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15FAX SERVICES BUYER’S GUIDE
Questions to ask before choosing a cloud fax services provider
www.cloud-fax-services.com
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Looking to automate fax, but not sure which solution provider has the most comprehensive and efficient solution to meet your needs?
You understand the purpose and principles of cloud fax services but would you benefit from guidance on the various features and associated benefits?
This buyer’s guide provides you with the key topics and most important questions to ask a cloud fax services provider so that you can select the most appropriate solution to meet your business and technical needs.
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How to choose your fax services provider
To assist you in your decision-making process, Esker has developed 15 questions that address the most important issues you should be discussing with fax services providers.
Why automate fax delivery and reception in the cloud?Does your company want to address:
§ Lengthy order processing, § High error rates and incorrect shipments,§ High labor cost per order,§ Limited process visibility,§ Or customer dissatisfaction?
If so, you could benefit from implementing a cloud fax solution.
Cloud faxing offers real benefits over fax machines and in-house fax server software. Companies looking to integrate fax with their ERP applications no longer have to choose between efficiency, cost and functionality, and can take advantage of fax as a cloud service without having to add software or hardware and without sacrificing security or ERP integration.
Businesses are continually looking for ways to improve the speed of fax delivery in order to get paid faster, increase customer satisfaction and maximize profitability. Using fax machines burdens enterprises with the manual processes of printing and faxing, managing paper and consumables, and maintaining equipment. Fax servers typically require a heavy investment in hardware, software, fax boards and lines, maintenance, and training. Basic outsourced fax services suffer from a lack of integration, requiring users to learn a new interface, as well as a lack of real-time status notification.
Cloud faxing is ideal for organizations looking for a solution that is: 1) Easy to set up, 2) Offers the advantages of fixed costs and 3) Is flexible enough to satisfy changing needs.
Key benefits include:
§ Low up-front investment§ No hardware or software maintenance costs§ Minimized operating costs (no hidden costs)§ Unlimited capacity§ Pay-as-you-go cost efficiency§ Service availability 24/7
According to a recent report by industry experts Davidson Consulting, the fax services market will grow from $890 million in 2011 to $1.9 billion in 2016, a 14% compound annual growth rate with the trend moving toward cloud services. Fax is not going away — in fact it is on the rise — and fax services is greatly contributing to its success.
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Flexible hybrid solution2
No capital expenditure for a fax services solution1We cannot afford to invest significant IT resources or budget into a fax automation solution, so what are our options to easily and affordably automate our faxing process?
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a delivery model in which software and its associated data are hosted centrally (in the Internet cloud) and are typically accessed using a web browser over the Internet. This model delivers a more economical solution for many customers. SaaS has become a common delivery model for most business applications.
With no software of hardware to install locally, on-demand software has companies up and running and seeing a positive impact on their businesses quickly.
Rather than mobilizing IT resources and investing funds into a large on-premise IT project, fax as a SaaS solution delivers a simple, scalable, secure and affordable solution to quit paper and streamline faxing. You can benefit from fax automation without having to find the budget or IT resources.
Why EskerThe Esker SaaS solution means you do not have to wait for internal IT resources to be available or budgets to be allocated in order to get your project moving.
Companies get the capabilities expected from an on-premise software solution, but move from capital to operational expenditure and gain flexibility for variations in document volume and number of users.
The Fax Services solution is scalable and capable of managing increases in volumes, for both inbound and outbound fax traffic, and adapting easily to growing needs. With no traffic or volume restrictions, peak-volume fax jobs, such as monthly invoicing, can be handled with little effort. And, with no upfront investment and no software to install, you can benefit immediately from full fax automation, paying only for what you need and as you go.
Do I have to make a choice between an on-premise and an on-demand fax solution?
No, you don’t have to settle for one faxing solution. A hybrid fax solution provides the advantages of common on-site fax servers with the benefits of cloud-based fax services. Implementing an on-premise fax server with an
on-demand fax service ensures automatic failover backup, guaranteeing that your customers have around-the-clock business faxing, delivering increased flexibility.
Additional hybrid configuration benefits include reduced overhead and operational expenses, scalability to meet economies of scale in further IT investments, and performance integration with existing business applications.
Why EskerEsker is the only solution provider capable of adapting to your needs by providing an on-premise, on-demand or hybrid fax solution. Some customers prefer to keep control and manage their own fax solution in-house for internal security issues but like to have the option of a hybrid solution for flexibility reasons.
