Articles, Q&A, News and Views

The term ‘outsourcing’ has, until recently, been primarily associated with cost savings, especially in human capital. China and India are often mentioned as preferred outsourcing destinations for multi-national organisations and are cited as the most cost-effective; with big enterprises, mainly in manufacturing, moving whole operations as a way to increase profitability.

However, outsourcing an operation to offices on the other side of the world is not a viable choice for SMEs, or for organisations wishing to outsource just one or two business functions. A far better option for these cases is ‘nearshoring’, which still offers lower overheads than locally-based staffing, but has none of the distance or language pitfalls associated with offshoring.

Why outsource to begin with?

Outsourcing can be a crucial strategic direction for start-up companies to take. It is a common misconception that an organisation needs to be of a certain size to outsource … but consider the following benefits:

• The capital of start-up organisations is limited. By outsourcing some of their functions, they can reallocate much-needed funds to business development and innovation. Cost savings are realised not only in lower salaries, but also in assets and overheads.
• Embracing non-core, but necessary, business functions as a service, gives a competitive advantage to any business, which is vital for start-ups.
• By having an outsourcing provider, start-ups can minimise risk significantly. They pay for the service, the provider takes care of the rest and there are no future maintenance costs for infrastructure.

The above benefits are, of course, relevant to any size of organisation. Companies that have already tried outsourcing are now increasingly opting for a more bundled approach, i.e. outsourcing a number of different functions to the same provider. This approach yields substantial savings and well-informed sourcing decisions are easier to make. With the current economic pressures, multi-process outsourcing allows organisations not only to save, but also to add value. Whether it is by increased service offerings or improved client flexibility, such intelligent business transformation may be imperative for outperforming the competition.

So, outsourcing is a low-risk, scalable, multi-service expansion of business that is cost-effective, transparent, and helps you reach your strategic goals … but there are many people who are still reluctant to welcome such an approach. Changing the nature of how a business runs is not easy and can be risky. Outsourcing, however, mitigates the fear of failure, providing a proven model for business expansion, transforming businesses globally.

More Information

To find out more about nearshoring your business functions, click here to visit our Business Process Outsourcing site, email sales@processflows.co.uk, or call us on 01962 835053.

With loss of data by organisations featuring in the news more and more frequently, it begs the question … how do you manage your data?

It was recently announced that 132 local authorities have admitted to losing sensitive data in the past three years.

Buckinghamshire County Council and Kent County Council were the worst offenders, each acknowledging that 72 data loss incidents took place between August 2008 and August 2011.

Some incidents were more serious than others and at least 35 councils lost information about children in their care. (http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2127193/loss-epidemic-uk-local-authorities)

Using ProcessFlows’ document management solutions, you could help to make sure that your data is much more secure. Our OpenText Alchemy and OnBase solutions have secure document repositories and information stores with Credential Management Systems, meaning that staff are only given access to what they’re allowed to see.

Please click here to see how Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council used our document management solutions to not only improve the security of their documents but also;

• Import approximately 500,000 planning & building control files containing letters, maps and photographs into the system – meaning they were safe from damage or loss
• Reclaim prime office space previously used for more than 30 cabinets of planning files, taking up two entire rooms
• Gained a Return on Investment within the first 12 months
• Achieved Government ‘best value service targets’, aided by access times to documents being reduced from 30 minutes to less than five seconds per document

If you would like any more information on how ProcessFlows could help your organisation become more efficient at managing your data, please contact us on 01962 835053 or email enquiries@processflows.co.uk.

Due to the technological advancements of recent years, we have dramatically changed the way in which we work. Mobile devices have swamped the market and have established increased productivity and flexibility outside of the workplace. At last, work is starting to be seen as an activity, not a location and greater number of employees are being moved to the mobile working model.

