"Client service has improved dramatically. Eastman Software enterprise Imaging and Workflow has cut query turnaround times from 24-hours to a matter of minutes. We can keep track of applications through the system. And we can access student files immediately." Dieter Bruijns, Head of Imaging and Workflow, The University of South Africa (Unisa)
Customer success story
Unisa has transformed customer service and streamlined the work processes with Eastman Software enterprise Imaging and Workflow for Microsoft NT.
The University of South Africa (Unisa) specialises in tertiary distance education and research. With 120,000 students around the world, Unisa is the largest university in southern Africa and is one of the world`s 11 mega universities: defined as those with over 100,000 students. Unisa employs some 3,000 academic, administrative and support staff and offers internationally recognised courses for undergraduates and postgraduates up to doctoral level. The university has a campus in Pretoria, supported by a network of regional offices and learning centres. Providing services for such massive numbers of students involves a significant volume of administrative work: from student registration through to examination management. In total, approximately half a million documents are processed each year.
With the numbers of students forecast to grow to at least 150,00 by 2004, Unisa recognised that a new more efficient administrative system would be needed. `It was becoming increasingly difficult to manage the flow of paper through the administrative process, especially during the peak registration period, when large numbers of students register with us. Within just one month, around 300,000 pages of information have to be processed. There was just too much paper to handle,` explains Dieter Bruijns, Head of Imaging and Workflow at Unisa.
Inefficient administrative processes were having a negative impact on customer service. `We had a 24-hour turnaround time for queries. When a student phoned us, their file had to be fetched from our filing system in another building and we had to call them back the next day. For registration queries, we had no way of tracking where in the process an application might be, and sometimes files were mislaid,` continues Dieter Bruijns.
Initially, Unisa was looking for a high volume workflow system to integrate with its existing imaging system. `Being a university, we like to make use of advanced technology to provide an efficient service - and to demonstrate the benefits of IT. We had already invested in an imaging system, but this was proving ineffective.`
So when Eastman Software demonstrated the power of its advanced imaging and workflow software working together, Unisa selected Eastman Software enterprise Imaging and Workflow for Microsoft NT to deliver a total solution.
`We chose the Eastman Software solution for a number of reasons,` comments Dieter Bruijns. `Firstly, it achieved the required benchmark in a pilot that included both imaging and workflow. Secondly, it delivered the lowest cost of ownership analysed over a six year period. The system is easy to use. And it quickly accommodates changes and new developments.`
Eastman Software Solutions Provider, Integrear Systemflo, had already implemented Eastman Software enterprise Imaging and Workflow for other organisations such as RAU, Saambou, CUAL, MTN and others, and was contracted to provide Unisa with a turnkey solution.
Implementation began in late November 1998, and by February 1999 the main system had been completed. Nearly 60 Unisa staff are involved in indexing and scanning documents into the Eastman Software enterprise Imaging system. The system then archives the digitised documents and makes them instantly available to users, on-screen.
Eastman Software enterprise Workflow routes the documents through to the right administrative and academic staff across Unisa`s geographical regions. `The new workflow system speeds up the process of passing documents to the right people, wherever they are, as well as eliminating errors and duplication,` comments Dieter Bruijns.
Intergrear Systemflo has provided user training as well as vital skills-transfer. This ensures that Unisa`s technical staff can support users and also make system adjustments as requirements change. The Integrear Systemflo team continues to assist with Unisa`s day-to-day needs as well as with new developments such as customised user interfaces and additional processing routes.
The system is now being used by some 600 administrative and academic staff, via the 3,200 or so PCs, both on the main campus and in Unisa`s regional sites, with an eventual user base of at least 1,000. A wide variety of processes are already up and running, including: student registration, maintaining up-to-date student details, keeping track of curriculum changes, processing student fee payments, taking requests for study materials and dispatching these, handling student queries by letter and phone, and examination and results administration.
Eastman Software`s web-enabled facility is particularly important for Unisa. Integration with the University`s `Students On Line` web page allows students to pay their fees, update their details, and to submit registration forms over the Internet. When electronic mail is received, the system automatically sends back an acknowledgement, and the message or application is indexed and routed to the relevant administrators and departments.
The benefits of the new system are considerable. `Client service has improved dramatically,` says Dieter Bruijns. `The system has cut query turnaround times to a matter of minutes. We can keep track of applications through the system. And we can access student files immediately, on screen, wherever they are in the process. It has empowered our staff by giving them the knowledge base they needed and a far more efficient processing solution.`
In addition, on-campus storage space is reduced. `Because documents can be stored and accessed electronically, fewer paper-based documents need to be stored on the campus. Incoming mail is converted into electronic documents. And incoming faxes are no longer printed out. Instead, they enter the Eastman Software system immediately and are routed to the right desktop,` comments Dieter Bruijns. `Paper documents are boxed and stored on site for just two years and are then recycled.` Documents no longer go astray, and the cost of phone calls and paper supplies has been cut.
`The new Eastman Software solution has turned our document processing around, and we are now extending the system to incorporate additional processes,` concludes Dieter Bruijns.
Summary
Application Increasing the efficiency of university administrative processes; improving the service to students; increasing staff productivity to avoid the need for extra headcount in the peak registration period; reducing paper flow; reducing on-campus paper-based file storage; reducing costs for return phone calls; reducing cost of paper supplies.
Eastman Software Solution
Eastman Software enterprise Imaging to convert paper-based documents into digital documents for indexing, archiving, and immediate retrieval on the desktop by multiple users.
Eastman Software enterprise Workflow to route documents to the right administrative and academic staff across the organisation, and to keep track of documents during processing.
Number of Users
Potentially 1,000 + (currently c.600)
Platform
Microsoft Windows NT
Eastman Software Solution Provider
Integrear Systemflo
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