Esker’s hybrid option offers them this flexibility, with access to fax services as a need-based solution, without a commitment. Fax loads can be intelligently distributed among local fax boards or fax services to better manage overflow and offer improved handling of fax peaks and unplanned fax mailings.
To ensure fax distribution continuity, jobs can easily failover to fax services if local fax boards are not responding. Using predefined failover, this feature helps to protect against costly downtime in the event of fax board or telecom emergencies.
Seamless implementation4
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Efficient and affordable faxing3How do we keep our fax costs down?
Ideally, your solution provider should offer a cloud-based fax solution that does not require additional investment in IT infrastructure or staff, and one that offers a flexible payment model based on consumption. Furthermore, competitive faxing rates and optimized sending routes should be proposed.
Why EskerEsker offers the best faxing rates on the global market (unbeatable fixed low rate regardless of the time of day for both inbound and outbound faxes) and thanks to its SaaS model, you only pay for what you need (a pay-as-you-go billing model), delivering complete cost predictability and control.
Esker’s strategically placed network of worldwide fax facilities enable customers to further save money. In addition to benefiting from dramatically reduced operational costs (hardware and maintenance) you benefit from least-cost routing which allows worldwide faxing at the lowest possible cost.
Routing faxes to the facility nearest to the recipient results in significant savings on telecommunications costs compared with faxing to all recipients from one location.
We can’t put our business on hold while a new solution is integrated. How disruptive is your implementation?
Ideally your solution implementation should not disrupt daily business activities for any long periods of time. Integration should be seamless and involve as little downtime as possible.
Why EskerEsker guarantees quick, easy and pain-free implementation. Solution setup takes only a few hours and no system disruption is incurred. Connection to the service simply requires an Internet connection and a web browser. Esker also offers a special integration for SAP® customers executed by SAP experts.
Usability6
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One platform for multiple business delivery needs5Because most companies also need to send business documents by postal mail or email, your solution provider should be able to offer these different delivery services without the need to invest in hardware, software or maintenance.
Why EskerEsker on Demand offers one platform for multiple business needs, providing a solid document communication foundation from the same interface for delivery via email, SMS, or postal mail (in addition to fax).
Esker offers on-demand services to transform electronic documents into postal mail without the need for mailroom equipment. Highly calibrated email servers are maintained to ensure that email messages are delivered in a timely manner. Quick and efficient communication via SMS messages is available directly from a desktop.
There is no need to worry about printing, sorting, folding, stamping, mailing, faxing or supporting mass email or SMS campaigns — the Esker platform manages all document and communication service needs.
Your fax services solution should include a convenient and practical tool to manage your account and send faxes.
Why EskerEsker’s secure web interface, a comprehensive setup and administrative tool, enables you to manage your account, schedule individual and batch jobs, tailor sendings, manage corporate document templates, and archive data (stored and searchable online for 60 days).
Additionally, you can pick inbound fax numbers directly from the portal, giving you the autonomy and flexibility you need to manage your account.
Beyond fax, what other communication delivery services does your solution offer?
We need to easily manage and control our faxing. What tools do you have in place to do so?
ERP integration8
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Real-time visibility7
The ability to view, track the status of fax transmissions, and generate reports in real time should be an essential component to your fax solution.
Why EskerThe Fax Services solution from Esker provides real-time tracking and reporting throughout the entire sending and receiving process thanks to its intuitive web interface. With immediate fax status notification and extensive reporting capabilities on process time and volume, you benefit from clear visibility to balance workloads, identify process bottlenecks and put an end to lost faxes.
Quickly analyze the success rate of large jobs, sort individual messages, and pull data such as “date and time opened” and “number of times opened.” Specifically for SAP customers, fax statuses are visible directly within the SAP business workplace.
Implementing a fax services automation solution should not require additional costs for custom development. If your fax solution does not work out-of-the-box with your current ERP system, the payoff will take longer, coupled with a higher total cost of ownership (TCO).
A successful fax solution is one that is compatible with a wide range of ERP systems, and is configured to address the unique needs of any business, and integrate with your current infrastructure.
Why EskerWith Esker, faxing is independent of the ERP system, which provides flexible integration options if you need to connect with several ERP applications (e.g., SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle E-Business Suite, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, Sage, etc.) used by different subsidiaries or departments within the company. There are no compatibility issues and you can achieve secure and seamless fax sending with existing business applications.
