The MTN Group has found a way to reduce paper consumption and storage, streamline service accountability, save on costs of materials and labour and promote productivity and efficiency while improving the bottomline - all in the interest of customer service. Its solution is large-scale electronic faxing using Fenestrae`s Faxination messaging server, distributed in South Africa by NT software specialist Server Tools.
Graham Dunstan, MTN`s imaging project manager, points out that apart from materials consumption and storage, the software addresses personal accountability issues. "It is never easy to prove that someone has actually sent or received a fax - the electronic solution provides a mechanism whereby a recipient is accountable for receipt of a faxed message which can be stored and tracked electronically."
Faxination is fully integrated with Microsoft`s Exchange and Mail servers. It provides faxmail integration and cost-efficient faxing by storing incoming faxes as electronic images rather than physical documents. It also reduces transmission costs by selecting automatically the optimal transportation route for out-going faxes, combining with Exchange`s administrative facilities to monitor and manage message activity.
"The software currently provides us with the equivalent of 2 000 fax numbers," says Dunstan, "which handle eight simultaneous calls. This is now being upgraded to be able to handle in excess of 80 simultaneous calls. It is our intention to replace a large number of fax machines in the company which currently process more than 20 000 documents monthly." The system is already operative in Johannesburg and Durban and will shortly be installed in regional offices in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein.
Faxination is distributed by Server Tools, was implemented by supplier SBS and an MTN IT team. Anthony Davis, sales director at SBS, comments: "Since faxes are received electronically and are integrated with the company`s existing messaging system distribution is almost instant and always accurate, not to mention the money saved on printing materials and the time saved on manually sorting through and sending documents by fax."
MTN is also developing an online interface to the system that will enable users to send faxes over the MTN intranet.
Server Tools is a company in the Dimension Data group.
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