Customer satisfaction is not something that can be provided in isolation. Every aspect of the company needs to work together with the goal of customer satisfaction, otherwise an inconsistent level of customer service will result from different interactions with the customer.
The market has realised that the easiest way for organisations to be consistent, competitive, flexible and responsive, is to understand and improve the structure and execution of their business processes. And that deploying an independent process layer is of great importance in achieving this.
Business process management (BPM) is key to creating an independent layer within workflow solutions, helping companies realise their goal of providing an integration-based process layer. This provides organisational flexibility to meet the demands of customers through improved service levels, access to information and processes that improve performance and efficiency.
The so-called "Intelligent Business" model, as proposed by Intelligent eBusiness magazine, provides a workable method for achieving this.
The Intelligent Business model suggests that an integrated, process-based architecture, which allows a business to be proactive as well as reactive, should be implemented prior to investing in any other technology designed to improve the way a business operates. This thinking seems accurate, when looking at the well-documented problems associated with technologies such as customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise application integration and enterprise resource planning (ERP), which all seem to suffer from the same issue of isolation from the rest of the business.
The model works because it is based on business processes. Business processes underpin all business transactions and are the smallest common denominator - in plain terms, they "are the way things get done". They touch everything in an organisation, from the customer to the back-office, through the supply chain and finally to the financial transactions involved.
Business software has long been used to support key business processes, and there is nothing new in this notion.
What has changed is the realisation that controlling, tracking and improving processes are key to improving efficiency, productivity, cost containment and, most importantly, providing consistent customer service (and hence predictable customer satisfaction). And deploying process-based software is essential to achieving this.
Additionally, plug CRM, ERP, information portals, supply chains, call centres, data warehouses, document imaging or content management, balanced scorecards, or any other technology you care to name into the model and they become part of an integrated whole, achieving a framework that allows organisations to become as flexible as they were when they were started by their founder.
Business processes underpin all business transactions and are the smallest common denominator.
Mark Ehmke, MD, Staffware SA
This is what is known as BPM and is being seen by analysts such as Doculabs, Gartner, Delphi, Meta Group and Hurwitz Group as the saviour of the IT department. It is the way for the IT department to finally deliver on its promises of flexible business solutions that fit the company culture and offer customer service, while still maintaining an integrated architecture that will fit future company requirements.
It is important to consider that the introduction of BPM into any organisation represents the undertaking of a mutually long-term relationship between vendor and client. And, as with any other relationship, if the ground rules are not established carefully, strategically, and with the appropriate amount of thought and preparation, there is every chance that problems will develop down the line.
Translated into BPM terms, this basically would mean a poorly managed BPM implementation.
If all the steps in the BPM implementation process are adhered to, businesses very quickly see why BPM has earned the reputation of being the single most successful factor in giving organisations the ability to extract business logic from their applications, and map this to everyday organisational processes and integration points.
To do this correctly, one should not allow peripheral issues such as unrealistic expectations, corporate or vendor politics to mar the huge potential benefits that BPM can bring to the business.
To summarise: BPM is increasingly becoming a necessity for the enterprise as it impacts positively on a number of key enterprise objectives. However, to ensure a smooth implementation, good planning and well-defined processes are essential.
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