In this uncertain global economy, many companies have pared resources to the point that they have driven employees to a level of frustration that few of us deem tolerable. Corporate executives and stockholders consistently want more: more revenues, more profitability, and "more with less" from all departments. Yet, in trimming human resources to improve the bottom line, few companies examine their workflow to identify and eliminate extraneous processes or unnecessary roadblocks that would help maintain realistic objectives for employees, let alone enable an eight-hour workday.

In a world of e-business, many companies are plagued with outdated, manual business processes that could be streamlined by modeling and automation. Business Process Management (BPM) helps companies measure their core processes - analyzing which processes work and improving those that don't - to eliminate waste and add value. To be effective, this approach requires cross-functional, process-oriented management and a migration to electronic processes.

In order to "do more with less," organizations need to be able to process more transactions with fewer resources. Many factors - the implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or line-of-business system, increased sales, additional vendors and suppliers, more paperwork - can drive the need to either add resources or identify workflow inefficiencies. The following organizational "pains" force the need for BPM:

• An increase in the number of vendor or customer invoices
• Inability to integrate processes with the organization's ERP system
• Customer and trading partner dissatisfaction
• Errors and inaccurate postings
• Lack of filing and document storage space
• Lengthy cycle times, which can result in missed early-pay vendor discounts, increased days sales outstanding, and excessive exception handling
• High staff turnover due to frustration with manual systems
• Inability to deal with "out of tolerance" transactions

Enterprises that continue to hard-code all flow control, or insist on manual process steps and don't incorporate BPM's benefits, will lose out to competitors. To address a number of these pains, and to improve operations, organizations are implementing workflow or process automation software. During the implementation of workflow software, companies are encouraged to carefully describe and model their business processes, redefining steps and cutting the fat along the way.

Workflow software is more than just the electronic queuing and automation of the steps in a process. It often involves changing the process - how people do their jobs - from start to finish. Workflow software is an excellent enabler for changing business processes, primarily because the software is so flexible and easy to tweak, adapt, and overhaul. Workflow software is also great for identifying problems in a process. It can be a diagnostic tool that helps determine if your business processes are effective or not.

Traditional manual methods can be redefined to gain improved efficiencies by modeling the steps in the process and using innovative workflow products. Business modeling has led to new procedures in departments such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, customer service, human resources, loan applications, and claims/benefits processing. By implementing comprehensive workflow software, each of these areas has been able to leverage the value of their ERP systems, reduce labor resource requirements, decrease collection time and fees, and improve customer and partner satisfaction.

Additionally, imaging technology allows users - internal or remote - to capture, store and manage all of the documents and data associated with business transactions. Users need not be concerned about the format or source of documents and can access all of the information directly from their desktops.

One Working Example
In a strategic initiative to streamline its record keeping and to improve its customer service, SARGENT Manufacturing implemented imaging and workflow software to manage their extensive number of company records and documents. As a manufacturer of architectural hardware, SARGENT is required to maintain records of all key and security products and systems for the lifetime of the building for which they were produced.

Using imaging software, SARGENT now securely stores and can easily access documents associated with a customer's account. Customer service representatives can respond to customer inquiries promptly by accessing information electronically - information previously stored in file cabinets or microfilm. Using workflow software, SARGENT has completely automated the accounts payable approval process. SARGENT's processes overall are more efficient and both their vendors and customers have seen significant improvements in their service organizations.

Conclusion
Organizations will reap significant savings by defining and flowcharting current document management processes and addressing the challenges associated with the volume, storage, and control of filed information. After identifying what needs to be captured and who needs access to it, organizations will be in an excellent position to recommend an automated solution that offers a compelling return on investment in a short amount of time. Implementing the right processes and making a technology investment in imaging and workflow software can provide organizations with the competitive advantage necessary in today's economic environment.