PRE Solutions Hastens Payments with RightFax and Oracle
Serving more than 40,000 retail partners, PRE Solutions, Inc. faxes thousands of invoices every week. The prepaid transaction
processor saved time and money when it moved from manual transactions with fax machines to automated and integrated business
information delivery with RightFax: it reduced turnaround from three days to one; fax machines from ten to two; dedicated
faxing personnel from six to zero. As a result, PRE Solutions shortens the payment cycle and recognizes revenue more quickly.
COMPANY
PRE Solutions, Inc. (www.presolutions.com) is a leading provider of prepaid transaction processing solutions, including: Wireless, Long-Distance, Stored Value Cards,
Gift Cards, Prepaid Debit Cards, Online Games and more. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. and serves tens
of thousands of retail outlets throughout the United States and Caribbean. It also has an independently operating subsidiary
in Puerto Rico that holds a dominant share of the electronic prepaid replenishment market in Puerto Rico and Jamaica.
BACKGROUND
"Our workload was abundant." Mark Fenton, Director of Network Support with PRE Solutions, understated as he described the
manual process of faxing thousands of invoices every week.
When customers purchase services, they provide account information along with authorization for PRE Solutions to debit credit
cards. Previously, when PRE Solutions ran Automated Clearing House (ACH) processing every week, it generated thousands of
printed documents to be faxed via machines—10 fax machines to be exact. Sending up to 20,000 faxes via the slow, labor-intensive
method required 12 extra hands, or up to six temporary employees dedicated to full days of shuffling papers in front of fax
machines, sending and re-sending documents when the transmissions failed. Faxes often took four minutes to send even if they
were successful on first transmittal or avoided mistakes such as misdialed numbers or distribution to the wrong person.
After up to three days, the weekly invoicing process would be complete—just in time to start again. "We wanted to streamline
the process," Fenton said. Desired features of an improved system were established:
Integration. PRE Solutions has used Oracle as its financial management platform for several years. It wanted an automated
document delivery solution that would leverage this investment. The breadth of integration capabilities was also important
since the company used fax machines for customer care and general document distribution.
Speed. In the U.S., lengthy turnaround for invoices was a costly inconvenience. In Puerto Rico, it would be illegal. Fenton
explained: "In Puerto Rico, companies are required by law to notify customers that their accounts are being debited prior
to taking the money. That was a driving factor (for eliminating manual processes)."
Flexibility. PRE Solutions wanted to eliminate the need for temporary workers and multiple paper- and toner-eating machines,
but it also wanted to ensure a new solution would be easy to manage and capable of growing with the company.
SOLUTION
With Captaris RightFax, the prepaid vendor is paid more quickly. RightFax enterprise fax and e-document delivery solution
automates the exchange of business information with customers and suppliers.
PRE Solutions has replaced most of its machines with RightFax Enterprise Server extended by the Integration Module—which automates
delivery of statements from CRM, ERP and other back office applications—and RightFax Gateway for Microsoft Exchange, which
unites fax and email within Outlook. "We would go broke without RightFax," Fenton said, this time, slightly exaggerating the
impact, but not PRE Solutions' feelings about its faxing solution.
Fenton knew RightFax would meet his standards from previous employment where he used CommercePath, a first-generation automated
production fax solution from Captaris. When PRE Solutions needed a new system, "RightFax came up as the leading provider by
industry standards as well," he said. To implement RightFax, PRE Solutions worked with Shared Network Applications & Process
Solutions, Inc. (SNAPS), an Atlanta-based, RightFax reseller that provides voice, data and workflow solutions. "SNAPS was
excellent," Fenton said, "they listened to us and then did everything we needed."
RESULTS
Integration - RightFax enterprise fax and e-document delivery solutions provide integrations that securely deliver Oracle-generated
documents. "Integrating RightFax and Oracle and automating the process made sending invoices less error prone," Fenton said.
PRE Solutions runs nightly Oracle reports listing customers that are debited. Data is sent to RightFax where a forms overlay
capability constructs invoice forms and sends them to customers through real-time, unattended electronic delivery. The Integration
module also offers flexible scheduling and fax status notifications.
Integration via RightFax Gateway for Microsoft Exchange Gateway returns other benefits. Some PRE Solutions employees—including
customer care and recruiting—send, receive and manage faxes directly from Microsoft Outlook. "They like that. (Outlook) is
a familiar interface and they can receive emails and faxes in one place—they don't have to open other applications or print
faxes and leave their desks to walk to a machine." As a result, including its automated process, PRE Solutions has improved
efficiency, streamlined workflow and reduced costs for its faxing process overall.
Speed - "(With RightFax) we get all the faxes out in one day without any need for temps," Fenton said. Even without dedicated
personnel, PRE Solutions reduced the time to distribute invoices from three days to less than one. It also eliminated eight
of ten fax machines and related costly supplies and maintenance. An individual fax that may have taken up to four minutes
via manual methods is now automatically and electronically transmitted in one minute or less.
Flexibility - Effective RightFax integrations return simplified management with central administrative features. The system
is easy to administer, according to Fenton. "Once it's configured and set up to do what it is supposed to, you can leave it
alone." The solution offers flexible data recognition and connectivity options and capacity to scale capacity upward as document
requirements increase. Having increased 30,000 average daily transactions in 2003 to 63,000 in 2004, PRE Solutions expects
to continue and to support the expansion with RightFax.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Captaris - Captaris is a leading provider of Business Information Delivery solutions that integrate, process and automate
the flow of messages, data and documents. Captaris produces a suite of proven products and services, in partnership with leading
enterprise technology companies, delivered through a global distribution network. Captaris has installed over 80,000 systems
in 44 countries, with 93 of the Fortune 100 using the company's award-winning products and services to reduce costs and increase
the performance of critical business information investments. For more information please contact us at www.captaris.com or call +1.520.320.7000.
SNAPS - Platinum-level RightFax reseller, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a provider of voice, data and workflow solutions
for local, national and global businesses. Visit www.snapsinc.com or call +1.770.953.8916.
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