No contest with eCONtext

New document management software is helping Dow Corning improve customer service, cut costs and streamline operations, according to a recent press release.

According to a recent press release, Dow Corning, provider of silicon-based materials and services, is using Ixos-eCONtext from Ixos for its consolidated Financial Shared Service Center in Sydney, Australia, which handles invoices for 23 sites in 12 countries. The service center processes about 6,000 documents per month, including expense reports, invoices and customer payment information.

According to Barry Liaw, manager of Financial Shared Services for Dow Corning in Sydney, the new streamlined approach saves hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. "Ixos has enabled us to quickly scan and archive financial documents from all our Asian locations, eliminating the need for slow and costly mailing," says Liaw. "Additionally, if we need to find a document, we can access it in seconds and avoid searching through paper files."

Dow Corning also uses eCONtext for its Americas Accounts Payable department to image and archive about 9,500 invoices per month. Prior to implementing the software, the accounts payable staff processed invoices from hard copies and transferred them to microfiche. In addition to saving $25,000 per year in microfiche costs, Dow Corning is said to save 40 hours per week for a staff of eight.

Dawn Jacobs, operations team leader for the accounts payable department, adds, "The biggest benefit for Dow Corning has been the immediate access to the documents. There is always access to a legible copy and it's tied to the transaction."

The solution is used in Dow Corning's customer service department to scan and archive more than 50,000 certificates of analysis and 50,000 delivery notes per month. All can now be accessed from the desktop with a mouse click.

In addition, Dow is using Ixos for its extranet, enabling customers to log in with a password to retrieve a copy of an image, to look at order and shipment information, delivery documentation, etc.

"We're providing better, more timely service to our customers through reduced calls to the service centers," says Amy Fleming, Global Business Process specialist at Dow Corning. "[The solution] has saved us time and has streamlined our customer service process. Our global customers typically obtain detailed data within hours of their request."