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Paperless for B2B - it`s a no-brainer

How the fleet management industry is benefiting from secure document delivery, by Alison Treadaway, Striata SA Managing Director.

Secure electronic document delivery has proven to be an ideal solution for B2C organisations with large customer bases. However, more and more B2B organisations are also reaping the benefits of `going paperless`.

The fleet management industry is a good example, where one major player has successfully converted over 15 million paper reports annually to e-mail, through messaging specialist Striata.

"B2B organisations with smaller customer bases, but high levels of reporting, are excellent candidates for converting paper processes to e-mail. E-mail is fast, secure and considerably more cost-effective. The benefits include improved security, cost and time savings, as well as process efficiency and environmental benefits," says Alison Treadaway, Striata SA Managing Director.

Treadaway adds that business customers will also benefit from being able to easily navigate, find and print saved documentation, while documents stored electronically can be appropriately backed-up.

Treadaway explains that the fleet management industry has a particularly detailed reporting requirement, often supplying `phonebook-sized` report packs to clients every month.

The downside is huge printing expenses, paper wastage, logistical problems, courier expenses and storage issues at the client. Some of these reports are typically not required until there is a dispute, which means many are stored, but never used. "It`s also difficult to find a particular report in a 2 000-page stack of paper," adds Treadaway.

Secure electronic document delivery is designed to replace paper documents with fully navigable electronic versions that are easy to use and store.

Instead of delivering a vast amount of pages every month, an e-mail is sent with an encrypted attachment (passwords are optional). The attachment contains a `mini-Web site`, which the customer can navigate to find the required report. The pack can include PDF formats for the documents that need to be print-perfect. Another successful feature that works very well is to provide an index for the masses of low-level reports; these PDFs can be e-mailed directly to the customer on demand. This dramatically reduces the size of the outgoing report.

Secure electronic delivery for B2B organisations can also include statements, bills, invoices, collection notices, policies, letters, contracts and regulatory compliance documents. Treadaway concludes: "All that is required is an e-mail address, which most business recipients are likely to have. Many organisations prefer to receive documents electronically as it is easier to track, store and process electronic versions. A solution that offers simpler, more secure and manageable processes, while reducing carbon footprint, is a highly attractive option for any business."

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Striata

Striata`s Secure eDocument Delivery and Email Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP) are solution sets that deliver a rapid reduction in operational costs, quicker payments and an enhanced customer experience. Striata revolutionises the way bills, statements, policies, collection notices, letters, paystubs and other high volume system-generated documents are delivered and paid. Registration requirements are eliminated by emailing feature rich, interactive, encrypted documents directly to the inbox and enabling innovative one-click electronic payment from within the document itself.

Direct e-mail delivery of bills and statements dramatically increases customer adoption of electronic documents, paper turn-off and e-payments. This enables Striata`s clients to achieve rapid ROI; complement their existing self-service and e-communication strategies; significantly reduce paper output; and to meet their carbon footprint/environmental impact targets.

As a leading international provider of electronic messaging since 1999, with more than 200 blue chip customers, Striata has operations in New York, London, Sydney, Johannesburg, Hong Kong and partners in North, Central and South America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Alison Treadaway - Managing Director, Africa

Alison Treadaway is the Managing Director of Striata`s African operations based in South Africa (SA). Treadaway has 15 years` experience in Internet-related positions, including Group Marketing Executive at one of the first Internet service providers in South Africa and various positions within global IT services and solutions provider, Dimension Data.

Treadaway was a columnist for The Star newspaper and online news portal ITWeb for many years, writing about developments in the Web and electronic communication environments.

Her professional certifications and licences include a Bachelor of Arts (English, German, WITS) and a postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (WITS Business School).

Editorial contacts

Striata Marketing
Striata
marketing@striata.com