Johannesburg, 16 Aug 2011
Secure electronic document delivery has proven to be an ideal solution for B2C organisations with large customer bases. However, more and more B2B organisations are also reaping the benefits of `going paperless`.
The fleet management industry is a good example, where one major player has successfully converted over 15 million paper reports annually to e-mail, through messaging specialist Striata.
"B2B organisations with smaller customer bases, but high levels of reporting, are excellent candidates for converting paper processes to e-mail. E-mail is fast, secure and considerably more cost-effective. The benefits include improved security, cost and time savings, as well as process efficiency and environmental benefits," says Alison Treadaway, Striata SA Managing Director.
Treadaway adds that business customers will also benefit from being able to easily navigate, find and print saved documentation, while documents stored electronically can be appropriately backed-up.
Treadaway explains that the fleet management industry has a particularly detailed reporting requirement, often supplying `phonebook-sized` report packs to clients every month.
The downside is huge printing expenses, paper wastage, logistical problems, courier expenses and storage issues at the client. Some of these reports are typically not required until there is a dispute, which means many are stored, but never used. "It`s also difficult to find a particular report in a 2 000-page stack of paper," adds Treadaway.
Secure electronic document delivery is designed to replace paper documents with fully navigable electronic versions that are easy to use and store.
Instead of delivering a vast amount of pages every month, an e-mail is sent with an encrypted attachment (passwords are optional). The attachment contains a `mini-Web site`, which the customer can navigate to find the required report. The pack can include PDF formats for the documents that need to be print-perfect. Another successful feature that works very well is to provide an index for the masses of low-level reports; these PDFs can be e-mailed directly to the customer on demand. This dramatically reduces the size of the outgoing report.
Secure electronic delivery for B2B organisations can also include statements, bills, invoices, collection notices, policies, letters, contracts and regulatory compliance documents. Treadaway concludes: "All that is required is an e-mail address, which most business recipients are likely to have. Many organisations prefer to receive documents electronically as it is easier to track, store and process electronic versions. A solution that offers simpler, more secure and manageable processes, while reducing carbon footprint, is a highly attractive option for any business."
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