- Identifying and taming unruly processes with 'Intelligent Workplace' Services and 'Workflow Apps'
By Mark Boyt,
Global Head of Solutions Marketing, Xerox Corporation
The era of intelligent work demands we all do more, collaborate more and achieve more — whilst working quicker, smarter and faster.
No matter what industry you’re in or what size your company is, your productivity and ability to remain efficient and competitive depends on how much control you have over your processes.
But the truth is, most business processes are broken, slow and unruly.
Not surprisingly, I’m often asked to name the five critical workflow apps all businesses need to streamline and save time and money.
Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer. A one-size-fits-all solution doesn’t exist. Every business is different.
What’s key is understanding your untamed processes that are critical to your business and how to make them work in your favor.
- Pinpointing the Problem
Together, if we can identify the bottlenecks that are slowing you down, you will be on your way to making major performance and productivity improvements and reaching your goals.
Often, the source of process pain is paper. Transforming manual, paper-driven business processes into digital or automated ones can have a positive impact in many ways.
Following are a few examples of how we’re partnering with customers to thoroughly map out all the workflow steps in their untamed processes using our own powerful Workflow Mapping Tool and reshape them into more streamlined ones with the right workflow apps.
- 1. Eliminating the Pain of Invoicing
For Nordic company Xllnc Nordic NB, invoicing was a time-consuming and manual process that that had employees scanning invoice after invoice for hours on end.
With Xerox® ConnectKey® Invoice Automation, employees now batch scan a group of invoices, be it one or 100, with one touch. Key data is extracted and automatically transferred into the ERP system.
“The entire invoicing process has decreased from 40 hours a month to 10,” says Urban Odelind, Xllnc Nordic NB, CFO. “We’re saving a lot of time, and of course money. And we can focus on our core business.”
- 2. Automating Distribution Logistics
Morrell Group, a world-class provider of industrial automation, had a manual ordering process that was time-consuming, error-prone and costly.
“Employees in the warehouse relied on multi-colored, printed pieces of paper with handwritten notes to pick and scan items and follow them out the door,” says Dave Hajciar, Operations Manager.
Now they use a tablet with an app connected to a Xerox® AltaLink® Printer for automated picking and packing — leaving no room for error and opening the door to up to 25% savings.
- 3. Accelerating the Registered Mail Process
In Italy, business relies heavily on registered mail through the Italian post office.
“That required pulling people out of the office and caused delays and frustration,” says Guiseppe Maselli, Head of VAS Solutions at AGS, an Italian technology company.
We helped them create a web platform that lets them send registered mail electronically and speeds up the process.
Documents are scanned at the printer then emailed to a printing and enveloping station operated by Poste Italiane, where they are shipped the traditional way.
This synergy between IT, implementation and AI means no more traveling, no missed deliveries or time delays, and no extra costs.
- 4. Making Translations Easy — All Day, Every Day
Austin Frasier is a global Specialty Recruitment Agency headquartered in the UK with offices in Germany and the USA. Negotiating terms of business with their clients meant dealing with companies from multiple countries and varying types of documents.
“It was a lot of printing, reviewing, editing, scanning, then sending back to the client,” says IT Manager, Mitchell Bailey. “With the Xerox® Easy Translator app, everything is done at the printer.
Employees simply select the app, choose the input and output language, then choose whether to print or send via email. In terms of productivity, it’s been a huge time-saver — what used to take 4 or 5 days can now be done in minutes, and at any time of day.
- What Business Processes Do You Need to Streamline?
