fit in this challenging market landscape?
Says Manoj Bhoola, business leader for B2B at Samsung Electronics South Africa: “One only needs to look at document management to see the potential benefit in selecting correct IT products and solutions. We have all heard of the paperless office but the reality is that just taking a look at your desk will disprove this theory.
“Everybody from insurance companies and medical aids to banks and investors are relying heavily on paper for portfolios, claims, and other important documentation.”
Document management
Digitising documents can transform complicated paper-based or long lead time processes to reduce time to market for products and improve customer service. Digital documentation can lead to increased productivity, faster and more professional production of product information, the ability to present multi-product applications, and to streamline underwriting and claims processing.
To improve the customer experience, agents and other customer service staff should be able to gain instant access to all documents necessary for their work.
Documentation management should ensure document security, including digital signatures and strong encryption to safeguard customer privacy as documents move from one division to the next for approvals.
Because channel participants do not have uniform communications, information need to be secured in different formats for effective collaboration. Furthermore, the system should consolidate all relevant documents and make them accessible to everyone through indexing for ease of retrieval.
Adds Bhoola: “Because companies in the financial and insurance sector companies insurance companies deal with large amounts of paperwork, reducing costs associated with the production and maintenance of documentation is imperative.
“The right equipment and solid and manageable system architecture would reduce total cost of ownership, and low initial capital costs and low maintenance costs lead to increased savings.”
Integrated offering
A technology solutions provider that offers an integrated solution that aligns IT investments with the ability to deliver improved customer satisfaction by providing faster response times can make the difference between improving the bottom-line or struggling for survival.
Combining rapid responsiveness with improved back-office workflows means employees are able to concentrate on providing high quality service to customers, rather than fixing or maintaining printers. IT staff will benefit from a highly compatible and simple-to-install solution that provides sophisticated, but easy-to-use organisation-wide document management.
Digital document management saves money in the form of labour and other costs associated with paper-based document management, including mailing, handling, photocopying and filing. A solutions provider needs to be selected that helps organisations optimise printing environments in the most cost-effective manner by enhancing print cost accountability and monitoring usage.
“Utilising the experience of a trusted provider can not only reduce the total cost of ownership and printing costs, but economical hardware and high-yield supplies will also drive cost benefits across the organisation,” concludes Bhoola.