BPO Express by Peter Ransome

Open Text , ECM, and Sharepoint

2007-09-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

Rumours of the Death of Open Text Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Open Text, the makers of Livelink and the new owners of the ECM application formerly known as Hummingbird (now Livelink ECM - eDOCS) released their fiscal 2007 results today. To the surprise of many, profit was up, license revenue was up and debt was down. The result of all of this is an uptick of 10%+ on their share price in after hours trading.
I say ‘to the surprise of many’ because there has been a lot of speculation about the impact that SharePoint would have on incumbent ECM vendors. This very blog predicted a couple of challenging quarters for incumbent ECM vendors through the middle part of 2007 as organizations considering ECM figured out whether SharePoint was up to the task. Based on my observations here in Calgary I stand by my earlier comments about organizations delaying their purchasing decisions about ECM tools. If this is true elsewhere, as I suspect it is, how is it that Open Text has managed to post such impressive results?
My take on this is that Gartner’s predictions about the growth in the ECM market are accurate and that there is enough to go around for everyone. Microsoft reports that SharePoint revenues topped $800 million in 2007 which exceeds Open Text’s revenues by more than $200 million. My math tells me that this gives Microsoft about 28% market share in the ECM space and Open Text 20% (that’s $800 million and $595 million of the $2.9 billion that Gartner predicted). I may be wrong about how long organizations are delaying their purchasing decisions or it may be that they’re approaching their ECM solution as an “and” when it comes to SharePoint instead of an “or”. I’d appreciate any comments you, my loyal readers (both of you), might have about this one.
In terms of the overall ECM market, for companies that have already deployed a non-SharePoint ECM solution the question is how and where does SharePoint fit in (if at all in some cases). For those that have not yet deployed an ECM tool, the question is, firstly, why the heck not and second, does SharePoint give me everything I need? To me, the more important issue is to identify what problems your organization is trying to solve. It is very easy (and very common) to start talking technology before figuring out the business problem you are expecting an ECM tool to help address.
While it is difficult to distil a complex discussion about the ECM market into a single blog post, my view on this hasn’t changed. Incumbent ECM vendors will very likely continue to have success meeting the needs of organizations with a heavy regulatory requirement to manage their content and also in areas where they own mature vertical markets. SharePoint will gain ground in these areas over time as third party applications providing strong compliance management, engineering drawing management, legal matter management etc. are developed and bolted on to SharePoint. Maturing integrations between traditional ECM apps and SharePoint will also help. SharePoint clearly owns the collaborative space and will continue to dominate the desktop. It’s easy to use and viral in nature and is hard to stop once it gets a toehold in an organization. Whether this is a good thing or not is a topic for another day, but again the bottom line is to identify your business need and find the tool (or tools) that fit the bill.
I’ll give another plug to my friends at AIIM who have recognized that many organizations both inside and outside the world of ECM are asking these very questions. Their SharePoint Meets ECM sessions are scheduled for this fall and I suggest you attend if you can. For those of you in and around Calgary, I’ll be speaking more on this topic this fall as well.

AICPA awards Multi Year Contract to Active Data Services

2007-09-04T15:03:00.001-07:00

Active Data Services Inks Deal With The American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants08-30-2007 MORRISVILLE, N.C. – Peter Ransome, executive vice president and CMO for Active Data Services, Inc., a next generation business process outsourcing firm, has announced that the firm has been contracted by The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to provide re-engineering services involving revenue cycle management, training and member communications. Active Data Services is providing a variety of services that will streamline business processes and reduce costs associated with information management, mail services and printing. “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with AICPA and facilitate moving their document production processes to the great state of North Carolina,” said Ransome. “They now have the advantage of our state-of the-art equipment and software combined with our experienced staff to ensure that all of their printing and information-related needs are managed effectively.” “During our relocation to the Triangle we have looked to align our organization with partners that understand the work we do and can help us to better serve our members,” said Victor Velazquez, vice president of service and operation for AICPA. “Active Data Services has been a great business partner and has helped us smoothly transition our printing needs.

