Santa Clara, CA April 1, 2002 Cost savings from implementing e-business solutions are great, but British publisher TSO is finding that the solutions can result in process improvements and customer satisfaction benefits, too.
TSO (The Stationery Office), Britain's largest publisher by new title volume, publishes more than 11,000 books, CD-ROMs and multi-media products every year. The company provides integrated information management and business process outsourcing solutions to both the public and private sector. This includes a wide range of interconnected services for its customers, including content management, web and e-commerce services, editorial design, electronic publishing, fulfillment and logistics, print services, customer services, and sales and marketing services.
Last year, the company deployed a solution from provider Noosh to simplify complex workflow and automate certain manual processes. The Noosh solution is currently implemented throughout the organization and extends across its base of more than 200 suppliers. Noosh is also providing the software infrastructure for TSO Consortia, a new e-procurement service that TSO is launching this year as a deployable client resource.
"To run a process successfully requires all the elements of the workflow to be coordinated, including those that fall outside the area of supply chain responsibility," said Keith Burbage, managing director of TSO Supply Chain Services. "To do this requires process interconnectivity, process visibility, process accountability. Noosh does this by organizing the major process elements in a logical way regardless of company boundaries."
TSO estimated that it is going to see cost savings in excess of $700,000 in the first year of deployment. But the company also points to business process improvements and customer satisfaction benefits.
Customers have given the service high marks and have reported that the Noosh solution has improved their business relationship with TSO. One TSO customer noted: "Our interest is in providing the right information and seeing that the whole process is under control. Noosh enables both."
On the other end of the spectrum, Noosh has allowed suppliers to better see relevant project activities and to participate in the supply process at a level that is appropriate to their role in the supply chain.