Esker offers a unique value to businesses running SAP applications. With SAP-certified technology, Esker solutions are entirely integrated with SAP, providing you with assurance that the solution will seamlessly work with your SAP system and will still be compatible if you upgrade your applications. Direct SAP integration enables real-time tracking in exactly the same manner as if it were on-premise inside the customer’s domain.
How easily are we able to track our fax transmissions and generate reports?
Will your solution integrate with our ERP system?
Comprehensive solution spanning multiple business processes10
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Business continuity9
You require a solution provider capable of delivering a multitude of proven automation solutions; one that provides technology, products, solutions, service and support to respond to your expanding needs.
Today you need a fax automation solution, however, in the future you may be in the market for another business process automation solution. Ideally, you should stay with the same automation vendor, one with whose technology you are familiar with.
Why EskerAs a company grows, so do opportunities to improve all business processes. The Esker solution allows you to go beyond fax (e.g., invoices, orders, etc.) and maximize the benefits of document process automation — all from the same integrated platform.
Fax is often a door opener to the automation of other business solutions — account receivable (AR), sales order processing (SOP) and accounts payable (AP). Since Esker automates every part of your cash conversion cycle, there is no need to work with different vendors to automate the different business processes.
You will benefit from familiar technology, products, service and support provided by one comprehensive solution provider.
Today we are in the market for a fax services solution but tomorrow we may need to automate other business processes — can you support our growing business needs?
Organizations must ensure business continuity. Critical business documents must be transmitted on time and a redundant always-on and backed up infrastructure is imperative.
Crucial business functions must be available to customers and suppliers at all times.
Why EskerDesigned for dependable and confidential data processing, the Esker production facilities guarantee that your documents and messages are handled in a secure, confidential and traceable manner.
Esker production centers feature solid architecture to ensure the security of your documents: data transfer by secure protocol (SSL) identical to those used for banking transactions, secure server bays, temperature controlled for humidity and pressure, electric infrastructure with backup generators, fire prevention measures, and 24/7 monitoring to offer worldwide service and continuous availability.
Additionally, each Esker server platforms uses high-availability cluster technology offering internal redundancies to counter any possible hardware failure, resulting in 24/7/365 service availability. The platforms in North America, Europe and Australia back up one another, guaranteeing that your documents are transmitted on time. Esker upholds a 95% fax delivery rate within one hour and maintains an overcapacity of 60% in order to deliver faxes rapidly.
We can’t risk delays in business processes or losing critical information. Do you commit to delivering business continuity?
Electronic archiving12
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Global presence11
Your faxes should be automatically archived electronically, eradicating the need for manual storage and time-consuming filing.
Additionally, faxes should be backed up with security guaranteed by your solution provider’s infrastructure and always accessible to authorized personnel from any location for as long as you choose.
Why EskerThe Esker solution ensures that your documents and data are safely archived and easily accessible. With Esker’s powerful multi-criteria search engine you only need to enter one or more search criteria in the Esker web interface and your fax is quickly identified.
Documents are always accessible to any authorized personnel from any location for as long as you need them, and access is secured using advanced login security policies. A backup of your archive is always available and you can also request a copy on digital media.
We would like our faxes electronically archived so we don’t have to worry about mounds of paper. Will we be able to access our documents easily?
Can you support our multiple offices and multi-language needs? As a global company we need to be sure your fax services solution can be scaled out.
In today’s global marketplace you need an international solution provider who will support your automation needs across a network of offices around the globe, offer multi-language capabilities, and have proven cross border deployment successes.
Why EskerEsker operates globally with offices around the world and has a track record of many successful worldwide implementations. The Fax Services solution supports all countries with outbound fax and over 43 countries with inbound fax. The Esker web user interface is available in numerous languages, and local language support is available in many countries.
The Esker SaaS solution allows for a quick roll out of the fax services solution to various countries without the need to plan for multiple instances or larger and more complex infrastructure, which is the case with on-premise solutions.
Information security and integrity14
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Expert consultancy and project methodology13
Hosting and processing other companies’ business and financial documents brings up the question of internal controls and security issues.
A SAS 70 audit is an in-depth analysis of a service organization’s control
over information technology and related processes. Successful completion of a SAS 70 audit indicates that processes, procedures and controls have been formally reviewed. It is highly recommended that your solution provider be SAS 70 certified.
Why EskerEsker is SAS 70 certified for its on-demand automation solutions (following an audit conducted by Ernst & Young).
