The problem.
Business processes can be complex. The more steps in a process, the more different people play a role in it, the more different systems are deployed, and the more manual actions have to be performed, the more error-prone that process becomes.
And that’s not all: it becomes even more complex if an end-to-end process also crosses its own company boundaries.
Mistakes lead to a process that stalls.
A complex process may result in mistakes that the different people who play a role in it can make on many different occasions. The possible consequence of it all? The process stalls. At that moment it becomes necessary to find out where in the process a mistake was made. If the error is found, it must be corrected, until the next error occurs. This is all very time-consuming, costly and it distracts from what really matters.
The process of maintenance services.
A typical process with the mentioned characteristics is the process of purchasing, delivering and paying for maintenance services. The process itself cannot be eliminated. If a maintenance organization lacks people or knowledge, it will have to acquire them.
The process starts with a work planner who, during the work preparation, determines that an external firm is needed. The work to be done must be described thoroughly, and possibly a quotation process must be started. Then an order must be placed which, depending on the estimated costs, must be approved. The client must attach the necessary documents to the order. Not only delivery conditions and safety regulations, but also drawings and other technical documents that the intended external company needs to be able to carry out the work.
The assignment to the external company goes through an order, which may be attached to a contract. It must also be clear whether it concerns a fixed price or if the work is carried out on a cost-plus basis. The external company links its sales order to the assignment and based on that an invoice is drawn up later. But first the job has to be planned in detail and then it has to be executed.
During the job itself additional work can be assigned, which is typical for a maintenance process. The work orders that are made during the process and at the end of the job must be signed by the client and the external company, because they form the foundation for the invoice. Invoices (or partial invoices) must be checked by the client before the payment can be made. Perhaps a procedure for any additional work must be started before the invoice can be processed. In all these steps of the process, costly mistakes can be made. But thanks to UnITe that risk is a thing of the past.
The solution.
Nurizon’s solution streamlines the process described above by sending all communication back and forth via a portal.
An Order Request, created within SAP EAM, is imported into the portal and there it is prepared and made ‘ready for order’. Relevant changes to the Order Request (e.g. the execution date) are written back in SAP EAM. After approval, the statement is published in the list for the external firm. In that environment, work orders and invoices are linked to the assignment before they go back to the client. But this doesn’t just concern work orders and invoices. All other documents that must be provided by the external company, such as inspection reports, are linked to the assignment/client as well.
Documents and invoices are processed by the client and automatically converted into goods received and then into an invoice, possibly after going through an additional work procedure if the system settings require such an action. Upon approval, the documents supplied by the external company are stored on the designated location.
Streamlining complex processes.
By doing so, Nurizon simplifies a complex process into a streamlined process in which no mistakes can be made. The handling time and therefore the cost of an order for maintenance services can thus be reduced by more than 50%.
The main advantages:
- Error-free business processes
- 50% less handling time
- 50% less costs