025 esker white paper o2c sap-us

Between Document Processes & SAP Solutions

EskerWHITE PAPER

CLOSING THE ORDER-T0-CASH PERFORMANCE GAP

www.esker.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ..................................................................................... 3

The Challenges of Manual Document Processing in the O2C Cycle .......................................................................... 4

Eskers Automation Platform for O2C Document Processes..........................................................................................6

Order Processing Automation ........................................... 7

What Are the Key Benefits? ................................................8

Order Processing Success Story: MSA .....................10

Accounts Receivable Automation ................................11

What Are the Key Benefits? .............................................. 14

Accounts Receivable Success Story: Samsung.......................................................................................... 15

Creating a Successful Implementation ....................16

About Esker ................................................................................... 17

CLOSING THE ORDER-TO-CASH

PERFORMANCE GAP

Between Document Processes & SAP

Solutions

Closing the Order-to-Cash Performance Gap | 3

INTRODUCTION

As long as document processes are manual, rely on paper and lack transparency, businesses hoping to improve on performance will continue to face barriers. While applications such as SAP have addressed these issues to a degree or through multiple point-to-point solutions,

many businesses still have a gap between true automation and the documents driving their business processes. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the processes of the order-to-cash

(O2C) cycle.

When SAP users examine ways to gain a competitive edge, document processes within the O2C cycle emerge as key enablers of best practices for performance improvement. Reducing the time it takes to turn an order into money in the bank offers a number of strategic benefits to a business.

Strengthening customer relationships is among these key benefits. With manual processing, customer service suffers from the large amount of time spent chasing paper and dealing with backlogs. Human error is also a concern, as manual processing results in incorrect order entry, returns and billing disputes. Orders and billing documents can easily get lost in the system. And, as the volume of customer orders increases, the level of staff must increase.

How Automation Can Help

Converting to an automated document processing system is a proven and effective way to maximize cost savings and processing efficiencies throughout the O2C cycle. Along with reducing operational costs, freeing up staff members for more valuable tasks and improving accuracy, automation of O2C document processes gives businesses more control and insight into what is happening on a daily basis.

Purpose of this White Paper

As a resource to help businesses gain efficiency and improve performance in todays competitive environment, this paper is designed to assist Customer Service Managers, Finance professionals, Executive Managers, Business Analysts and IT professionals in learning about, planning for and evaluating O2C document process automation.

Your customersYour company

Accounts Receivable

Order Processing

DocumentDelivery

WHAT IS THE O2C CYCLE?

Order-to-cash, or O2C, is a generic term used to describe all the stages of business involved

from the time a customer sales order is received to the time an accounts receivable

(AR) invoice is collected.


THE CHALLENGES OF MANUAL DOCUMENT PROCESSING IN THE O2C CYCLE

Using manual methods to orchestrate O2C operations creates heavy administrative burdens along with the potential for significant costs and inefficiencies that can directly affect the bottom line. In the following pages, we explore the common challenges associated with

traditional order processing and AR invoicing.

Traditional Order Processing

Processing an order the traditional way can take hours of preparation, data entry and document storage. One wrong keystroke during data entry (e.g., inputting 100 units instead of 10 units,) could become a nightmare for you and your customer. All activities down the line, including invoicing, will be impacted.

When businesses receive customer purchase orders (POs), the nature of the process used to create sales orders in the SAP system and handle workflow can determine how much efficiency is achieved. Once data is entered into SAP, there are issues of how to handle exceptions and track order statuses. When customers call to check on their orders, it requires tracking down whether the order is still on the fax machine, with the rep or already entered into the system.

How manual order processing affects business efficiency:

Delayed cash collection More expensive execution Slower fulfillment times Higher vulnerability to errors Lower customer satisfactionA maze of manual touch points

In many businesses, multiple manual touch points are required for order preparation, data entry and archiving. Most traditional systems work like this: Upon the arrival of a sales order, staff collects them from a shared fax machine or printer, collates them, keeps the paper copies, and stores them along with associated documents for later retrieval. Manual data entry is required for sold-to number, quantities, part numbers and other key fields.

Sales representatives and administrators can only hope that none of these manual touch points causes misplaced orders, delays in fulfillment and payment, or errors and returns of incorrect shipments that end up in the customers hands.

YOUR COMPANY

CSRs

CustomerService

POs

Manager

?