Active Data Services, Inc. enters into Strategic Partnership with Bloodhound Technologies

2007-09-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

-- Kenneth A. Eller, president and CEO for Active Data Services, Inc., a business process outsourcing firm, has announced that the firm has formed a strategic partnership with Bloodhound Technologies, a Research Triangle Park-based claims editing and business analytics company. Through this partnership Active Data Services will provide services to scan and archive all types of claim forms, such as HCFA 1500s and UB 92.
Clients are able to direct paper claims to a post office box, where the claims will be opened, documents scanned and converted to an electronic format for delivery to Bloodhound and to the clients’ claims processing platform. Additionally, all scanned information can be archived and retrieved through the Internet via a secure document management ASP.
"We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Bloodhound and to facilitate the claims process for their clients," said Eller. "Now, because of our expertise in healthcare document management, Bloodhound clients can also have their paper based claims processed by Bloodhound's industry leading clinical editing solution."
"Bloodhound's clinical editing solution provides healthcare payers the strongest return on investment in the industry through overpayment savings and increased auto-adjudication rates," said Gary G. Twigg, CEO of Bloodhound Technologies. "Partnering with Active Data Services will allow our clients to send us a greater percentage of their claims for editing which will increase their ROI even more."

Active Data Services named Kodak Authorized Imaging Reseller

2007-09-04T14:49:00.001-07:00

Morrisville, NC – August 14, 2007 -- Peter Ransome, executive vice president and CMO for Active Data Services, Inc., a next generation Business Process Outsourcing firm that streamlines document intensive applications in Healthcare, Finance, Government, and commercial markets, has announced that the firm has been named a Kodak Authorized Imaging Reseller (KAIR).
As the only KAIR in the Raleigh area, Active Data Services can take advantage of Kodak’s dynamic channel programs, strong brand name, industry leadership and exceptional support and service. Active Data Services, which manages the processing of over 40 million documents per month, will be responsible for purchasing, promoting, marketing and reselling Kodak products.
“We are honored to be a member of the KAIR program,” said Ransome. “This is great news for the Raleigh area as there has not been any locally based Kodak KAIR partners. We now have the opportunity to offer our customers more options in our industry leading document and data capture solutions. Kodak continues to lead the market with advance document transports and image capture technology backed by the industries best service organization. We have long utilized their technology in our high volume production center.”

About KODAK Authorized Reseller Program (KAIR):The KODAK Authorized Imaging Reseller Program (KAIR) is dedicated to demonstrating and enhancing the KODAK commitment to Channel Associates. KAIR offers rewards, programs, support, training, marketing assistance, and Document Imaging Products of exceptional quality in order to reach revenue goals. The KAIR mission is to provide new levels of world-class imaging solutions, greater sales volume, and increased profit potential. KODAK Document Imaging Products are known for their performance, reliability and value. Combined with dynamic channel programs, strong brand name, industry leadership and renowned service and support, KODAK delivers complete solutions.

After Chapter 11 Lason sells to Indian firm...Once $650m now $200m

2007-08-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

LASON has been acquired by HOV Services Limited, a global Business Process Outsourcing company that operates in North America with multiple locations in the U.S. and headquarters in Pune, India. HOV Services has a very strong suite of outsourced services in the Finance and Accounting marketplace that will complement our current service offerings. This is a very exciting event that will allow LASON to continue to grow and provide additional capabilities to our clients

Is it Time to Convert Paper to Electronic? published in the Insurance Agents Guide in several US states.