It is not just remote email access that makes us more efficient –  Being able to connect to key systems and company data on the go undoubtedly revolutionises the way we engage and the way we are engaged with. In many cases, employees are no longer obliged to stay in the office if they have a mobile device that can easily allow them to do their work wherever they are. We are now seeing much more streamlined integration of business applications into the mobile world, enabling a deeper level of functionality and security in mobile platforms, the benefits being:

• Full access to all business critical systems and data wherever you are, resulting in better and quicker decision making
• Enhanced productivity as employees can work wherever they are, eg whilst travelling to and from meetings
• Flexibility of working hours and the capability to work from home, during bad weather for example

This new pattern of work has established portable devices as indispensable business accessories. Moreover, businesses are welcoming such changes as they bring significant benefits in terms of costs, growth and improved customer service.

But are there any downsides to working remotely? Opponents may argue that carrying your office around may leave employees disconnected. Everyone would also probably agree that working from home, for example, requires a very disciplined approach. The multiple distractions surrounding us outside the office environment may be difficult to ignore, thus affecting one’s productivity. In addition, work functions may begin to intrude on our private lives, effecting our relationships and our health.

When the Cloud and Mobile working was first introduced, there were many sceptics but amongst its proponents; there was a Field of Dreams – ‘build it and they will come’ attitude which is beginning to be proven correct. However, what is becoming clear is that along with these new working environments, we will increasingly feel the need for new working practices and guidelines to safeguard both employer and employee.

To find out more on Mobile Working and the latest technological developments that can assist your mobile working life, please join us on our Moving to Mobile Working Webinar - Click here to register your interest.

Manual faxing is an inefficient, costly and environmentally wasteful technology, so why not move to electronic fax?

By replacing traditional standalone fax machines with a Fax over IP (FoIP) virtualised solution – the original ‘Green’ technology for reducing the carbon footprint – you will reduce paper consumption, as well as save time and resources.

OpenText RightFax is the world leader in fax server software. It automates the flow of fax, paper and electronic documents; eliminating the need  for paper-based delivery, stand-alone fax machines and associated maintenance.

For more information please contact us on 01962 835053 or email  enquiries@processflows.co.uk.

MiFID l (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) has recently been upgraded to MiFID ll

MiFID ll sets out to improve the way financial organisations manage, store and report their information, thereby enhancing investor protection and strengthening market confidence.

The implications are that anyone in the financial industry already operating under MiFID l, will need to review their existing technology infrastructure and process flows to make sure they comply with the ‘tightened’ new directive on the handling of data.

For those who previously fell outside MiFID l (such as commodities traders), it’s time to start thinking about setting up the necessary infrastructure to support the new compliance initiatives, as you are now included under MiFID ll.

How much money and time you need to spend getting ‘up to speed’ will depend on how your firm is currently structured and if you have the expertise to implement and run the infrastructure changes in-house.

If you don’t, we can help you make sense of the compliance implications.  ProcessFlows understand business process change.  We have extensive experience and expertise in improving back office functions.

After finding out how your business ‘ticks’, we will come up with a solution – based around your existing information/IT systems – which secures your transactional and sensitive data whilst it is being processed, shared and finally stored.

Our technology maintains meticulous records and audit trails.  It provides administrators with a clear view of who accessed what documents and when so you can prove that records either were or were not, destroyed.

We will help you optimise your workflow and increase efficiencies.

The final result could be that you end up working so much more efficiently and effectively – as well as being compliant – that any costs incurred overhauling your system are clawed back within a few months.

For more information please contact us on 01962 835053 or email enquiries@processflows.co.uk

In MPS or print management projects, one of the quickest and most measureable cost savings efforts is focused around device consolidation. It is hard to find an organisation today that doesn’t have an excessive amount of personal printers, or old equipment, that can be eliminated entirely or replaced by modern technology.

Equitrac customers are no exception to this:

• KeyBank reduced their print fleet from 12,000 devices to 3,000
• Liverpool John Moores University went from 750 print/copy or fax devices down to 250
• Peirce College had 50-60 personal printers and 15 MFPs and reduced that number to 20 new MFPs

This list goes on and on, and this ratio of at least a 3:1 reduction in devices is very common. And the cost savings are dramatic when you consider how expensive desktop printers are to operate, manage and maintain. The evidence is so compelling that it is hard to believe that every company wouldn’t jump at the chance to recognise the savings and start pulling out every desktop printer in their organisation.