Fax

EDI

Email

SAP

FaxMachines

CUSTOMERS


Prioritizing orders

Many businesses process orders on a first-in/first-out basis, which fails to account for certain customers and products may take priority over others. For example, orders might sit on a fax machine until they are collected by a receptionist once an hour and then hand-delivered.

Archiving

Businesses also spend a significant amount of time retrieving orders and order data for internal or external audits, and, to satisfy the requirements of regulatory frameworks such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Orders may arrive via fax with the risk of getting lost at the fax machine and thereby delayed.

Conventional Invoice Processing

As illustrated by the following diagram, conventional processing of AR invoices involves numerous steps that consume a significant amount of time and resources, both human and material. Like order processing, manual touch points at nearly every step of the process represent costly inefficiencies.

Research by IT analysts over the years has consistently found that the average U.S. company can save a significant amount of money annually by sending invoices electronically. For example, according to results from a recent AR Automation Study conducted by The Institute of Financial Operations, over one-third of AR professionals surveyed indicated it costs more than $2 to process a single PO-based paper invoice.1

Beyond cost reduction, businesses want to increase billing process efficiency, boost customer satisfaction and improve their cash collection process. The percentage of electronically delivered B2B invoices is rapidly increasing as businesses seek additional ROI from SAP solutions.

The e-invoicing deadlock

Virtually all businesses would benefit from moving to electronic delivery of customer invoices and supporting documents, as its faster, less expensive, more reliable, and takes paper out of the process. Increasing the speed and accuracy of billing through document automation also allows organizations to collect cash faster because billing documents are delivered sooner.

However, despite the need for e-invoicing and availability of mature technology, a key obstacle stands between many businesses and e-invoicing: customers. While some customers understand the benefits of e-invoicing for them (e.g., moving money faster, reducing AP overhead, eliminating manual handling of supplier invoices, more effective compliance with regulations during the event of a tax audit, etc.), many are simply not ready and/or equipped to handle e-invoices.

To satisfy their preferences, businesses spend large amounts of time and money maintaining internal mailrooms or working with external mail houses. Employees and departments continue to manually print and manage paper documents for mailing. Cash is tied up in equipment, supplies, maintenance and labor to support mail operations.

Proof of delivery and other billing documents

Sending AR invoices actually represents only a small percentage of the tasks involved in billing and cash collection. What often hinders the process most is the inability to assemble and send packages of billing documents in a timely way to support the invoice. This is significant because, frequently, customers will withhold payment of invoices until they receive certain documentation that provides proof of delivery (POD).

The range of documents generated throughout a business transaction, establishing the fact that a recipient received a shipment sent by another party typically includes not only delivery receipts but also quotes or effectiveness of a service, POs, pick lists, packing slips, external shipping manifests, customs forms, tax documents and more.

Collect supportingdocuments

Invoiceprinting

StampingCopy forarchiving

Folding andinserting

Post officedelivery

Distribution

HANDLING TIME 4 MINUTES TRANSIT TIME 2 DAYS COST OF SENDINGAN INVOICE $5.00

CHALLENGES OF MANUAL BILLING

Manual billing processes pose a variety of challenges for todays businesses. Among the biggest obstacles include:

P High operating costs P High dispute resolution costsP Delayed paymentsP Increased risk of human error

Esker on Demand


ESKERS AUTOMATION PLATFORM FOR O2C DOCUMENT PROCESSES

For businesses seeking to improve O2C performance, Esker offers SAP-certified solutions for automated order processing and AR invoicing, complete with a full range of inbound data

capture and outbound document transport capabilities. By effectively reducing the time between receiving an order and collecting the payment, Esker helps businesses achieve

additional ROI in their SAP investment.

End-To-End Document Process Automation

Eskers comprehensive platform streamlines document processes from start to finish by eliminating inefficient steps and making communication more efficient, personalized and cost-effective regardless of the information source or type of delivery transport. Integrating with any SAP application, Esker minimizes the touch points in order processing without disrupting current business operations.

Managing all inbound and outbound document processes through this central platform simplifies the IT infrastructure, reduces the time and costs, and streamlines the O2C cycle.

Capture Read Route Format Transport

Universal Application Connectors

Scan Email

Print Faxes

E-documents(XML,IDoc, ...)