2007-08-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

Is this you? Your agency has
multiple offices in different
locations. To locate a specific
customer policy or other business
document, you have to drive offsite and
face rows and rows of filing cabinets
crammed into a small room. Two hours
later, you finally find the file you need,
down the hall where the overflow cabinet
is located, misfiled in the wrong folder.
The file is four inches thick.
Policies, customer records, claims,
invoices, correspondence�it’s all on paper
and your agency needs this information
to operate. You get calls from customers
and you cannot help them until you put
them on hold to retrieve documents. Just
the process of handling claims alone
is one of the most paper-intensive and
interactive activities within an insurance
Is it time to convert?
organization. Your agency
would be lost without
paper … or would it? Did
you know that
90 percent of businesses
that experience a disaster,
such as a fire or flood
and did not implement a
backup plan fail within
six months?
Is it time for the
much-touted paperless
office? What will the
conversion from paper
to electronic cost? How
much will it save? Will
conversion disrupt your
business workflow? Is it
a feasible solution for
you and your agency?
These are typical questions
asked by agencies
considering electric records
management, and this
article will attempt to
address them.
Converting the
mountain of paper
There are many benefits
that result when an
insurance agent or agency
converts their records to
electronic format:
1. cost savings on
storage space;
2. reduction of costper-
document processing
and archiving;
3. capability to share
information across the Internet or a local
area network;
4. elimination of misfiles, lost
documents and costly, time-consuming
errors;
5. improvement of customer
response time;
6. the provision of audit trails;
7. built-in disaster recovery; and
8. competitive advantage.
Even a devoted fan of paper can
appreciate the ease with which electronic
documents can be stored, searched and
accessed. Most people will agree that
technology has a positive impact on
business. The U.S. Department of Labor
says that agents who incorporate new
technology into their existing businesses
will remain competitive. So, once you
decide conversion is right for your
agency, where do you start?
Electronic records in the insurance agency
By Peter F. Ransome
—Reprinted with permission from PIA.—
2 Professional Insurance Agents/April 2006 www.piaonline.org
Selecting a company to
handle your conversion
When selecting a company to
convert your existing paper records and
help you make the change to electronic
format, look for an organization with
experience, innovation and flexibility
that depends on advance partnering as
the solution. The company handling your
conversion may even become a mission
critical component or an extension of
your agency.
Keep in mind that you might need
to purchase hardware, software, servers
and backup components, but beyond
that you also will need training and
support during the conversion and
implementation process. All of this
means up-front costs unless you chose
to use an application service provider
subscription service and pay as you go
only for what you need! Outsourcing of
scanning with an ASP option rapidly is
becoming a preferred option because of
improved return on investment.
To save time and the capital
expense of purchasing and maintaining
infrastructure, you can outsource
conversion or rely on a combination
of both in-house work and outsourcing.
After the investment, you will reap
thousands of dollars a year from time
saved, improved filing, and decreased
staff and storage needs. Most importantly,
with outsourcing you are able to get the
job done fast, less expensively, without
capital expenditures and little distraction
or disruption to your business.
How much will
conversion save?
As a rule of thumb, the savings you
will obtain by reducing paper and going
electronic may include up to a 90 percent
reduction in storage space. Depending
on your cost per square foot, this can add
up to thousands of dollars in reclaimed
office space. In terms of labor and time,
Deloitte & Touche USA LLP report that
companies spend about $20 to create and
file a document. The cost to replace a
missing document is generally assumed
to cost around $120 and to reproduce a
missing document is $220.
It is likely that over the years,
your agency or insurance carrier set
—Reprinted with permission from PIA.—

