VIEWPOINT The hidden key to customer experience When you get your digital documents in order, you can uncover ways to enrich your customers’ experience and create value Good document management is often overlooked or left to homegrown systems, but it’s not clear why. Shouldn’t your customers’ experience with your documents be as high-quality as their experience with your products? Thoughtful choices here can set you up to win. We met Steel Warehouse, a global steel processing company, when it was in the process of deploying Microsoft Dynamics 365. In a typical day, the company might deal with 300,000 tons of steel. Of course, it wanted to cut costs and streamline its internal processes. But it also knew that providing outstanding customer service would improve existing customer retention rates and help it close more high-quality business deals. One of the ways Steel Warehouse did this was by launching the ‘Steel Solutions’ customer portal, which is powered by Microsoft Dynamics and Formpipe’s Autoform DM. Now Steel Warehouse can pull data with ease, personalise it and present it to the customer on demand via the portal. As the business-toconsumer buying experience focuses on the individual buying experience, we need to adapt in the business-to-business space as well. When an individual is able to source something online within a few clicks, they begin to expect a version of that experience at work too. Similarly, we began working with AGC Chemicals, the world’s top manufacturer of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, after it had adopted Dynamics. In this case the company’s small team needed to create highly specialised accurate documents for the intensely regulated chemical manufacturing industry. Every document AGC Chemicals generates out of the enterprise resource planning system now goes through Lasernet, before it is printed or sent to customers or suppliers. One of the processes that has been majorly improved using Lasernet is producing certificates of analysis – vital documents that accompany sales orders to verify product quality. They are no longer a bottleneck because employees can create these documents easily. Document management can be a strategic advantage if you allow it. Take a second look at your documents. My guess is you’re leaving all kinds of value on that table. As a member of the Microsoft partner ecosystem, we’re here to help you identify and capitalise on this value. Find out more about the Steel Warehouse success story on page 142 Mike Rogers is executive vice president at Formpipe MIKE ROGERS: FORMPIPE Photo: Steel Warehouse Steel Warehouse has streamlined business operations and customer service with solutions from Formpipe and Microsoft 115
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