Fax

Archive

XML

Fax & MailOn Demand

Email

SMS

WebPublishing

31 DOCUMENT CAPTURE DOCUMENT TRANSPORT

CustomerService

ElectronicArchive

Sales OrdersConfirmationsProposalsContractsAccounts ReceivablePurchase RequisitionsInvoices

ExtratedData

ABC253,9 %19,6 %Smith

Sales OrderImage

SAP

InvoicesPurchase OrdersConfirmationsLettersQuotesReports

2 BUSINESS RULES ENGINE

Esker automatically captures orders and other inbound documents in any format independent of layout and application or source, without the need for custom programming.

Patented Esker technology automatically recognizes and extracts data to determine formatting, conversion, and routing conditions and actions as defined by processing rules.

Esker distributes documents automatically, based on specific requirements. They can be delivered to multiple recipients in a full range of formats and media.

1 2 3

Esker on Demand


ORDER PROCESSING AUTOMATION

Incoming order documents are the catalysts that launch the O2C cycle. Automation minimizes the amount of manual labor and keystrokes required to complete the process. These

capabilities can yield millions of dollars in savings by reducing the number of touch points at each step of the process, providing the ability to identify and resolve bottlenecks, and

improving the customer experience via improved speed and responsiveness.

A Path to Better Order Management

To optimize inbound order processing, these three essential areas must be automated:

Inbound document capture to eliminate manual data entry and handling of paper Workflow to coordinate approval and other activities throughout the order lifecycle Access to documents and reportable information throughout the process

Key financial management benefits of automating all of these areas include real-time cost control, budget control, sales monitoring and forecasting. This level of automation also enables SAP users to:

Increase speed and responsiveness make the entire process quick and efficient Reduce operational costs remove manual tasks by adding business rules to corporate forms Reduce per-transaction costs streamline throughout and save money while improving service Gain a clear view into the process use and share the information for more effective management Realize rapid return on investment reduced costs and improving controls boosts the bottom line Maintain high-quality presentation apply consistent rules to all your online and offline processes Repurpose staff members address more value-added tasks vs. data entry Effectively manage issues -- identify and resolve customer issues quickly to maximize global customer satisfaction

Eskers Order Processing Automation Solution

Eskers solution automates every phase of order processing in the SAP system or other business application. Using advanced automation functionalities and no predefined templates, each order is 100% electronic and fully visible throughout its lifecycle. This allows businesses to see when a particular order comes in, where it is in the system, who has it and what the next steps are. Here is how Eskers Order Processing solution works:

ARCHIVEVERIFYEXTRACT MANAGE ANALYTICS & AUDIT TRAIL

RECEIVE

Esker automaticallydetects exceptions.

CSRs only have to verifythe extracted data

is accurate or completewhat is missing.

The solution finds andextracts all relevantpurchase order data

and creates thecorresponding sales order

in the SAP system.

When exceptions occuror approvals are

necessary, the order isautomatically put into a

workflow so that theexception can be lifted.

Received customer orders (e.g., fax, email,EDI) are automaticallyrouted to the correct

CSR based on keyorder information.

Accurate order datais integrated in the ERP system while a copy of the original is attached

and available to any authorized user.

Orders are visible at every step. User has theability to run reports tomonitor and measure

process efficiency.


ORDER PROCESSING: WHAT ARE THE KEY BENEFITS?

By eliminating the manual aspects of order processing, Esker allows businesses running SAP applications to achieve benefits throughout every phase of order management.

Impact on business performance:

Cut order processing costs in half Process orders up to 80% faster Increase percentage of orders and order line

items captured electronically

Prevent lost or misplaced orders by keeping them electronic

Free-up staff time by as much as 65% Increase data entry accuracy by up to 99% Reduce returns and waste Avoid adding staff as order volume grows Analyze customer complaints and determine

the source of potential weaknesses in order processing

Workforce Flexibility and Scalability

Along with capabilities to process orders faster and smarter, todays businesses are looking to create a more flexible and scalable workforce to respond to changing business trends. Many need to be able to redistribute order processing operations on a global basis, find new ways to make the most effective use of resources during seasonal peaks, and avoid customer delays during out of office time.

Eskers modernized technology enables businesses to accomplish these tasks with ease through a worldwide network of on-demand facilities (to shift processing to another site if a disaster occurs), advanced reporting capabilities (to track order volumes and move staff to different product lines), and automatic routing (to avoid customer delays when a rep is sick or on vacation).