www.piaonline.org Professional Insurance Agents/April 2006 3
up several sets of incompatible legacy
systems, each of which has a separate
information repository, including
policy administration systems, claims
management systems and customer
relationship management systems.
Once you consolidate the information
contained within these systems, you
will obtain a competitive advantage
in the marketplace and see dramatic
improvements in productivity and
processes. Process automation can
increase productivity by as much as
300 percent in relation to labor cost.
In real terms, this means companies
can grow without increasing head
counts or reducing labor to improve
bottom-line business performance.
Will conversion
disrupt business?
The transition from a paper
environment to an electronic one will
not be a fast and simple process and it
requires commitment. Accomplishing the
transition in a phased approach is often
the best way to avoid disruptions to daily
business. It is critical for most agencies
to have the lowest possible cost with
minimum downtime. Look for a vendor
who can guarantee 100 percent uptime.
There are companies that will
collect, scan and digitally store your
paper, microfiche, microfilm and even
e-mail and fax records without changing
the way you do business. In short order,
you will be able to retrieve information
from the Internet or a proprietary system
while your customer is on the phone.
With modern e-tools, you also will be
able to update newly created electronic
files in real time from your computer or
fax machine.
Security should not be an issue if the
technology is utilized correctly. Sensitive
documents should be stored on secure
servers with Netscapes’s full secure
sockets layer or secure shell, commonly
known as SSL and SSH, encryption,
password protection, firewalls and other
technology that restricts access to your
“online file cabinets.”
In a traditional paper environment,
the ability to track access to a file cabinet
is virtually impossible. You cannot
password protect and encrypt paper
documents. Audit trails—who accessed
Noteworthy statistics
1. 90 percent of corporate information is on paper.
2. An average document gets copied 19 times.
3. 7.5 percent of documents get lost.
4. 10.5 percent of documents get misfiled.
5. Workers spend 50 percent of their time looking for
information and 10 percent of their time reading it.
6. There are more than four trillion paper documents in
the United States and the total grows 22 percent a year.
*Statistics courtesy of Cooper and Lybrand
what and when—are difficult to manage
in a paper environment, but automatic
in an electronic one. In an electronic
records management system you can
systematically delete documents when
they reach the limits of legal retention
periods, or you can archive them for
years. It is much more difficult and time
consuming to destroy paper documents
or archive them.
How do HIPAA and other
regulations affect electronic
records?
Maybe your agency needs
increased security to comply with the
American Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act, a set of rules
followed by insurers, health plans,
doctors, hospitals and other health
care providers. Today people often
change jobs, and HIPAA helps them
carry their health insurance throughout
job transitions.
According to HIPAA, people must
be able access their health care
records and correct errors. They must
be informed of how their personal
information will be used. Other
provisions involve confidentiality of
patient information and documentation
of privacy procedures. These provisions
require regulation-specific software
updates when your records are in
electronic format. If your records are
still paper-based, it can mean a complete
overhaul of your records system.
The Department of Health and
Human Services adopted national
standards for electronic health care
transactions to reduce the volume of
paperwork and provide better service
for insurers. These standards establish
formats, codes, standard data content
and procedures for submitting electronic
claims and other healthcare transactions.
The DHHS says that by promoting the
use of electronic transactions and the
elimination of inefficient paper forms,
the standards will provide a net savings to
the health care industry of $29.9 billion
over 10 years.
If you need to learn more about
HIPAA compliance, there are online and
offline HIPAA courses and software that
provide training and materials for HIPAA
security. Some HIPAA software offers a
complete security solution that includes
risk analysis and assessments.
Conclusion
Increasingly and unnecessarily,
agencies, are being overwhelmed by
paper files. Electronic records can help
eliminate the clutter of an inefficient,
costly, error-laden, paper-based system.
The investment in document imaging will
not only save you space and time, but
will help you to improve the financial
outlook of your agency and prepare it
to head into the future.
Peter F. Ransome is executive vice
president and chief marketing officer of
Active Data Services Inc., a business process
outsourcing firm. As a next generation
Integrated Document Facilitysm, the company
captures, manages and distributes
more than 150 million personalized print and
electronic communications a year. Ransome
is a certified document imaging architect.
He can be reached by phone at (866) 237-
2677, by fax (919) 654-2099, or through the
company Web site, www.activedataservices.
com.
—Reprinted with permission from PIA.—

ECM and reducing Greenhouse Gases

2007-08-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

Inititially suspicious on this Interesting topic. ECM not only makes business more effective and employees more productive it also helps reduce the global warming problem. The paper manufacturing process and industry are a huge contributor to the problem.. More information at the "greenpdf.com"

Going "Green" With Social Networks

SUMMARY

Without a doubt the world today faces enormous challenges in dealing with global warming and rising greenhouse effects. These challenges have ultimately resulted in numerous natural disasters in the past decade or so. To address these serious issues related to the environment, over the past several years there has been a “green movement” towards preserving the eco-friendly environment in the US and Europe. This was most highly popularized by Al Gore’s global warming documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth”. While the top-down approach on green policies and raising awareness are important, the bottom-up method of getting people involved and to promote an eco-friendly environm ent will be critical. With the rise of the social Web, a number of “green” start-ups have cropped up recently to provide environmental news/stories, carbon calculators as well as tools to connect green-minded individuals through the use of blogs, photos and videos. These sites are taking steps to educate others and raise awareness of environmental issues. Some of these sites include Care2 , BeGreenNow , WorldChanging , Zerofootprint , RiverWired , Zaadz and the recently launched Yahoo! Green , among others.