Based on 25 internal controls including data centers security, incident management process, infrastructure monitoring, logistics access and recruitment, Esker processes, procedures and controls have been formally reviewed and certified.
With Esker, you can rest assured that your business and financial information is responsibly and securely handled and stored.
How can we be assured that our business documents are securely handled and stored?
Your solution provider should be capable of looking at your company’s automation needs as a whole. Beyond just specific solution inquiries, the entire perspective needs to be evaluated
and a proposed solution adapted to best meet your business problems. Visibility before and during project implementation should be provided in order to monitor budgets and ensure that schedules are maintained.
A skilled solution provider with years of solution implementation experience understands the importance of respecting timelines and budgets.
Why EskerEsker delivers expert consultancy throughout the entire purchasing lifecycle — from presales assessment of your business needs and determining the best solution for your company problems to solution implementation and production.
Capable of analyzing the big picture and optimizing solutions to meet your company requirements, Esker goes beyond the initial solution inquiry to provide professional and knowledgeable advice and support for your complete automation needs.
Based upon years of implementation experience, Esker has defined a strong project methodology to guarantee that the project will meet the expected goal, that deadlines and budget requirements are met and that the project is an overall success. Esker consulting service teams apply best-practice framework and proven methodology for successful project implementation.
We need a solution provider who will look beyond our specific product inquiry, evaluate our overall company needs and objectives and deliver a solution that best fits our requirements. Additionally, can you assure us that our automation solution will be implemented on time and within budget? We don’t want any surprises.
C E R T I F I E D
Safe Harbor Privacy Policy15
The United States Department of Commerce and the European Commission have agreed on a set of data protection principles and frequently asked questions
(the Safe Harbor Principles) to enable U.S. and European companies to satisfy the EU law requirements that personal information transferred from the EU to the United States be adequately protected.
Intended for organizations within the EU or U.S. that store customer data, the Safe Harbor Principles are designed to prevent accidental information disclosure or loss.
Why EskerEsker recognizes that privacy is very important to its customers and pledges to protect the security and privacy of any personal information that customers, employees, partners and others provide.
The Safe Harbor Privacy Policy sets forth the privacy principles Esker follows with respect to transfers of personal information from the European Economic Area to the U.S. Consistent with its pledge to protect personal privacy, Esker adheres to the Safe Harbor Principles, and has been certified by TRUSTe, an independent third party online solutions provider.
Not only does Esker strive to collect, use and disclose personal information in a manner consistent with the laws of the countries in which it does business, but it also has a tradition of upholding the highest ethical standards in its business practices.
As a European company, we need the guarantee that our personal data will receive the highest levels of protection in the United States, and that rigorous privacy legislation is respected. How do you ensure this?
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Esker delivers fax flexibility and dependability, quickly, easily and cost-effectively. Based on over 25 years of experience in fax technology, Esker has developed three cloud-based fax solutions to meet and simplify all desktop and production faxing business needs.
Fax Services for SAP enables faxing as a service completely integrated with SAP applications and without the need to install software on the SAP application server. Fax Services for ERP offers the benefits of automatic faxing as a service fully integrated into a company’s business application — without investing in and maintaining in-house telephony and fax hardware. Fax Services for Desktop transforms the computer into a convenient fax solution where business documents are effortlessly sent from any desktop application via a process as easy as sending an email.
Fax Services saves time over manual faxing — up to 90%. The average Esker fax job takes around one minute, compared to 11 minutes for a manual print and fax process.
Esker offers flexible pay-as-you-go options enabling businesses to only pay for what they use on a per-page basis. By providing complete cost predictability and control, the Esker solution is the ideal solution for companies whose fax requirements fluctuate monthly or seasonally.
Key features of Fax Services include:
§ Automated fax sending§ 100% on-demand service§ No more paper constraints§ Enhanced productivity§ Fax capability available 24/7/365§ No hardware or software to buy and maintain§ Virtually unlimited capacity to handle any fax volume§ Real-time tracking and reporting§ Secure and reliable infrastructure§ Least-cost routing through redundant and secure
worldwide network of fax production facilities§ Quick implementation§ Simplified IT infrastructure§ Original fax image automatically stored
for later search and retrieval
Fax automation has the potential to save costs and increase speed of document distribution. The cost difference between sending 200 one-page faxes via manual and automated methods is significant. Inefficiencies in manual process prevent cost effectively scaling to large numbers of documents ($280 and 36 hours to send 200 faxes). Conversely, with fax automation the entire process is taken over by Esker as soon as the user clicks “print.” Time is reduced to only a few minutes and cost is reduced to around $20.
