Human Resources: Esker Launches Sales Order Automation Solution as a Service

Madison, WI – April 8, 2010 – Esker, the leader in document process automation solutions, today announced the release of a new SaaS (software as a service) solution to automate sales order processing. This new solution from Esker offers companies a real alternative to traditional software for cost reduction and productivity improvement — via a simple Internet connection.

Despite the arrival and maturity of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) and other business data exchange formats, a majority of companies are still receiving sales orders by fax or email. Given the multitude of media delivery methods available today (fax, email, postal mail, EDI, etc.), processing sales orders continues to be increasingly complex and still constitutes a critical process in terms of respecting customer commitments, boosting sales revenue, and creating competitive advantages.

"Many companies, such as Whirlpool, the BASF Group, MEDRAD (Bayer Group), and Honeywell ED&S, have already automated their sales order processing using our solution. Our expertise, and a proven track record in the SaaS market, allows us to offer this new on-demand solution and address all companies regardless of size,” said Jean-Michel Bérard, CEO of Esker.

Targeting customer management groups (Accounting, Operations, Sales Administration, Customer Service, etc.), this new on-demand solution offers end-to-end process automation including:

- Automatic sales order reception via a fax number included with the solution, email or EDI format.

- Automatic data extraction: Data is captured automatically from the sales order. OCR technology is used to capture images from faxes or text PDF documents.

- Automatic order routing: Orders are transferred automatically to the correct owner based on the customer, the product line, and/or the priority.

- Workflow validation and processing: Orders are transferred to the owner for validation or automatically analyzed and moved into the ERP application if no exceptions are detected by the solution.

- Tracking and reporting: The solution offers managers and users real-time availability of order status and transaction data; along with reporting tools to analyze average processing times, individual performance of team members, volume and other metrics.

- Archiving: Orders are automatically archived in electronic format and available online for 10 years.

By eliminating manual order entry, an automated sales order processing solution offers an immediate return on investment. Companies are able to:

Lower order-to-cash process costs by up to 70%
Receive and enter customer orders up to 65% faster
Improve cash flow and lower Days Sales Outstanding
Reduce stored data costs by electronic archiving
Increase data entry accuracy by as much as 99%
Reduce order errors and fulfillment delays
Help increase customer satisfaction levels
Free-up staff time by as much as 65%
Access reporting and analysis to balance workloads and identify process bottlenecks

According to Forrester Consulting, who conducted a commissioned study on behalf of Esker in 2009 of a multinational company using the sales order processing solution from Esker, the return on investment was achieved in less than 11 months after deployment, with estimated savings of more than $5 million. The study emphasized gains in productivity, reduced paper usage and reduced off-site document storage.

Price: Starting at 60 cents per sales order, including processing and long-term archiving (price based on volume).

About Esker

Esker is a recognized leader in helping organizations reduce the use of paper, eliminate manual processes and simplify IT landscapes. With its comprehensive platform, Esker delivers the benefits of automated document processing as on-demand services (SaaS) and on-premise solutions. Customers achieve significant operational efficiencies, cost savings and ROI in as little as three to six months while gaining visibility and control within order-to-cash and procure-to-pay business processes ranging from sales order management and accounts receivable to purchasing and accounts payable. Founded in 1985, Esker operates globally with more than 80,000 customers and millions of licensed users worldwide. Esker has global headquarters in Lyon, France and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.esker.com. Follow Esker on Twitter and join the conversation attwitter.com/eskerinc.