Getting documents fully under control
08/04/2011 Getting documents fully under controlTönsmeier optimizes order taking, reporting and billing
Waste management companies handling waste paper dispose of a large number of documents. And the disposal process itself also creates large numbers of documents, including delivery notes, weight certificates and daily reports. The problem? Dealing with documents costs a great deal of time and money. All waste management companies face exactly the same problem. So the Tönsmeier Group based in Porta Westfalica took the bull by the horns. Working closely with its experienced consulting partner Implico GmbH from Hamburg, it began to design and implement a project under the name "Delfin." Its aim was to make document handling in certain key areas as efficient, simple and secure as possible. In a project that took only three months, they optimized fax order taking, route planning, reporting and invoicing.
Automating fax order taking
Tönsmeier had always offered its customers three different ordering options: phone, fax and e-mail. Unfortunately, none of these was automated – a problem for most waste management companies. Tönsmeier became aware of its potential benefits several years ago and in 2009 introduced an SAP customer portal. This offered customers a number of useful features, including the ability to place orders online and around the clock directly with Tönsmeier's SAP system. The SAP portal was developed by Implico and certified by SAP AG. This year, Tönsmeier took the next step when, as part of the "Delfin" IT project, it automated order taking by fax.
This new process utilizes newly designed, customized order forms designed to allow customers to simply tick off the services they require. Each customer wishing to order by fax receives their own order forms, which are designed to take account of their specific needs. They include details of the types of container they use, their weighing methods and function classes. These customized forms have a clear purpose: They enable Tönsmeier to standardize fax orders and reduce the work needed to write an order out.
