Invoice+ Process Automation for BPO
The Cloud-based solution which
is perfect for BPO - Scalability,
Mobility, Flexibility
Challenges
Focus on business process outsourcing (BPO) has increased significantly over recent years. In order to remain competitive, the BPO has to find new customers, increase business volume, whilst decreasing costs. The BPO also has to extend its reach into new markets.
The traditional software system requires additional software licenses when the business grows but there is no way to “return” or “put-on-hold” license fees if business activities reduces. In some cases, the hardware requirements scale up as well. However, the hard-ware remains and the licenses are under-utilized when business is quiet. Nevertheless, the BPO has to purchase and maintain software licenses based on the peak periods, not the low seasons.
How do you ensure you have sufficient resources for business peak periods, without risking underutilization during the quiet periods? The answer is obvious. Pay-per-use.
Software-as-a-service has become increasingly popular in recent years as organizations outsource their back office operations to BPOs like yourself. However, in order to remain on top of the game, BPOs have to provide efficient services and remain competitive in terms of service charges.
How do you do more with less?
For the BPO involved in invoice processing, the key is to empower and enable your customer’s vendors to do as much of the work as possible before it arrives at your doorstep, so to speak.
Vendors from all over the world scan their invoices using different types of scanners, often not being very conscientious in terms of output quality, image resolution, or whether the recipient is able to properly read and process the information. After all, scanning of invoices can be a mundane task and image quality is not always given priority.
However, this poses a significant challenge when the invoices arrive at the BPO for processing. Not
only do poor quality images cause issues with recognition and validation, often the BPO has to contact the individual vendor(s) to res-can the invoices that are not legible. Needless to say, this often leads to an endless charade of emails, phone calls, and multiple rounds of follow-up; which equates higher transaction costs, lower daily production capacity as well as lower project margin.
Benefits at a Glance
Fast setup and deployment for the BPO
Invoice+ for BPO’s simple configuration facilitates a fast setup without involving costly IT resources and time. Hit the ground running in a matter of hours, not days!
Designed for the BPO’s unique 3-party relationship model
Invoice+ for BPO has been cleverly designed to enable an easy 3-party onboarding experience – i.e. firstly, for you, the BPO; sec-ondly, for your customers (hereafter referred to as “customers”); and thirdly, for your customer’s vendors (i.e. the vendors who send the invoices to the BPO’s customers, hereafter referred to as “vendors”). Adding new customers and vendors is a simple process, effectively done via an electronic onboarding process.
Easy vendor onboarding
Existing vendors can immediately start sending their invoices with Invoice+ for BPO once your customer’s onboarding process has been completed. New vendors, thereafter, are easily registered and informed on an individual basis through a simple email.
Ensure vendor cooperation
Due to confidentiality concerns, some of your customers face challenges in terms of getting their vendors to submit their in-voices directly to the BPO. With Invoice+ for BPO, the application can be white-labelled with your customer’s logo and embed-ded into their website. Their vendors, once registered, will see all user interfaces with the logo of your choice and within their website.
Value Proposition
Invoice+ for BPO is the perfect solution for BPOs.
By setting scanner settings centrally for all existing vendors, images are automatically scanned in the correct resolution as required by the BPO. The application also provides predetermined drop-down options for document types, so that this information is already ob-tained when it arrives at the BPO for processing. You can also preset mandatory fields, for instance, the company registration number or the invoice number, to ensure that this is obtained beforehand.
Onboarding of new vendors is simple and fuss-free, with Invoice+ for BPO. New vendors receive an email with a hyperlink that takes them through some simple steps. Subsequent scans will incorporate your centrally predetermined settings and mandatory fields. This enhances the vendor’s work experience and the BPO’s as well.
With Invoice+ for BPO, the embedded capture capabilities also enable your vendors to scan from their web browser or existing line-of-business software directly into your Invoice+ for BPO application. Vendors can also scan from their mobile phones, using the Invoice+ for BPO app. Invoice+ for BPO supports mobile users on iOS, Android, and/or Windows.
CumulusPro’s mobile app is a unique value proposition to the BPO. Markets the BPO could not service due to small volumes spread across large and widespread geographic areas now become a new market that they can now penetrate – as transportation costs are no longer a limitation! The BPO’s business potential has been increased significantly because they now have a larger customer base to target. With CumulusPro’s flexible pricing, the BPO is entitled to unlimited scan and validation stations. The latter have been designed for intel-ligent and fast corrections. With no limitations on the number of stations, the BPO can have people validate from any location world-wide and can even assign validation to your customers.
Recognize significant returns-on-investment from the savings gained from a cloud solution. Eliminate the capital investments. Elimi-nate training costs. ElimiElimi-nate maintenance costs. And brand the Invoice+ for BPO application with your company logo and branding. Become part of the CumulusPro ecosystem, thus benefitting from the service offerings of other ecosystem members. Similarly,
pro-Scalability – No limits on scan stations, including mobile scans
When your customer and business volume grows, the number of scan stations will increase as well. We get that, and there is no charge for additional scan stations. There are also no client-based license fees. Your business is free to grow, without a corresponding cost increase.
