The Business Need
Customer account applications were an inefficient paper-based process prone to manual error with hard copy documents going back and forward between branch offices and the headquarters in Dublin.

The Solution
Ergo deployed an innovative document workflow system using modified multi-function printers and customised software to scan and send digitised documents, reducing the error rate and speeding up the process.

The Benefits
A six-day turnaround time for customer applications has been reduced to a 15 minute process that better serves its members, increases internal efficiencies and ensures regulatory compliance.

Overview
Taking the pain out of paper-based processes is an ongoing problem for financial institutions and EBS is no exception. The challenge is finding ways to cross the bridge between physical and digital data, turning hard copy forms and documents into electronic files that can then be distributed more easily and securely throughout the organisation.

For EBS the most basic point of customer interaction was often the most time-consuming; the moment when a member of the public applies to open an account with the society.

As a manual process it was prone to error with documents going missing.This can have a negative impact on customers as well as the business, especially if they are asked to re-submit parts of their application.

Anti-money laundering legislation means anyone opening an account must provide ID and proof of home address, typically a utility bill. In the past, they were brought to the EBS office, photocopied and then dispatched via internal mail - physical rather than electronic - to the head office. Then the documents would be scanned and entered into the system.

“In the case of an ID picture it would end up being a copy of a copy and the quality could be very degraded,” explained David Yeates, Head of IT at EBS.

The whole process could be delayed if new documentation was required from the branch or member. Yeates began exploring a better way of doing things and went to tender for a scanning solution that could reduce the error rate and save time.

The Solution
Ergo won the contract with a solution based on HP multi-function printers (MFPs) integrated with eCopy scanning software. The Ergo software development team set about customising the software while engineers worked on adapting the hardware to meet EBS needs. This involved setting up a menu of six different applications that could be accessed by via a 10-inch full-colour screen attached to the MFP.

Users go through a simple process of scanning and inputting the required forms, prompted by the software. Only when all the appropriate documents have been scanned, and the images have been reviewed and approved by the user, can they be sent.

eCopy comes with a software development toolkit that the Ergo team has used to create QuickScan, an automated process that identifies the type of document using barcodes based on information parameters worked out between EBS and Ergo. “Where required, they will trigger a task in the workflow, prompting users to take action with a document,” explained Jason Quinn, Senior Technical Architect at Ergo.

Documents with no barcodes are also being brought into the system, like ‘change of address’ letters that come direct from the customer. The user has a change of instruction option and enters indexing details directly.

EBS has around 100 outlets across the country, a combination of branch offices and a network of agents. Working closely with EBS, Ergo configured the software with all the customised options in place and made it ready to be deployed as a build file to each branch where Ergo engineers had installed the hardware.

“The solution was designed, configured and ready for use within a number of weeks. From an IT integration perspective this was a real win,” said David Yeates. “Ergo ensured that the correct technology was deployed to make it happen on time and on budget.”By decentralising key elements of the application process and automating workflow to reduce manual intervention at the head office, Ergo has helped EBS deliver significant improvements to an integral business process. To achieve this, the system had to be easy to use.“A paper-based process that took up to six weeks is now carried out in 15 minutes.”Jason Quinn, Senior Technical Architect, Ergo
“Users have to be able to look at the screen and clearly see that the image is of sufficient quality to send. They did not want to replicate what they had already and have documents returned because they were unusable,” explained Quinn.

David Yeates agreed. “That was a priority. It takes a just a few minutes to train staff who were already used to photocopying all the documents anyway. All we were doing was taking out the middle-end processing and delivering documents directly to the end point.”

Other refinements to the system reflect the advantages of running a centralised system. To ensure the scanned documents don’t take up too much bandwidth during busy work periods, bigger files are automatically dispatched outside office hours.

Similarly, updates to scanning configurations are distributed from the head office over the network to all branches at night, ensuring a standardised and consistent approach is always maintained with no disruption to day-to-day processes.

Finally, batch scanning of withdrawal slips has also been introduced. Where once the hard copy document had to be kept and stored off site to meet compliance requirements, scanned versions are now stored on the document management system back at the head office where they can be easily searched and retrieved.

The Benefits
Saving time and money, the scan and workflow solution is all about decentralising the application process to the branch offices and ensuring that only accurate information makes its way into the head office backend systems.

A paper-based process that took up to six weeks is now carried out in 15 minutes with enough checks and prompts to ensure that all the electronic information is accurate when it is received and automatically forwarded to the correct department. “The documents are scanned into a folder complete with an index that explains what the file contains and where it needs to be routed,” said Quinn.

At the backend, the scanned documents feed into work queues into the compliance team’s CRM system. “The main efficiency from a compliance point of view is that it’s done in one touch and the person sending the document knows it’s going to be accepted at the other
end. We get away from wasting time as applications are sent back and forward,” said Yeates.

The system is also a stepping stone to other projects. “The plan is to use it to process as much documentation as possible. The nice thing is that the employees keep asking us to do more. They are coming to us with forms that they want to see in the system,” said Yeates.

Ultimately, EBS plans to move its entire loan application process to Ergo’s electronic workflow solution, a process that is already underway with phase two and the introduction of barcodes. “It is the biggest and most complicated process and involves a big loan pack which typically has between 10 and 20 documents. We have to get the backend ready to accept it electronically but
that’s where we want to take it,” he said.