In addition to outbound faxing from desktop and enterprise applications, Fax Services can also handle inbound faxing. In just a few clicks, inbound fax lines can be set up to receive faxes via email.
Fax Services combines the intelligence of Esker technology with a worldwide network of production facilities. Designed for dependable and confidential data processing, Esker production facilities located in North America, France and Australia are monitored 24/7 to offer secure worldwide service and continuous availability. Esker technology guarantees that documents and messages are handled in a secure, private and traceable manner. To avoid any possible hardware failure, the platforms in North America and Europe are capable of backing up one another ensuring minimal production interruption.
Real results achieved by Esker customers include:
§ Same-day processing of fax orders§ 9 hours labor saved per day
§ Immediate access to orders
§ 99% reduction of average turnaround time for entry of incoming fax orders into SAP
Fax Services Solutions From EskerFlexible and reliable faxing with Esker
USA FRANCE
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Fax Services for ERP Fax Services for ERP enables users to submit faxes directly from their ERP application interface or from ERP solution modules. Users simply create a message, attach files to be faxed, and select fax number(s) from the recipient list. Every fax processed
by Esker is tracked with a unique identifier and the real-time status of each fax is visible directly within business applications. Technically, documents are transmitted from a company’s business applications to an Esker production facility (1) and received by a multitenant Esker server platform through an authenticated, encrypted and secured connection (2). Once received, the documents are processed and faxed according to user specifications. Once the fax is delivered (3), a fax status is fed into the business application (4), where it’s updated in real time and visible to users.
Fax Services for SAPFax Services for SAP offers businesses the best of both worlds: automatic faxing as a cloud-based service and integrated with SAP with no additional hardware or software to install. Users submit faxes from the SAP Business Workplace interface or SAP solution modules. A certified solution transports the documents to an Esker production facility through a secure connection. Once received, documents are immediately processed and faxed according to user preference. A notification is directly fed into the SAP system so users can track the real-time status of their faxes in SAPconnect.
Technically, documents submitted from an SAP interface are transmitted to an Esker production facility (1) using a secure SAP Remote Function Call (RFC) communication between SAProuters and received by a multitenant Esker server platform with SAP Certified Integration (2). A certified solution transports documents directly from the SAP application to an Esker production facility through an authenticated, encrypted and secured connection (3). Once the fax is delivered to its recipient (4), a fax status is fed into the SAP system (5), where it’s updated in real time and visible to users.
Fax Services for DesktopEsker transforms the computer into the perfect fax solution, allowing users to send and receive single or batch faxes from desktop, ERP or CRM applications with only a few clicks. Documents created in a business application or word processing software are securely sent via the Esker on Demand virtual printer to an Esker production facility where they are immediately sent via fax to the designated recipients (fax number, cover page, attachments, archiving and notifications preferences options are determined prior to sending). A preview feature makes it easy to proof the faxed document before it is sent. Faxes can be sent immediately or scheduled for future delivery — providing both convenience and flexibility. Faxes are easily tracked online in real time and email notifications sent when a fax has reached its destination.
How does it work?
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ERP
ENTERPRISE ESKER PRODUCTION FACILITY RECIPIENTMEDIA
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RFC SNCDMZ
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ENTERPRISE ESKER PRODUCTION FACILITY RECIPIENTMEDIA
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Esker is a worldwide leader in document automation solutions dedicated to helping organizations around the globe eliminate paper and improve business processes for higher efficiency in sales order processing, accounts receivable, accounts payable and purchasing. Esker offers a best-of-suite solution (on-demand and on-premise) to automate every type of business information exchange, as well as a unique value to businesses running SAP.
Thousands of Esker solutions worldwide enable customers to reduce processing time and costs by at least 40%, greatly increase their competitive advantages, gain significant and immediate operational efficiencies, achieve cost savings, and realize measurable ROI in as little as three to six months.
Esker helps over 80,000 companies across the world to reduce the use of paper and eliminate manual processes while improving their productivity, efficiency and environmental impact.
Esker operates in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.esker.com. Follow Esker on Twitter at twitter.com/eskerinc and join the conversation on the Esker blog at www.quitpaper.com.
©2012 Esker S.A. All rights reserved. Esker and the Esker logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Esker S.A in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Esker, Inc.1212 Deming Way, Suite 350Madison § WI 53717 Tel: 800.368.5283Email: [email protected]
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