e-Business Workflow

Consider for a moment the number of steps involved in the way your organization currently processes its business transactions. Most of your procedures, policies and workflows are the result of a number of complex procedures developed over time, usually encumbered by redundancy, large amounts of paper, poor communication and a not-so-small amount of frustration. But you get the job done.

Now sit back and imagine a different scenario, one using the Empower family of e-business products.

Orders and quotes are placed electronically over the Web by your sales force or directly by your customers. These orders are electronically routed to one or more approvers who electronically review the order, check stock, modify the terms, and approve or cancel the order/quote. Once approved, the order is automatically placed on an electronic Order Scoreboard where everyone in your organization can track its progress from inception to completion, and the customer is emailed an order acknowledgement or approved quote.

Once the order is placed, if goods or services need to be purchased, all necessary purchase orders are electronically created using information from the customer's order and your Item Catalog. Orders are then sent to an electronic approval queue, where buyers and/or managers can approve the purchases, optionally being told by Empower if this purchase is within their budget, after which order approvals are emailed to the vendor (still no paper!).

When goods are received from your vendor, Empower is electronically updated using your vendor's ASN, or the receipt is manually entered using the vendor's packing list. Once entered, receipts are electronically matched to their purchase order. If you use evaluated receipts, Empower can automatically create the invoice from the receipt and PO, or you can wait until the vendor mails you an invoice. Either way, Empower electronically performs a three-way match for each item between the invoice, the receiver, and the purchase order, and automatically places any invoice with a discrepancy into an electronic approval queue.

Once the invoice is approved (electronic three-way match or routed electronically throughout the organization), payment to the vendor is made by direct deposit, while a document detailing the deposit and a list of paid invoices is simultaneously emailed to the vendor. Alternatively, you can create a paper check, but this requires paper, envelope stuffing, and stamps.

Now back to the customer's order. From the Empower Order Scoreboard, logistics can view all open orders at a glance, which ones are late, which ones are backordered, or which ones are on-time. Empower's electronic notepad enables everyone in the company to share comments and status reports about each order in one convenient and always accessible place.

Once logistics ships the order, Empower will email notification to the customer, electronically create the invoice, and print any required documents (OK, so there is still some paper).

Cash receipts can be manually entered or imported electronically from your bank. (If your customers have Empower, they will be sending electronic checks!). Regardless of how cash is posted, Empower's Delinquent Customer Scoreboard enables you to easily track past due accounts, post notes regarding collection in a common place, or give a customer instant access to his/her account, whether you're in the office or on the road.

Now take a minute and compare the above scenario with your current practices.

Now stop imaging and start implementing Empower's e-business solutions.