Mobility
Invoice+ for BPO places no restrictions on the number of CumulusPro mobile app used. CumulusPro’s mobile app is available from iTunes or Google Play Store free-of-charge. Previously, the BPO could not profitably service certain markets because of the small volumes which are spread across large and widespread geographic areas. With the mobile app, which works on any smart mobile devices, they can now penetrate these markets as transportation costs are no longer a limitation!
Flexible pricing
With flexible pricing and no volume restrictions, our application is perfect for the growing BPO business. There is no minimum volume because we understand the BPO business, and the volume spikes and lows that are inevitable. Should your customers decide to prematurely terminate the contract, there is no lock-in period from us. As such, risks of sunk costs – as faced with traditional licensing arrange-ments – are effectively eliminated.
Pay-per-scan
Eliminate the capital investments for hardware and software license costs. With no upfront fees, CumulusPro’s Software-as-a-Service enables you to pay-per-transac-tion. There are no extra charges just because it’s captured from the CumulusPro mobile app.
Leverage knowledge at the source
Vendors who create the invoices are most familiar with the invoices they handle. Empower them with self-serve features, e.g. to enter required company- or country-specific data, for instance, business registration number, document type, and etc.
Visibility
Regain and retain complete control and visibility with management dashboards and real-time usage reports.
Cloud-based solution which is perfect for the BPO
Resource management is no longer an issue, despite the inevitable project spikes and quiet periods that come with any BPO business. Pay only for what you use without concerns about hardware and software licenses. Furthermore, whilst previ-ously there were limitations on location because of the cost of moving documents
physically, having a truly cloud-based solution means getting rid of this constraint once and for all. Your customers and their vendors can scan or upload their invoices from anywhere in the world. New vendors – once provided with the URL, user ID and password – can start scanning invoices to you. All that is required is an Internet browser and a PC/Mac connected with a scanner. No need for costly IT infrastruc-ture and expensive maintenance or upgrades.
Guaranteed image quality by “Controlled home scanning”
Many BPOs struggle with invoices of poor image quality, odd sizes, file formats, and colors; resulting from varied scanning software used by their customers and their vendors. Manage your scan settings centrally. Predetermine required settings for color, images, scan resolution. You can even predetermine document classifica-tions, significantly reducing the validation process, and also leaving less room for error.
Enhance customer experience
Accepts multi-channel inputs, i.e. web and mobile uploads, as well as email attach-ments. Your customers do not have to bother with physical documents, and they do not need to bother with scan settings, as you can manage these centrally.
Enhance user experience
Gone are the days that you have to send a technical resource onsite at the differ-ent multiple capture sites so that the vendors of your customers can scan invoices directly. With Invoice+ for BPO, all they need now is an Internet connection, any scanner* and a PC/Mac with a web browser.
Seamless integration
Export functionalities support any ERP format, including CSV, and XML. Tighter integration can be achieved with some development work.
System Requirements
Supported browsers: Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 and above.
Supported scanners: ALL TWAIN-compatible scanners* and multi-function devices. Supported operating systems:
• Mac OS X Version 10.7 and above, Windows XP, Windows 7 and above. • Mobile application: iOS 7 and above, Android Jelly Bean 4.1 and above.
Win-dows mobile version to be released soon. Other requirements: Internet connection.
A Sneak Peek
Rapid deployment:
Cloud-based deployment; Eliminate IT costs and reduce time-to-market.
Great vendor experience:
Zero learning curve, intuitive user interface, collaborative features, role-defined features and functionalities.
Efficiency with empowerment:
Empower vendors to upload invoices with preset scanner settings and mandatory fields, centrally controlled by the BPO.
Flexible pricing:
No volume restrictions, unlimited scan and validation stations. No additional costs for mobile app.
Visibility:
Visibility of status of invoices in-process, report generation.
Collaboration:
Real-time chat and broadcast. Secure email notifications for external parties.
Workflow-driven:
Rule-based approvals and intelligent routing (e.g. to manage low-value or validated invoices differently).
Accountability:
A historical view of each user’s com-ments for every invoice as it progresses through each stage of the approval process.
Regional, yet local:
Supports multi-country invoice processing business rules. Ensure compliance to accounting rules and
regulations as applicable in different countries.
Multiple languages:
Supports processing of invoices in multiple languages.
Robust:
Supports intercompany invoices, dif-ferent VAT rates, checks and validates amounts.
Intelligent interface:
Releases data captured into your exist-ing back-end systems.
Device independent:
Apple and Windows users can col-laborate seamlessly without difficulty. Supports mobile users on iOS and/or Android. Windows mobile version to be released soon.
Mobility:
Invoices captured by the CumulusPro app are optimized for processing when uploaded to the invoice automation platform.
External users:
A secure hyperlink enables external stakeholders (your vendors) to scan their invoices directly into Invoice+.
Security:
Security is assured by ensuring that all communications between serves, web and mobile applications are constantly updated and developed with the latest encryption methods.
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