IP-Only took a digital step forward, which paid off in just a few months. As a result, the administrative hassle of 75,000 paper contracts has been replaced by a solution built for security, efficiency, and profitability. And their employees love it. Their customers, lawyers and accountants love it too.
Contracts on paper - a bad combination
Getting cable installed in a home, the owner needs to sign a contract. Since the cable might pass through several properties, each of these landowners need to sign a separate contract. And each of these contracts contain individual parts of information and a unique map. As updates in the terms of agreements are common, a contract can exist in as many as six versions.
Before Columbus stepped in to help, the contract process was a hassle:
The paper contract would be sent to a customer, say in Arjeplog, where it hopefully would be signed. A reminder would often need to be sent. The owner would then send it back to the relevant local office. The accounting department would want a copy, so the contract would be scanned and sent to accounting and customer services. The excavator operator in Arjeplog would receive a copy and finally be able to get going.
Since the process sometimes took several weeks, circumstances could change. The contract would have to be adjusted, and the excavator in Arjeplog may well have started digging before the mistake had been discovered. Which would be the start of a long and costly process to deal with the discrepancy.
Hans Enston is the land contracts manager and project manager:
“Paper signatures are a poor solution. Letters get lost in the mail. The whole process takes at least a week. It’s frustrating for the customers, and creates uncertainty for employees.”
When Columbus proposed Scrive, we immediately saw that this was our next step.
Columbus had the solution
It all started with M-Files, a solution for document management that gives IP-Only complete version control. The right people get access to the right document. Hans explains:
“It was a digital boost. M-Files alone had been a revolution for us, and when Columbus proposed Scrive, we immediately saw that this was our next step.”
Scrive is an electronic signature solution that is both secure and creates a better customer experience. The combination of M-Files and Scrive synchronizes the document flow, and the customer can sign the same day. And in the same instance the contract becomes available to accounting and customer services.
Outcome exceeds expectations
IP-Only had expected that they would get benefits such as increased speed and greater efficiency, and indeed the gains correspond to two full-time positions. What they did not expect, though, was the additional positive effects. Higher security and speed help staff feel more confident in the process, and it reduces stress levels. Customer relationships improve thanks to faster service and fewer mistakes, and productivity goes up.
Hans Enston believes the implementation of M-Files went so seamlessly because Columbus listened to their needs and were able to present the right solution from the start. The Scrive solution wasn’t part of IP-Only's original order, but this is where Columbus proactively stepped in. Hans Enston explains:
“They presented the best solution for us and were able to install it in no time. We got a return on our investment, in time and money, in just a few months. Columbus is helping us gain even more benefits than we had initially imagined.”
Digital contracts are part of the customer experience.
A digital service strengthens the brand
Hans Enston describes paper contracts as a thing of the past. The company makes fewer mistakes, has more satisfied customers, happier employees, and better profitability. Last but not least, it clearly has a sustainability impact.
“I can’t think of a single drawback. Everybody in our company just loves it. Of course, some customers still require paper contracts, but that's no problem in M-Files. At IP-Only we are digitalizing Sweden, so working digitally with customers naturally aligns with our brand. Digital contracts are part of the customer experience.”
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