Overview
The Finance Planning Department of an International Retail and Manufacturing Company, along with its subsidiary brands, manages Electronic Data Interchanges (EDIs) received from customers via email, containing purchase order requests.The manual process of auditing, requisition validation, data correction, and Purchase Order (PO) creation was causing delays, errors, and employee fatigue, necessitating the implementation of process automation. Accelirate’s RPA Implementation for the firm now empowers it to save maximum time and give complete outputs.
Challenges
Processing EDIs manually presented several challenges:
- Manual Auditing: Employees had to print and manually audit EDIs, leading to delays and the potential for human errors.
- Inconsistent Data: Ensuring the correct sales document type and line-item accuracy required meticulous manual checking.
- Vendor Assignment: Adding vendor numbers to orders was a manual task prone to errors.
- High Volume: During peak times, team members dealt with up to 100 EDIs daily, resulting in processing delays.
Solutions
After an RPA consulting with Accelirate, a solution was devised that had several personalized automated steps:
- Checking of Input Files: The input files are checked and categorized by the bot. Incorrect files are moved to a conversion folder.
- Conversion Process: Sale types are converted from OR to ZTPO by the bot after it logs in to the SAP account.
- PO Number Assignment: New PO numbers are created by the bot keeping the financial planning team in a loop, while it waits for vendor assignment.
- PO Creation: The bot generates Purchase Orders with correct requisition information, shipping instructions, and exit-factory dates in SAP. If issues arise, an email notification is sent.
- Reporting: At the end of each day, the bot generates and emails a report to the finance planning team for record keeping.
Results
- Efficient Automation: RPA Implementation led to a 75% reduction in processing time, with bots completing tasks in under 5 minutes, significantly improving efficiency.
- Error Reduction: Automation decreased the likelihood of errors, ensuring accurate data validation and reducing mistakes after depllying RPA as a service.
- Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Faster order processing and reduced errors resulted in higher customer satisfaction levels.
- Improved Record Keeping: Daily reports enhanced internal and customer record management, aiding in decision-making and communication.