Cape Town, Western Cape, 26 Oct 2012
The sheer number of systems and tools provided in businesses these days to help support people with their jobs is mind boggling. Although many of these systems perform a specific function well, it can get tricky when you have to use multiple systems to carry out a task or provide a response to a client. The answer to this problem, quite simply, is K2.
"In my opinion, South African businesses should be focusing more on this area of people-to-people and people-to-system business process management. There are a lot of efficiency gains and cost savings to be realised," says Simon Hepburn, Director of bSOLVe.
K2 provides software that automates business processes. K2 is typically classified as a workflow or BPM (business process management) provider. Those terms can mean different things to different people, but on its most basic level, this involves capturing information on electronic forms and routing documents and tasks between people and systems.
The recently released K2 smart forms also includes electronic form technology as part of the K2 platform, enabling businesses to transition from paper forms and manual processes to electronic forms and automated processes management.
A business process management platform can offer the following benefits:
* Improve productivity and efficiency by better managing business processes.
* Reduce the cost and complexity of processes management system development.
* Retain competitive knowledge and intellectual property related to your business.
* Customer satisfaction by better controlling processes in your business.
* Increased revenue due to a combination of the above factors, such as improved customer satisfaction and efficiency.
"Worldwide K2 has seen rapid adoption of their software, but in South Africa, the uptake has been a bit slower for various reasons. This presents an opportunity for local business to realise untapped potential," says Freddy Jonker, K2 Regional Director EMEA.
One such local business, TFG (previously known as The Foschini Group), has strengthened its position as one of the foremost speciality retailers in South Africa by investing in K2. TFG currently has a number of custom-built systems but became aware of the long-term cost and complexity of maintaining and growing these systems for certain functions. With this in mind, it invested in K2 blackpearl to provide it with a business process management platform it could build on for the future.
"The investment in the K2 platform will enable us as a business to leverage many of the out-of-the-box features provided by K2 blackpearl and therefore reduce the cost and complexity of systems development at TFG. It will also allow us to fill a gap of managing business processes that cross systems and people in our organisation, which will ultimately enable us to better serve our customers," says Marius Botha, TFG.
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