What’s stopping them? User resistance. Perhaps you’ve heard one of these excuses:

• “You can’t take my printer, I won’t be as productive”
• “I have this printer because I print confidential information”
• “Why do you want to take this, I purchase my ink and just expense it. It’s not an IT issue or expense.”
• “I only print small jobs on this printer. How much can it really cost?”

There are a variety of approaches to helping overcome this user resistance and paving the way for behaviour change. First and foremost is communication. Demonstrate the reason that you are asking to take away a printer. Show reports on how much an employee is costing the company. Talk about the benefits to the environment by printing on more efficient devices. And explain that you are providing new tools and better technology that will actually improve their experience.

It is those tools and improved technology that will really make the case. With more modern print hardware you can deliver a better quality printed page, faster printing for large jobs and offer colour printing to the people who need it at a more affordable price. Using secure print technology like Follow-You Printing can alleviate the concerns over confidentiality since no job is released until the user authenticates at the device. And intelligent print rules & routing software takes the burden off of the user to decide which printer is best for each print job…they just hit print and a pop-up window will give them options of where to print the job and the associated costs. A modern print infrastructure will help employees be more productive, documents be more secure, and IT be able to focus on strategic activities…not printer support.

Finally, go back to communication. After six months, let employees know that the company has saved thousands of dollars thanks to their changed print behaviour. Let them know about the tens of acres of trees that were not cut to produce paper they would have used. Reinforcing the difference they are making will spread and help continue to drive print behaviour improvements.

So…don’t hesitate to initiate a printer consolidation strategy. Most customers that I talk to said that at the onset they had employees who put up a fight. But everyone expressed that because they communicated early and often, and implemented the right technology, those grumblings stopped and users quickly realised that change was a good thing. Just don’t expect them to raise their hand and say “take my printer”.

For more information please contact us on 01962 835053 or email enquiries@processflows.co.uk

The Director of Public Prosecutions has committed to making the Crown Prosecution Service entirely digital by April 2012.

Keir Starmer QC has said that the criminal justice system needs to move away from paper-based systems and transform the way criminal cases are handled. By April 2012, information will be passed digitally from the police to the CPS and sent over secure email to the defence.

The CPS is already moving forward using technology to prosecute. For example; the early guilty plea pilot in Liverpool, in which files are presented digitally; Winchester Crown court, where evidence is presented on laptops in court; and Dyfed Powys, where advanced information is served electronically. (http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/cps-go-paperless-april-says-starmer)

Alex Marshall, Chief Constable of Hampshire Police also highlighted that courts becoming paperless would save police time, as Police Officers could take evidence electronically using iPads or Blackberrys and those files could be sent straight to the court.

An Inquest, at Winchester Crown Court is currently relying on a photocopy with some pages missing. The inquest heard the document was given to the Independent Police Complaints Commission on the day of the crime, but the police watchdog has been unable to find it.

This substantial change in methods is going to involve considerable process change in the submission of evidence; from hand written statements, forms, emails, word processed documents, photographic evidence and police incident notes. However the benefits easily out-weigh the cost of change.

Where documents were previously photocopied many times for the distribution and sharing of evidence and case notes, this will be replaced by converting paper files – e.g. written and signed statements- to image. Similarly the addition of native files such as MS Word documents, XML based electronic forms and photographs and videos (in many formats) all need to be captured and stored.

But conversion is not enough, since each item has to be suitably and accurately classified and identified and easily retrievable in court. Not only does the Judge, Defence and Prosecution need to be able to find, view and identify key documents and phrases, but the jurors may also need to simultaneously be able to access the same information. So this requires new ways to present evidence and reports for analysis and assessment.

Furthermore, it may be necessary to ‘flag’ key documents for the jury to assess in their deliberations. But, on the contrary, there is no physical limit to the amount of information that can be accessed by both parties.

So, there is much to consider in this desire to migrate to digital working. All the above is deliverable with suitable process analysis and change management. This is already happening in the USA using our premier product OnBase – http://www.hyland.com/news/newsitemdetails/11-11-01/cobb_county_georgia_chooses_onbase.aspx. Here digitally collected evidence is directly up loaded to the case files.