Handle Customer Issues Intelligently

Another predicament todays businesses find themselves in is how to process and monitor customer claims with greater ease, efficiency and effectiveness with the end goal being to response time and maximize customer satisfaction.

Esker offers a truly automated and streamlined tool to optimize the issue management process on a global scale. With Esker, CSRs are able to log, track and manage all claims from the same interface used to process their customer orders, improving customer service, boosting satisfaction rates, and providing CSRs with a greater sense of achievement and job satisfaction a win-win situation for both suppliers and customers.

Impact on managers and system administrators:

Ability to leverage existing systems Achieve 100% visibility of all orders Simplification of the IT infrastructure Order monitoring and prioritization Order traceability and automated routing Process data for customer profitability and

employee performance analysis

Less redundant processing of duplicate orders Electronic capture of approvals Auditing of delivery or billing block processing Issue creation, follow-up and resolution within the

same interface

Easy access to all orders, claims, and order/delivery notes

Greater sense of achievement and job satisfaction keeps CSR teams motivated and productive


Making the Most of EDI

Many businesses have an electronic data interchange (EDI) system to automate the capture of incoming orders. But in the typical scenario, businesses use EDI only for their largest customers often through custom-configured channels of data exchange set up for each customer which adds unnecessary complexity and inefficiency to the process.

Esker helps businesses fill the EDI automation gap and increase the percentage of orders processed via EDI without altering their existing business procedures or IT infrastructures. With Esker, a business is able to treat all of its customers, large and small, as EDI-enabled even if they are not. And for non-EDI transactions, Esker can feed order information directly into SAP applications via Business Application Programming Interface (BAPI) mechanisms.

ARCHIVE

Fax

Scan

Email

EDI

ORDER

RECEIVE

EXTRACT

VERIFY

MANAGE

ESKER ON DEMAND ERP

Dashboard & Audit Trail

ANALYTICS


ORDER PROCESSING SUCCESS STORY:

Using Eskers Order Processing automation solution, MSA is now archiving 100% of its orders electronically and processing them 50% faster.

The Objective

MSA identified an opportunity to improve its order management process by increasing the amount of visibility and efficiency. When orders came in, they were manually entered into its SAP system and then placed in a holding stage within another system to complete the order process. Not only did this create an unnecessary amount of work, the tracking of orders could be at times challenging and time consuming.

MSAs biggest issues to address were:

Increased limited process visibility and poor oversight Manual order data entry and the potential for related errors Opportunity to improve staff productivity and increase order processing times

The Solution

MSA made the decision to replace its current process with order processing automation. Using Eskers SAP-certified solution, MSAs order management process is now completely automated. When an order arrives, the document is automatically entered into Eskers solution where its imaged and scanned into SAP with full visibility and minimal risk of errors.

One of the biggest benefits of Esker has been MSAs use of Teach functionality. Taught rules allow OCR to read the documents quicker (even for orders with multiple line items), resulting in faster fulfillment.

The Results

Orders are now processed 50% faster thanks to Teach functionality and OCR capabilities Higher productivity orders are processed once through Esker instead of in two different systems Increased archiving efficiency thanks to 100% of the orders being electronically imaged and stored Improved visibility and tracking allows for better management of resources and workflow issues Built beneficial relationships with other companies thanks to Eskers user community opportunities

Were processing hundreds of orders through Esker per day, so you can imagine how much time, effort and resources this is saving us. Customer Service Supervisor, MSA

Founded in 1914, MSA is the worlds leading manufacturer of high-quality safety products that are designed to help workers and infrastructures remain protected even in the most hazardous situations. MSA is headquartered in Pennsylvania, with 5,000+ employees and manufacturing locations around world.


ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AUTOMATION

Automated AR invoicing solutions optimize the delivery of invoices and associated documents directly from SAP applications. For the sender, this means every customer invoice can be sent,

archived and tracked electronically. On the other end, invoices arrive by mail as they always have (paper in envelopes) or electronically, according to customer preferences, allowing

businesses to immediately gain the efficiencies and savings of e-invoicing without negatively impacting customer satisfaction.

Automation: More than Invoices

Ideally, e-invoicing is part of a comprehensive platform for automated billing document processing. By automating billing document processes instead of relying on manual methods, businesses reduce costs, increase speed and improve the quality of information exchange with customers as part of the O2C cycle. These outcomes result in greater efficiency in billing and collections, ultimately contributing to overall profitability and return on IT investments.

