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Now consider how the absence of support for this growing volume of Accountable Documents creates inefficiencies in human and financial resources and does not provide the management controls required in today’s demanding environment.
Inefficient use of Human Resources: The key to confirming delivery of an Accountable Document is the discreet number associated with that delivery. Most systems require this number to be manually entered. In many cases this number must be printed for future reference. Since delivery services directly access their respective system records, retention is from forty-five days to twelve months.
Should the need arise to verify delivery after the record has been removed from the delivery service website; a request must be made frequently with an accompanying service charge.
Often more than one person is involved in the search for confirmation of delivery of an Accountable Document.
Even with the availability of multi-carrier shipping software many of the circumstances discussed persist. They do not satisfy the specific requirements of Accountable Documents.
Inefficient use of Financial Resources: Originators of Accountable Documents have complete discretion as to the method of delivery. Even with rate comparison tables and written business practices and procedures, the person preparing the document for delivery makes the decision.
Lack of Controls: Business Practices and Procedures are difficult to monitor and enforce if the decision resides with the document originator.
Delivery service that is misused or personally used may also be difficult to monitor and control. An airbill is a blank check, payable by your enterprise. Delivery Service material is readily available.
Many organizations have difficulty controlling charge-backs of Accountable Documents costs to department or cost centers because the expense is commingled with other deliveries, or there is not a consolidated report for all delivery services.
Finally, many companies negotiate discounted rates with delivery services. But without a detailed record of delivery history and performance of individual services, it is difficult to have the resources to measure compliance.
American enterprises spend $15 billion a year on the delivery of documents and packages. This is disproportionately high in certain sectors: Insurance, Financial Services, Technology, Pharmaceuticals, Utilities, Hospitality, Healthcare, Professional Services and Business Services among them.
In the enterprises mentioned above, it is not uncommon for Accountable Documents to represent seventy-five percent of total delivery expense.
The use of desktop shipping systems has affected some cost savings. However these systems do not address the need to fully implement Business Practices and Procedures to control the delivery of specific Accountable Documents. Also the systems do not address the need for long-term retention and retrieval of confirmation of delivery.
An Innovative information technology solution for the origination, retrieval, retention and management of Accountable Documents should meet five criteria:
- It should require the lowest possible capital investment in new technology by the enterprise.
- It should be available to all persons who originate or require confirmation of delivery of Accountable Documents. Access to information is available to any person designated by the enterprise.
- It should make access to information available to any person designated by the enterprise.
- It should define standard methods of delivery through Business Practices and Procedures. Exceptions should be noted and reported.
- It should incorporate all available methods of delivery including Enterprise Courier.
- It should permit enterprise-defined reports to include consolidated cost from all delivery methods.
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