The Details behind “The DocuSphere Difference” for Accounts Payable Automation from Image Integration Systems
Over the past 18 years, Image Integration Systems (IIS) has worked with hundreds of customers and has continued to hone its focus with its DocuSphere solution suite for accounts payable automation. Based on those experiences, we have accumulated the key reasons our customers have chosen to do business with us and summarized that rationale as “The DocuSphere Difference: The preeminent connected, business-driven AP automation solution – delivered by experienced people for a fixed fee.”
The purpose of this article is to reflect on the details behind “The DocuSphere Difference”, so let’s dissect the message to understand more about the specifics that make up The DocuSphere Difference. To do so, we’ll focus on four key aspects of the message: connected, business-driven, experienced people, and fixed fee.
Connected
First, relative to “connected,” one of the key aspects of DocuSphere is in its integration with the ERP systems with which it works. Using JD Edwards as a representative ERP system with which DocuSphere works, DocuSphere’s integration is standards based, meaning that it leverages the JD Edwards published standards for integration. DocuSphere’s data reads are done in a non-intrusive manner, meaning that it respects the integrity of the data itself as maintained by the ERP system; and, when DocuSphere creates data to be used within JD Edwards (i.e., when creating vouchers for payment), it does so by leveraging standard processes such as Z files, EDI files, and Web services. Furthermore, DocuSphere’s integration with JD Edwards is bidirectional, meaning that users within JD Edwards can punch out with a simple command or click of the mouse to review associated workflow and document information from within context in JD Edwards from various areas of the application including Journal Voucher Review.
Image Integration Systems has validated its JD Edwards integration with Oracle through Oracle’s PartnerNetwork Applications Integration Initiative. Through this initiative, DocuSphere’s integration has been tested and validated by Oracle technical resources. The benefit to customers of acquiring Oracle validated solutions like DocuSphere is that those solutions have improved risk management and smoother upgrade capability. As a result, customers achieve a lower total cost of ownership and greater overall satisfaction.
Still focusing on “connected,” customers can leverage DocuSphere Advanced Capture or other industry-leading advanced capture solutions (i.e., Kofax, AnyDoc, etc.) for intelligent, learn-by-example optical character recognition (OCR) – the technology which automatically extracts data from a printed document (i.e., an invoice) and makes that data available to the business process without requiring a user to key that data. Learn-by-example OCR relies upon techniques that automatically determine how to extract data from a document through a training process. This training process involves gathering sample invoices and “showing” the system where the data is by clicking on a document image. This approach works with semi-structured documents such as invoices and generates a business-specific knowledge base. In contrast, template-based OCR requires customers to define explicit layouts (or templates) for given document types and trading partners (i.e., invoice format for a specific vendor) that are rigid in nature. Template-based OCR comes up short when one has many suppliers or is often adding new suppliers. Generally speaking, if there would be a need for more than 50-100 templates, the maintenance process for template-based OCR becomes unwieldy at best.
Finally regarding “connected,” customers can leverage DocuSphere’s inherent content management functionality (DocuSphere Content Manager) for their enterprise repository, or can use DocuSphere Repository Connectors to leverage other common enterprise repositories (i.e., SharePoint, Documentum, etc.). Either way, accounts payable content is managed and delivered to DocuSphere Workflow as dictated by the accounts payable process and to serve ad-hoc requirements. Should there be multiple repositories in use within an enterprise, DocuSphere can be used to perform a federated search, meaning it can search across all repositories returning a consolidated search result.
Business-Driven
Second, from a “business-driven” perspective, Image Integration Systems focuses on key business drivers and associated business requirements of our potential new customers. We gather substantial information about existing processes and shortcomings, while leveraging our vast experience in accounts payable automation to determine the areas where the given entity can have the most impact possible through the application of DocuSphere.
Additionally regarding “business-driven,” Image Integration Systems focuses on delivering business value to our customers. Within the accounts payable arena, there are three primary metrics; the cycle time in days to process a single invoice, the average cost to process a single invoice, and the value of (or year-over-year increases in) early payment discount capture. Image Integration Systems leverages its business justification methodology to help our clients build a realistic and achievable business case. Furthermore, we do a post-go live audit to see how our customers’ results compare with that business case, and continue to work with them to drive additional business value from the further application of the DocuSphere solution they’ve already acquired.
Finally regarding “business-driven,” the DocuSphere Process Modeler – that portion of the DocuSphere solution that is used to construct and maintain business processes within DocuSphere Workflow – was designed and created for use by business users with little or no information technology knowledge. This puts the power of control and continuous business process improvement directly into the hands of business personnel who own and live those business processes on a daily basis. As part of the implementation process, Image Integration Systems trains key business process personnel on how to use the DocuSphere Process Modeler. As a result, our customers are able to maintain their accounts payable process while creating numerous other business process automation applications leveraging DocuSphere with little or no involvement from their internal information technology resources or Image Integration Systems services personnel.
Experienced People
Relative to “experienced people,” Image Integration Systems has the most experienced JD Edwards accounts payable automation team in the industry – bar none. Image Integration Systems has been focused since day one of its existence in 1993 on JD Edwards, business process management, and electronic content management. In fact, key principles in Image Integration Systems had written some of this functionality for use directly by JD Edwards prior to the inception of Image Integration Systems. Based on that situation, integration hooks specifically defined for DocuSphere still exist within JD Edwards World systems to this day.
Second, relative to “experienced people,” we have people who speak and understand JD Edwards and Procure to Pay business processes. As described under “business-driven,” our major focus is on delivering business results. In order to do this, Image Integration Systems’ personnel live and breathe the same systems and processes as our customers. In fact, numerous Image Integration Systems personnel played key roles in companies that used JD Edwards prior to coming to our company, thus bringing “real-world experience” to the plate from the customer’s perspective.
Finally relative to “experienced people,” Image Integration Systems’ personnel are experts in the accounts payable invoice scan to voucher process. We have constructed standard yet configurable processes within DocuSphere for processing non-PO invoices through general ledger coding and approval to vouchering for payment within JD Edwards, and PO-based invoices through 2-way and 3-way matching processes and vouchering for payment. Customer personnel who speak accounts payable ‘business process-ese’ will feel very comfortable discussing those processes with Image Integration Systems as common language and nomenclature will be used.
Fixed Fee
Based on the combination of DocuSphere’s predefined yet configurable accounts payable processes, coupled with Image Integration Systems’ experienced team in JD Edwards accounts payable processing, Image Integration Systems is able to offer its DocuSphere All-in-One for JD Edwards Accounts Payable as a complete package of software and services for accounts payable automation. DocuSphere All-in-One is delivered on a fixed fee basis. As a result, Image Integration Systems customers are able to minimize risk and scope creep often associated with solutions delivered by others in the industry. This leads to an improved overall total cost of ownership and greater overall customer satisfaction.
As defined above, Image Integration Systems delivers “The DocuSphere Difference: The preeminent connected, business-driven AP automation solution – delivered by experienced people for a fixed fee.” For more information about “The DocuSphere Difference” or to schedule a discussion with one of Image Integration Systems’ senior sales executives, please contact us at 419-872-1930 or through our Website via our Contact Us page.
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