AmVia, ULT and Gensec Properties: A case study on end-user satisfaction, client service excellence

AmVia, together with business partner ULT, has implemented a production fax solution for Gensec Properties` RightFax environment, enabling usage of automated fax processes through the company`s SAP accounting system.

Gensec Properties specialises in the management and administration of commercial properties, currently managing more than R12 billion worth of commercial property in the retail, office and light industrial spheres.

It has been a major ULT client since 1994, with ULT having implemented various business solutions for the group.

Gensec Properties is well known for its highly service-oriented business philosophy, both towards its external customers and internal clients.

So when its users, especially those in the accounting department using SAP, complained that the manual fax system was unproductive, the company enquired about implementing tools that would make the production and dispatch of fax documents simpler and faster.

Since an automated RightFax solution was already installed and used in the environment, the company needed only to connect its SAP accounting system to the existing fax system.

This production fax system would enable users in the accounting department to link into the back-end SAP engine and send out documentation from their desktops via the RightFax delivery system.

The solution would therefore introduce a more efficient way of faxing statements and invoices to customers - since the accounting system would be linked to the fax system, all customer details would be readily available online.

It would also enable employees to fax accounting documentation directly to suppliers instead of printing the document, handing it over to a fax operator to dispatch or faxing it themselves, making the process streamlined and faster for users.

Allowing technology to carry out certain mundane tasks in the organisation would enable staff to be more productive, while providing them with an efficient way to distribute paper-based documents.

An automated production fax system would also enable purchase order requests to be sent simultaneously to vendors and their own employees in charge of expenses at a remote property site.

ULT focuses on supplying solutions in the corporate marketplace, and as a systems integrator it is essentially involved in business process automation solutions.

Charles Heiman, director: ULT, comments: "ULT places a high premium on customer satisfaction and being able to implement solutions that offer substantial returns on investment.

"Gensec Properties` requirements again presented us with an ideal opportunity to prove our capabilities in this regard."

AmVia, Heiman explains, focuses on providing flexible access to and control of all message types from any communication device to SA`s top 100 corporates.

"In this regard AmVia also supplies peripheral equipment such as the SAP connector that would be used to integrate their RightFax server with its SAP environment."

Heiman says as one of AmVia`s top business partners, especially in implementing the RightFax product suite, the two companies were in an excellent position to provide an appropriate, workable solution.

Since Gensec Properties essentially needed assistance in connecting its existing RightFax server and its SAP system, and not an analysis of its entire business process, the project was focused, minimising disruption within the company.

AmVia provided the remote function call connection to attach its SAP engine to its RightFax engine, which would enable users in the accounting department to have an integrated, direct link to its RightFax functionality.

The SAP connector is able to store document templates and fill the templates with data from the SAP database, allowing end-users to fax standard documents straight from the SAP application.

Currently, the company`s requirement for such a direct link forms a very basic need. However, the organisation could in future possibly also make use of other integration modules such as the SAP Web connection.

According to Heiman, many end-users have the perception that fax technology is outdated, not realising that it is actually one of the safest and most reliable technologies for distributing company information and client communications. "And it is growing at a exponential rate," he notes.

"One advantage is that fax carries no viruses. Also, the fax delivery confirmation slip is a legally accepted document, making fax technology incredibly secure and reliable.

"RightFax makes it even more reliable, with the introduction of, for example, a SecureDocs module that allows users to send digitally encrypted and certified delivery documents.

"It is also one of the least expensive methods of delivering documentation, at the same time providing an interface between the electronic world and the paper world that bridges communication gaps."

Current trends attest to his faith in the technology. These include:

* 395 million minutes are spent on faxing each year (IDC);

* The compound annual growth rate in fax traffic is 13.1% (IDC);

* Fax volumes are forecast to grow by nearly 40%, to 133.2 billion pages per annum, by 2002 (Dataquest); and

* Large and mid-size businesses estimate that their productivity would drop by 40% without fax (Pitney/Gallup Fax Poll).

Heiman says the RightFax solution provided Gensec Properties with an easy-to-use, easy-to-manage, enterprise-wide fax offering that could be integrated seamlessly with its business applications.

"By combining fax, e-mail and Internet technologies, RightFax provides a one-stop, e-document delivery solution, allowing them to control and tailor its document delivery environment to current and future business needs."

The RightFax solution significantly improved efficiency within the company by enabling its desktop suite users to deliver fax documents electronically and instantaneously, as well as receiving a notification at his desktop that the fax has been successfully sent.

Furthermore, complete and secure delivery and receipt of critical business documents to clients, vendors and internal users is guaranteed.

The automated solution also reduces the cost of communications with customers and suppliers, while improving user productivity and enhancing internal and external communications, providing a substantial return on investment, he adds.

Heiman says this project is an excellent example of AmVia and ULT pooling their expertise and resources to provide an innovative solution to Gensec Properties` requirements.

He adds that very few other systems integrators have adopted the value-add model practised by ULT, which means the company not only provides products, but also offers extensive technical services and support.

"The professional service provided in terms of project management and systems integration ensured that the project was finished within the client`s specification and budget, and on time."

Pieter Walkinshaw, senior manager systems: Gensec Properties, says the RightFax production implementation has saved users a lot of time, since they can now fax documents directly from their desktops. This has not only improved employee productivity but also user satisfaction with the tools provided to them.

"Adding the SAP connector module to RightFax has also improved our customer response time, since faxed responses to customer queries can be sent electronically directly from SAP, really enhancing our customer service."

Because documents are faxed from the user`s PC, there is additional benefit from cost-savings in terms of consumables such as paper.

In addition, Walkinshaw says, users can send and print multiple copies of a single document from the SAP desktop with the click of a button.

"With the RightFax solution, AmVia and ULT have ensured a major return on investment for us, which includes improved internal efficiency, lower costs and significant time saving," he concludes.