THE PLAY

Many of us may have noticed that the climate/seasons, for the last few years is no longer predictable. It's getting harder to predict when and how fierce a snow storm or a hurricane can be. This is possibly the effects of global warming where temperatures on earth are getting warmer than ever. Humans are said to be the main cause of harming Mother Nature, some of which includes the emission of carbon-dioxide gases (industrial/transportation pollution), deforestation, burning of coal etc., all of which have adverse effects on the earth’s atmosphere. With Web 2.0 and social networking reaching out to the masses, a number of non-profit organizations and environmental groups are raising awareness on sites like MySpace. For instance, Greenpeace's MySpace profile (with more than 55,000 friends/campaigners) features everything from raising awareness on whale hunting with "the Big Blue March" campaign, the “Go Green” song promoting eco-friendly activities, to blog entries on “Say No To Liquid Coal”.

The Green Mountain Energy, the largest US retailer of renewable energy launched an environmental campaign called BeGreenNow which also has a profile on MySpace. The site educates consumers about their carbon footprint through news/stories, blogs and submitted videos about what one can do to be green. The site also features an interactive use of carbon calculator where one can calculate and offset their carbon footprint emitted via electricity, vehicles, air travel and natural gas. TreeHugger is another prominent green blogging site that appeals to environmentally conscious users and also features forums for users to interact with one another. The “How To Go Green” section is particular ly interesting as it offers tips on how to go green with your daily life - from how to go green with your electricity to how to go green with your wedding. Care2 is probably the largest social networking site about sustainable living with over 7 million members making a difference in the lives of people and the planet. The site allows users to connect with each other through creating profiles, form groups, share photos, post blogs and events, etc. It also features a shopping section for natural and organic products. Moreover, the social news section (similar to Digg) allows members to submit “green” stories and rank them based on popularity.

RiverWired , a recently launched site (in beta) on green social networking, allows users to create profiles, join groups/discussions and share photos, videos and blogs about their experiences on living a green lifestyle. The site also features content from over 200 blogs, articles, videos and podcasts from all over the Web on strategies for a greener living - the most popular being the use of bio-diesel fuel. Similarly Zaadz is a platform for like-minded environmentally conscious people to connect with each other - interacting and sharing ideas through blogs, podcasts, videos and discussion forums, etc. DoTheRightThing is a user-generated news site that publishes news stories about the impact of companies on people and the world and how much they focus on sustainable environment. Search giant, Yahoo! has also recently launched Yahoo! Green that will offer the latest environmental news, consumer tips and ways for Yahoo! users to take social and personal initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases.

It’s nice to see a growing number of “green” communities popping up. People are becoming more environmentally conscious with various social media tools allowing for such expression and education. Remember, going green is easier than you think, and everyone can make a difference on our planet.

Resources: New York Times, BusinessWeek

AIIM ERM Masters Training

2007-08-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

I just completed the classroom based curriculum created by AIIM. Very thorough foundation for the professional just getting their feet wet. Somewhat helpful to the seasoned individuals looking for updates on compliane regulations and process structures for analysis, piloting, funding, and implementation of Electronic Records Management systems.

Highly recommend for solution oriented sales people. Hyland software is putting all employees through the program while OCE is also educating their sales team using the AIIM fast growing "university".

Nice Job AIIM!

Welcome to BPO Express

2007-08-17T10:58:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog, BPO Express. My name is Peter Ransome and I have spent my entire career designing and implementing information management solutions that improve productivity and reduce costs while aiding in compliance. My goal is to create a place where information can be posted and shared regarding the exciting fast moving arena of business process outsourcing. I currently am President of the North Carolina chapter of AIIM and also am a past executive board member and Chairman of the Professinal Advisory Council. My experiance spans telco, healthcare, govt, manufacturing, financial, non-profit, and insurance industries.

This Blog will disccuss education, best practices, industry news, leading technology, case studies, rumors, and "killer applications". (wildly successful implementations and re-engineering)

My education credential include BA's in Business Mgt, Computer Science with Masters and Laureatte designation from AIIM in Informmation Technology, Electronic Records Mgt, and am a Certified Document Imaging Architect (CDIA +).

I am currently Chief Marketing Officer for a company I co-founded known as Active Data Services, Inc. I speak at a variety of AIIM, TAWPI, NCHICA, NCHIMA, and Schima events and have also presened at On-Demand and Explore regarding variable data output strategies and best practices.

Thanks

Peter