Automation enables users to match up POD and other documents with corresponding orders and invoices at any point in the billing process. POD documents can be sorted, archived, sent and tracked electronically. Businesses can also store billing documents and data from a full range of sources and in a variety of formats, and automatically send billing document packages via a range of media according to specific customer preferences including postal mail, email or other electronic channels, or a combination of these.

Eskers Accounts Receivable Automation Solution

Esker completely automates the sending and archiving of invoices according to customer preferences via a range of media according to specific customer preferences businesses to gain the immediate benefits of e-invoicing without negatively impacting customer satisfaction. E-invoices are processed in compliance with all international regulations and the solution features interoperability capabilities with any EDI formats and platforms from other service providers. Here is how Eskers Accounts Receivable solution works:

Payment convenience with Paymetric

Through its partnership with Paymetric, Esker enables businesses to easily pay any open invoice online directly from a secure web portal using a credit card, E-check and more. Once paid, transaction payment details are available to you and can be updated in the SAP system.

Benefits of online payment capabilities:

Faster cash collection thanks to online options Reduced collections overhead thanks to a self-service tool Improved customer satisfaction by offering more payment options and greater access to invoices and statements Eliminated risk for a data breach by supporting PCI compliance

ANALYTICS& AUDIT TRAIL

DELIVER& COLLABORATE

EXTRACT& FORMAT

PAYMENT ARCHIVEVALIDATE& TRANSMIT

Customers can easilypay any open invoice

online directly from thesecure web portal using

a credit card, e-check, etc. Once paid,

transaction payment details can be

updated in the ERP orbusiness application.

Invoices are delivered tocustomers according to

their preference (e.g.,postal mail, fax, email,EDI). The web portalallows customers toretrieve invoices and

payment status, as well as modify their delivery

preferences.

All invoices andpayments can beeasily tracked and

retrieved online at anytime. Tailored

dashboards and metrics deliver key

information to facilitate daily tasks.

Invoice data isautomatically extracted,

while the invoice isconverted into the

customers preferreddelivery format

(e.g., PDF, XML, etc.).

Once a customerinvoice is validatedin the ERP or billing

application, it isautomatically and

securelytransmitted to Esker

to be processed.

Invoices are archivedfrom 2 months up to

11 years and availableonline 24/7.


Breaking the E-Invoicing Deadlock

When you use Esker for e-invoicing, no change is required on the part of customers. Esker enables businesses sending invoices to reconcile their need for automated billing with customers desire to receive paper invoices. And, as customers become ready to adopt e-invoicing, businesses can easily satisfy changing preferences and tailor invoice delivery to the circumstances of each customer.

Easing the Transition

Esker customers can take a realistic, step-by-step approach that creates a continuum between legacy media and future e-invoicing mechanisms. This path from manual-to-automated-to-electronic invoicing follows your customer adoption curves so that you can start gaining efficiencies and reducing costs immediately. Esker allows businesses to send electronic and paper invoices to small and large customers instantly, eliminating the time and expense of managing costly mailroom operations or other manual means of delivery.

Best Practices for AR Automation

As a tool to enable best practices for O2C performance improvement, Eskers Accounts Receivable solution encompasses the assembly and collection of order and billing documents into and out of SAP applications and other enterprise systems. This offers the ability to:

Central access to billing documents within the enterprise and exchange of billing documents with customers Automatically send billing documents in customer-preferred formats, from paper to electronic Archive billing documents or route them to a storage system Maintain and adapt as more customers adopt e-invoicing Seamlessly integrate e-invoicing with SAP applications Manage the post-sale collection interactions with customersEskers platform automates the storage, assembly and delivery of billing document packages. While the solution offers considerable flexibility as to how invoices and supporting documents can be managed, at its core is a process that consists of the following key steps:

1. Invoice generation and billing document assembly. When an invoice is generated, supporting documents are collected and assembled.

2. Method of delivery determination. Based on customer preferences specified earlier, Esker finds the method and address for delivery by reading the invoice, or by database lookup, application, etc. It also identifies formatting, conversion and routing conditions, as defined by processing rules.

3. Delivery transport. Recipients have the option to specify the document transport mode: email, fax or postal mail.

4. Archiving and storage. When the package of documents is archived, its contents can be accessed or stored together or as individual documents.

