KANSAS CITY, Mo. - March 18, 2010 - Today,
BEB Industrial Asset Management announced the integration of a new image processing system as part of its fleet management services. The system captures softcopy picture files of invoices, leases, production reports, and other data sources that previously had to be managed as hardcopy paperwork.
BEB manages thousands of assets for its customers and customers of its dealer channel partners. Each asset requires extensive data input in order to ensure a rich data output. Historically, this required asset owners, vendors, and other stakeholders to send information to BEB via traditional mail. The paperwork was entered into the BEB fleet management software by hand, and then the paperwork flowed on to the asset owner or channel partner, again via traditional mail. While the process worked for many years, the company recognized the opportunity for improvement. "Our customers and channel partners expect us to make fleet management faster and easier for them," noted Jason Bratton, vice president of business development for BEB, "and our new technology does exactly that."
Technology Improves Speed and AccuracyWith the new "paperless" system, all data input sources are received via email or fax, and are immediately stored in the BEB database. BEB personnel use large dual monitors to process the information, with the image of the input source on one monitor and the BEB software working on the other monitor, so no paper is ever generated. More importantly, character recognition allows for exact translation from the input source into the BEB database; decreasing manual inputs and virtually eliminating the possibility of human error. Finally, all the input images are made available to the customer via secure website, eliminating the delays and problems of traditional mail. The system also speeds the workflow significantly, so the data is forwarded to the asset owners much faster. "Asset owners want their data immediately, and service vendors want to be paid quickly," Bratton said, "and our system facilitates those objectives."
"Green" Philosophies Applied BEB customers have responded well to the new technology, as eliminating paper usage has become a priority at many companies. BEB has discovered that some customers and channel partners have a different definition of "green", however - vendors note savings from decreased postage and paper costs, and vendors believe the technology speeds customer payments as well. Likewise, customers appreciate the cost savings from the decreased paper. "It's really a win-win for everybody," Bratton noted.
The technology also helps BEB be more responsive. When customers or vendors call to check on an invoice or contract or other input, BEB not only has the data recorded, but also has a softcopy image of the invoice or contract immediately available. Customers and channel partners receive automated email updates of data and images uploaded to the BEB system. "Saving customers' and partners' time is another way that we save them money," Bratton said. BEB expects to continue to expand its technology applications, in its efforts to make its services more accessible and valuable to its customers and channel partners.
About BEBBEB Industrial Asset Management is a leading provider of management software for material handling equipment and similar industrial assets. Founded in 1989 and based in Kansas City, the company's software products serve thousands of users throughout North America. More information can be found at
www.bebsoft.com and at
www.quotemaster7.com.
Click here to view the BEB Software Shopfront