The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has coupled an advanced document imaging system with NetManage`s RUMBA host access technology in a bid to streamline the processing of television licences as well as related enquiries.
Stanley Gautier, business consultant to the Audience Services division of the SABC, managed the project to convert the previous wholly manual process to a more efficient electronic basis. "We had four primary problems with the old system: storage of correspondence, retrieval of information relating to such correspondence, lack of control and virtually no management information," he says.
To overcome the first two challenges Gautier recommended a document imaging system for storing all TV licence-related correspondence. "Letters or facsimiles received by Audience Services are date-stamped, scanned and indexed. They are then electronically dropped into a relevant processing queue for Customer Care Centre agents to process."
By virtue of the indexing, and the use of RUMBA`s ActiveX-based application integration technology, operators are then presented with information from the SABC`s backend mainframe system and are able to update it as appropriate to correspondence - change of address, account query, etc.
The SABC development team utilised the RUMBA Object X Development Kit to integrate legacy applications with RUMBA allowing seamless access to the document imaging system.
"If an item requires a response, the agent clicks a button to launch Microsoft Word - which loads using a suitable template and pulls account information from RUMBA to populate the relevant document fields. Other details are entered as required and the operator clicks on the `send` button for the reply to be faxed or printed for mailing," explains Gautier.
"Communication via the corporation`s Web-site follow a similar route but replies are usually sent by e-mail rather than fax or snail-mail."
This integration has brought a measure of control to the process and has ensured management of a steady flow of valuable information that assists in decision-making processes. "We can now see what volumes of the various types of correspondence are coming in, identify patterns that may indicate hot-spots or problem areas and allocate resources appropriately," he adds.
Tinus Wolmarans, IT manager at the SABC, applauds the system for streamlining a critical business process without requiring a large investment in expensive middleware. "RUMBA has extended the life of existing systems and applications, enabling us to take the phased approach to the development and deployment of new systems," he says.
That the SABC - and its licensed viewers - have benefited from the system is unquestionable as far as Gautier is concerned. "Service levels are significantly higher and our Customer Care Centre is instantly able to determine the status of a particular query or notification."
Looking to the future he envisages integrating telephony into the process and using integrated voice response (IVR) technology to route calls and collect information. "For example, we could have callers key in their account numbers while in the queue and ensure that applicable information relevant to the caller is displayed on the agent`s PC screen when the call is put through. This would improve efficiencies and productivity even further," he says.
Jeremy Matthews, MD of NetManage distributor and enterprise software specialist, Dax Data, says the requirement for back-office integration with the Web and call centres is growing. "Companies are rapidly realising that having information about their customers and business partners is not enough. It must be delivered to the right people at the right time if the full business benefit is to be derived from that information."
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