This is the core business of ProcessFlows, where we continually take paper out of processes, making them far more efficient at the same time.

For more information please contact us on 01962 835053 or email enquiries@processflows.co.uk

Today is World Paper Free Day.

Research shows that we will have close to 10x more information in 2011 compared to 2006, which means that organisations with paper-based processes and archiving will drown in paper. (AIIM – http://www.aiim.org/events/paper-free-day)

Last year over 57,000 people participated in AIIM’s Paper Free Day – Are you taking part today?

How to take part:

1. Conscientiously make a point to not print
2. Investigate a business process or technology that can cut the paper waste in your office
3. Participate in or produce a local Paper Free Day event

We can help you investigate a business process or technology for any sector, as we have several solutions that can not only cut the amount of paper going around your organisation, they can simplify processes, reduce manual data entry and provide increased control.

Please click here to see our range of solutions or here to read a selection of our case studies across the many different sectors we have helped.

If you would like any further information, please contact us on 01962 835053 or email enquiries@processflows.co.uk.

The lifecycle of a paper document used to be simple

A document originated on paper (like a form) or was printed out. That document than lived in a labelled file folder and was stored in a drawer, filing cabinet or even off-site storage – depending on how often it needed to be accessed.

When information from the document was needed, it was retrieved from storage – copied if necessary – interacted with, then returned to storage when completed. This was a repeatable, known process and worked fine, although using paper as the permanent record often led to very slow, inefficient processing of information and is prone to errors and loss.

A number of years ago, electronic document management changed the nature of paper from a permanent record to a medium for short-term interaction. Paper storage isn’t completely a thing of the past, particularly in regulated industries and government, but many of the permanent records of information are now kept electronically.

While you would expect that this change in workflows would reduce the amount of paper that is generated, this isn’t occurring. Instead, the evolution of paper from a permanent record to a short-term interaction with information has just changed how paper is used – not how much.
In fact, this shift has resulted in a document being printed far more times from its electronic master, compared with legacy paper filing systems. Why?

There is a preference by many people to use paper to interact with information.

Users print the document, use it, then most of the time discard it. The next time it is needed … you guessed it; it is printed again and discarded again.

This may evolve over time as tablets and mobile devices make people more comfortable working with information on screen vs. paper, but we aren’t there yet. So, with most business processes still reliant on paper output for records, transactions or simply for better readability (Gartner, 2011), the best approach to is to help users print smarter with print management. Apply print policies to ensure that when a document is printed it is printed securely and to the most cost effective device. Track print usage and let users know how much they are printing and how much it costs, they’ll be surprised at how many times they print and we’ve seen dramatic decreases just from that awareness. And give them the tools to make better printing decisions, such as pop-up alerts that recommend a re-direct of print jobs to more efficient printers.

Even as its use as a permanent record is declining, paper isn’t going anywhere, but the use of paper can be managed with significant cost, security and workflow improvement results.

If you would like any further information on our print management solution, please contact us on 01962 835053 or email enquiries@processflows.co.uk.

Fireco Ltd customer Kensington and Chelsea College has installed Deaf Message Service (DMS), a fire safety product that informs deaf or hard of hearing people via SMS if the fire alarm sounds in a public place, in an effort to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing students, staff and visitors are safe and secure whilst on the premises.

The DMS unit can be easily installed in under half an hour. When the fire alarm sounds, a text message is sent to the mobile phone of connected users to let them know the fire alarm is sounding. The user’s mobile is connected to DMS by sending one text with the relevant location code, they are then registered under that location and will be sent a text should the fire alarm sound.

DMS also helps service providers and employers comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, allowing deaf and hard of hearing people the freedom to move around buildings without worry of missing an emergency situation.

DMS allows deaf or hard of hearing people to use what they already have with them; a mobile phone.

Read the full Kensington and Chelsea College story on the Fireco website.

Please click here to read our full DMS development case study.

If you would like any further information, please contact us on 01962 835053 or email enquiries@processflows.co.uk.