International Charity Organisation
Demonstrates:
- Driving efficiency
- Cost reduction
- System integration
The Challenge:
This charity had a complex response management process which included: 6,000 envelope types, 5,000 donation variables, seven different types of donation forms, 40 diverse scenarios, numerous standard payment methods with various combinations equating to a 140,000 responses per month.
The team delivering the service had to receive, sort and respond to the following:
- campaign type
- effort code
- payment type
- sorting non financial post by category
- goneaways
- gift aid
The diverse nature of the services and processes posed a challenge in terms of operational efficiency, as traditional practices such as manual keying and checking along with hard copy storage methods were central to the current solution.
Dataforce Solution:
Dataforce Interact used state of the art technology to simplify the complex processes and procedures and streamline efficiency by introducing a scanning solution. Our scanner is capable of scanning 8,000 items an hour, with the digital intelligence to allocate batch numbers and generate a box control number to create a storage system.
Our experienced IT team integrated an in-house application creatively built on a .NET platform with a SQL database with the scanner. We then integrated a web-based application that enables keying in from image into the solution. This was combined with validation software and in-built business rules formed to minimise the risk of mis-keying. This effectively reduced the requirement for manual reconciliation, removing a time and cost added step in the process.
Access and autonomy
We provided a self service tool that enabled the charity to view the process clearly. They can now run various permutations, combinations and format of reports to gain insight into activity status and quality standards. This removed the need for sending large password protected excel reports on the mail. Other benefits of the system include a ‘Search Scan’ facility which allows the charity to view any image they require. This flexible service saves time and money by simplifying access to data that previously had to be requested via a formal paper-based requisition process.
Speed and ease of process
An online briefing page allows the charity to provide us the campaign data every time a new mailing is due, along with key information such as the donation form template. The template is then matched with a directory of pre-set templates with 14 optical character recognisable (OCR) zones. The data capture fields are selected on ‘Campaign Set Up’ and in a few minutes the data capture operators are ready to receive batches for data entry.
Where there were previously several layers of sortation, our new solution has simplified and reduced sortation requirements to just three categories: payment type & size, scannable items and non scannable items.
Quality at the heart of the solution
Three stages of quality checks are inbuilt within the process and the OCR engine reduces the number of ‘key strokes’ thereby reducing the scope of human errors resulting higher efficiencies.
All systems and processes are highly regulated in line with PCI DSS Level 1 compliance and subject to external data protection audits.
Results:
Dataforce Interact now process the same volumes at half the time and cost. These substantial operational efficiencies and commercial benefits have saved the charity around £120,000 per year.
Other benefits include:
- All manual activities are now automated, improving speed and efficiency.
- Same day banking was introduced, increasing cash benefits for the charity.
- Hard copy storage requirements were reduced reducing storage costs and increasing efficiency.
- Data entry can now be done from anywhere in the world, using encryptions to ensure security is maintained