Recent developments in the field of fully automated production are impressive to say the least: As if by magic, industrial robots assemble components while computer-driven vehicles transport items to specific stations or production lines. This requires the precise intermeshing of hundreds – often thousands – of process steps. Industry is now pioneering the digital age thanks to Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT). But what about business processes in other sectors and non-production areas?

How digital are your processes in sales, procurement, HR, or customer service? Many repetitive commercial and clerical tasks can also be supported with IT, provided the company has already extensively gone digital.

Has your company long since left the "paper age" behind? Are your documents and workflows exclusively digital? Then you have already laid the foundation for smart processes. The next step is to make your processes even more agile. This will help you develop the speed and flexibility required for digital business models.

Customer service is a great example of what matters in today's world. Customers now send inquiries to companies virtually exclusively via email or using web forms. Online communication comes with the implicit expectation of a response within hours rather than days. Agile process management plays a big role in ensuring inquiries are processed promptly and in high quality. A state-of-the-art enterprise content management platform like Doxis can be used to map "living" processes – ones in which recurring steps can be added to flexibly using ad hoc elements. Complaints involving a mail-order company or supplier might, for example, relate to late deliveries, missing or damaged items, or the debiting of an incorrect invoice amount. Each case calls for different employees or contractual parties to resolve the issue. Afterwards, the information is passed back to the customer service team who can give the customer the quick response expected.

With this kind of system in place, nothing is forgotten or left to chance and all actions are transparently documented. An ECM-based process management solution also ensures not only that the right employees are involved, but also that they receive the information required to process the transaction. In the case of a complaint, a link to the corresponding customer file provides all of the documents needed for a review of the matter. That could be anything from the order confirmation, shipping order and delivery note to the dispatch log, invoice, confirmation of the amount debited and much more.

The entire solution is designed with one goal in mind: satisfied customers and business partners. Quick response times and quality-assured workflows get your company ready to head into the digital age.