We speak to a lot of Office 365 users every day. One of the most common things we hear is “we already use SharePoint, it’s for file sharing”. Other than being Microsoft’s answer to Dropbox or Google Drive, SharePoint has some pretty cool capabilities; especially if you stick a bit of extra code behind it. Here are 5 of the things we’ve done with Microsoft SharePoint to help businesses like yours.
Extended Enterprise Automation & Web Portals
Many businesses offer more than one service and need a solution that allows them to adapt to secure new ventures.
That was the case with A4e (now PeoplePlus). We customised SharePoint to form a configurable set of components that can be assembled and scaled to manage a range of processes. Each new service can now be delivered by building a unique end-to-end process where the vast majority of elements are reused, but in a way which can be aligned to each set of requirements.
The solution integrates with A4e’s ERP and CRM systems and also their Business Process Automation. This allows them to execute a variety of government-based contracted services across the UK.
We later extended the solution to provide fully-integrated front-end web portals. Members of the community use these portals to access training, advice and mentoring. There are now more than 400 users of the solution.
Workflow Automation
Through our work with businesses across fashion, chemical, pharmaceuticals and electronics, we noticed that businesses often have to coordinate many different groups of people to serve their customers.
Common pain points were:
- Disparity across processes and documents
- Outdated and duplicated documents
- It is time-consuming and frustrating to locate orders along the workflow
- It is near impossible to find and fix problems in the processes due to a lack of transparency
- Management have to be heavily invested to keep processes running correctly
Our Workflow Automation solution solves this by working alongside your existing ERP and/or CRM to automate a lot of the administrative overhead involved in processes.
We implemented this SharePoint customisation for Napier Turbochargers – it improved their throughput time by more than 60%; reducing the end to end duration of some key processes from around 5 days to never more than 16 hours. Moreover, every Workflow Automation solution we have delivered has paid back within 12 months.
Rebate Management
Manufacturers selling their products through third-party distributors will often use rebates as a sale incentive. With that comes the need for a system to manage the issuing of rebates.
We customised SharePoint to manage the end-to-end process of agreeing intermediary and end-user rebates from the point of quotation through to the contract end. It integrates with both CRM and ERP to create one or more Claim Forms for each quotation and then identify if the claimed product was actually sold to the distributor. Internally, the system routes each of the claims through multiple levels of approval. Distributors can upload their claims to the system and see a history of claims.
BI provides a breakdown of discounts between list price and selling price and generates all discounts by product by distributor based on preloaded mathematical algorithms. At the end of each month, the solution provides a quote, distributor, claim and product line analysis of all rebates for loading into the ERP system for the creation of Credit Notes.
Medical Records Management
Any business managing client or employee medical records can understand the multitude of patients, practitioners, practices, invoices, receipts and payments that must be organised. This is only escalated when patients are distributed globally – with different currencies and different time zones.
We customised Microsoft SharePoint for one business managing the medical records and appointments of more than 200 patients, including functionality to manage billing and practitioner ratings.
The solution alerts patients when an appointment is booked and again just before the appointment takes place. Alerts include the location and time of the appointment along with directions to get there and any requirements (i.e. no eating or drinking for 24 hours beforehand). The invoice and receipt for each appointment are stored electronically with the appointment file and each instance is carried through from booking to payment.
Trademark and Product Registration
Any business dealing in trademarked products or those restricted by law (medicine, food, toiletries or protective equipment) will understand the struggle of managing the vast amounts of documentation and registration processes that go along with it. This is complicated as different countries have their own set of restrictions on product formulation and their own process for registration.
Our SharePoint solution manages the creating and renewing product trademarks and registrations, controlling the process itself along with the related documents. Alerts remind users of upcoming renewals and expiries. All the information related to the Trademark and Registration process is stored in one place, resulting in less effort and risk and increasing organisational productivity.
We implemented the solution for a global brand in the formulation and sale of a range of vitamin and healthcare supplements. They now use it to manage over 900 trademarks and more than 8,000 country-specific formulations and product variants.
Is there something you wish Microsoft SharePoint could do for your business? Find out more about the capabilities of SharePoint today.
