Taking a portal approach to business to
beat the recession
Electronic document management reduces costs: It has been estimated that the cost of manually processing an incoming paper-based document can be up to 70 Euros. An Enterprise Portal can significantly reduce these costs as documents are recorded in electronic form, processed and finally archived on the portal. This way it is not necessary anymore to print, copy and distribute the documents what also saves a lot of paper. Putting an Enterprise Portal at the heart of the business improves document editing, distribution and management. The Intrexx Xtreme Enterprise Portal also provides a procedure for document revision that ensures that documents are reworked after a set period of time which guarantees that documents are always up-to-date.
Efficient information management means fewer mistakes: Information that is stored centrally and made available to all employees via a standard interface means that employees can access all data necessary for their work without having to locate it first, accelerating workflow and performance across the board. Keeping uniform data throughout the company makes it easier to evaluate financial figures and higher-quality, more up-to-date data reduces the error rate within the business.
Creating a paper-less environment also means that the administrative support required for activities such as training and event management can be streamlined to improve accuracy and transparency. Providing a series of templates that can be managed on the portal also allows the company to take a coherent approach to document creation, ensuring that there is only ‘one version’ in circulation.
Automated workflows free up human resources: Most specialised procedures and administrative activities within a company can be carried out in less time and more reliably by using automated processes, freeing up human resources that can then be deployed elsewhere in the company.
Processing employees' requirement requests is a good example. On an Enterprise Portal, this can be automated so that employees can send electronic requests for low value office supplies directly to the purchasing department without being approved by a supervisor. Only requests that require capital expenditure need to be presented to the responsible supervisor for approval, using an email or a portlet providing the core data of the request with a direct link to the approval page.
Integrating existing software solutions accelerates workflows: An Enterprise Portal is the ideal platform for combining different software solutions in one interface. Searching for data in various applications becomes unnecessary as employees can find the information they need clearly set out on the portal. Intrexx Xtreme also allows users to integrate data from Lotus Notes or ERP systems such as SAP into the portal and make it available to employees in this way. It is also possible to write information back to SAP or Lotus Notes via the portal. This link between the portal and ERP systems enables companies to automate and accelerate even complex workflows that affect all business areas, from incoming goods to customer management.
Stronger customer retention through improved customer service: Storing important information about your customers in one, centralized location ensures that all employees have essential customer data at their fingertips. Customer purchasing history, past telephone conversations, general correspondence and any complaints can be readily accessed to ensure that staff is able to provide a highly personalised and relevant service. External customer portals can also be used to provide customers with information about their order and the current delivery status, providing them with a clear understanding about their transactions. This way the customer service can be improved what will lead to a higher customer satisfaction overall.
Shorter communication channels for more efficient business processes: In many companies, requests for information or new business enquiries are passed from desk to desk before they are finally viewed by the appropriate employee. This takes up a large amount of time and slows processes down unnecessarily. Utilising the user management component of an Intrexx Enterprise Portal allows you to establish clear rules and responsibilities for managing enquiries, assigning authority to certain users and business units, and speeding up the process.
Feedback initiatives can also be optimised on the Enterprise Portal so that good ideas can be reviewed immediately. Submitted and reviewed centrally, the old fashioned ‘suggestion box’ can be transformed into an invaluable business improvement tool that will encourage employees to communicate directly with management, reassured that new processes will be considered and put into action, instead of getting lost in the system.