5. Tracking and reporting. Accurately track when when customers receive, view or pay their invoices, and manage undelivered invoices via email.

Esker Mail Services for SAP Systems

The beauty of Eskers Accounts Receivable solution is that it completely automates the sending of billing documents, yet also allows customers to receive the documents in whatever format they want whether its electronically through email or fax, or through traditional postal mail.

Esker on Demand

PAPERINVOICE

ELECTRONICINVOICE

VOLU

ME

TIME


With Esker Mail Services, part of Eskers Accounts Receivable solution, paper invoices are electronically submitted directly from the SAP system to an Esker mail production facility where they are printed, folded, stuffed into envelopes and handed-off to the local postal services within 24 hours of creation. As invoices are produced and delivered in real time, they are more likely to be paid in a shorter time frame.

Eskers intelligent document delivery platform supports SAP communication and connection architectures, enabling businesses running SAP systems to realize the full potential of automated document delivery based on business rules through logic residing outside the SAP system. To the SAP system, the intelligent document delivery platform looks like a print destination.

SAP Business ByDesign customers benefit from all the advantages of Esker Mail Services rather than printing on a local printer, any document created from SAP Business ByDesign is sent through a virtual printer. Esker Mail Services is SAPs first solution partner for online postal mail services.

Esker on Demand

POSTALNETWORK

BUSINESSAPPLICATION

RECIPIENT

PRINTING

STUFFING

STAMPING

Document Post officedelivery

Archiving

Distribution

ESKER ON DEMAND

ESKER DATA CENTER

ESKER MAILPRODUCTION

FACILITY


ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: WHAT ARE THE KEY BENEFITS?

Eskers Accounts Receivable solution can enable businesses to send all of their customer invoices electronically, lowering production costs to near zero and cutting invoice production

time by as much as 100%.

Other benefits based on Esker customer results include:

Up to 96% reduction of billing document handling time Cut the cost of sending billing documents up to 80% Billing errors and returns reduced by as much as 90% Reduced Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) by as much as 7 days Increased process control and visibility with tracking of

individual invoices

Less overhead and paper handling for printing, folding, stuffing, stamping and mailing

Reallocation of resources from mail operations to more productive activities

Improved service to customers with real-time delivery and more choices for receiving invoices

Fast, easy retrieval and resending of billing documents with electronic archiving prior to delivery

Increased competitiveness as competitors become more efficient by moving to e-invoicing Immediate additional ROI for your SAP solution investment Convenient payment options so customers can easily pay any open invoice directing from the secure web portal via

credit card and more

DSO Advantages

Conventional billing processes typically include processing and sending invoices at the end of a set time period. Whether it is weekly or monthly, invoices that are ready to go sit and wait until the set time arrives. However, the faster you get invoices into the hands of your customers, the sooner you can receive payment. With Esker, invoices can be sent as they are prepared, and customers can start their internal payment process right away. This real-time invoicing can significantly reduce DSO.

Additional Cash

With Eskers Accounts Receivable automation solution, the average DSO can be reduced by up to seven days (amounting to an estimated $1.5 million in early payments for a business earning $100 million per year using conventional invoice processing). With an average return on investment at 5%, the early cash collection could earn the business an additional $70,000 in the bank.

REDU

CTIO

N IN

DSO

EARLY PAYMENTS

COMPANY WITH ANNUAL REVENUE OF

$100M

10 DAYS

8 DAYS

7 DAYS

6 DAYS

4 DAYS

2 DAYS

400,0

00

800,0

00

1,200

,000

1,400

,000

1,600

,000

2,000

,000

-7 DAYSREDUCE DSO ASMUCH AS 7 DAYS

-80%CUT PROCESSINGCOSTS UP TO 80%


ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE SUCCESS STORY:

With Eskers Accounts Receivable automation solution, Samsung Electronics France has eliminated all manual processes and brought 100% traceability to every invoice sent.

The Objective

Looking to meet the profitability expectations of its larger multinational company, Samsung Electronics France sought to improve its method of processing and delivering invoices. Prior to Esker, Samsungs annual volume of 250,000 invoices were manually printed at the corporate headquarters, with printed invoices being sent to an external service to be folded, stamped and handed off to the postal service.

These manual processes were causing problems on a regular basis due to paper jams, supplies running out, illegible invoices, delayed or lost invoices, and more. In order to improve, Samsung wanted to completely automate the invoicing process from its SAP solution.

The Solution

After integrating Eskers Accounts Receivable solution into Samsungs existing SAP application, customer invoices are now:

Automatically captured from SAP Composed and formatted according to customer preferences (e.g., mail, fax, EDI, etc.) Transferred to Esker Mail Services for printing, folding, stamping and handing off to postal service

The Results

Faster delivery of customer invoices and reduced DSO 100% traceability and routing of invoices of all sent invoices Multichannel delivery to send invoices in the customers media preference Ability to manage increase invoice volumes without adding more infrastructure or resources Eliminated all manual processes and reduced dependency on printer centers

Esker allows us to optimize invoicing processes end-to-end to improve our DSO. And all this has been accomplished without modifying our system or maintenance. Customer Service Supervisor, MSA

For over 70 years, Samsung has been dedicated to making a better world through innovative and reliable products, talented people, and a responsible approach to business and global citizenship. Its flagship company, Samsung Electronics, leads the global market in high-tech electronics manufacturing and

digital media.


CREATING A SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION

Inefficiency in the O2C cycle can cause businesses to miss valuable opportunities for improved profitability, and can keep them from emerging as market leaders. Achieving the best results

with document processing automation requires a careful assessment of the available solutions to find one that meets your requirements.

To succeed in your move from conventional O2C document processing to an automated solution:

1. Search for a solution that can be integrated quickly. Measuring the cost of deployment, integration and scalability to meet your and your vendors needs is crucial in choosing the correct solution. Look for one that can be implemented quickly and integrate within your existing SAP applications.

2. Choose a vendor with proven expertise. Successful implementation of an O2C document process automation solution must include both technology and knowledge. How long has the business been implementing these solutions and how many successful installations have they completed? Make sure they have a thorough understanding of the essential tasks involved.

3. Find a solution that creates added value. The solution must offer the ability to automate document processes in every phase of the O2C cycle. It should leverage your existing infrastructure, thereby increasing the return on your companys SAP solution investment.

What to Look For

Specific capabilities of value to SAP customers in automating O2C document processes include:

Full data capture and document transport options Automated order assembly and bundling of billing documents Electronic exception-handling workflow Reporting capabilities to monitor sales order processing and billing activities Order entry and invoice delivery notification returned to the SAP system Electronic indexing and archiving of original document images for easy search and retrieval Link to archived documents available directly from SAP transaction screen Built-in document formatting functionality An SAP software solution and technology partner with certified integrations

Expert Consultancy and Project Methodology

Vendors who use the principles of agile development in their solution delivery methods create an environment for customers, business partners and their key stakeholders to be actively involved throughout and achieve maximum value in every phase of the project. Unlike traditional waterfall approaches, agile methodology enables decisions to be made with context, invests resources in the most value-added features, and allows solution features to be tested and used in a short amount of time.

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Increment#1

User feedback+ features list #2Features list #1

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Product Vision Project Denition Initial Release Plan Contractual agreements

ProjectPresales


ABOUT ESKER

Esker is an industry leader in document process automation solutions, helping organizations of all sizes Quit Paper and improve how their business information is processed and exchanged

via one unified platform. Eskers suite of automation solutions, offered on-demand or on-premises, help customers around the world reduce processing time and costs, increase their

competitive advantage, gain significant operational efficiencies, and realize measurable ROI in as little as three to six months.

Global Expertise

Founded in 1985, Esker has more than 80,000 customers and millions of licensed users worldwide. Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France, and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin.

Certified SAP Partner

As an established SAP software solution and technology partner with certified integration, and SAP customer itself, Esker has made serving the needs of SAP customers a top priority demonstrated worldwide by SAP customers who have automated document processes with Esker as well as Eskers dedicated R&D team focusing on SAP applications.

Data Security & Integrity

Esker has earned SSAE 16 Type 1 and Type 2 compliance for its on-demand automation solutions (following an audit conducted by A-lign Security and Compliance Services). This means Eskers processes, procedures and controls have been formally reviewed and are documented in accordance with the SSAE 16 guidelines. Esker also adheres to the principles set forth by the Safe Harbor Privacy Policy in respect to transfers of personal information from the European Economic Area to the U.S.

Esker Customers Who Automated the O2C Cycle

World Headquarters: Lyon, France

U.S. Headquarters: Madison, Wisconsin

Esker on Demand

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