Output management at the customer's pulse

Output management at the customer's pulse

PostFinance is one of Switzerland's largest financial institutions and processes customer communications on a very large scale. Hundreds of millions of pages are created, distributed and archived every year. This is exactly where the joint project with INVARIS came in: with the aim of simplifying document processes and making them future-proof.

The result is an output management system that is still considered a reference project today and won the ECM Award in 2013.

Starting point: High complexity, limited flexibility

As PostFinance grew, so did the variety of documents, systems and processes. Different applications and output channels required their own processes, layouts and maintenance processes.

Among other things, this resulted in:

• several process steps when creating new customer documents
• limited reusability of layouts
• parallel implementations in different systems
• channel-specific processing within the document lifecycle
• increased costs for operation and maintenance
• the involvement of external service providers in individual process areas

At the same time, market requirements continued to develop: Customers expected timely, transparent and high-quality documents, in multiple languages and across various communication channels.

The approach: Centralization instead of isolated solutions

After a comprehensive analysis and a proof of concept, PostFinance chose INVARIS. The goal was a central platform that covers the entire document lifecycle from creation to administration to delivery.

With the introduction of the INVARIS platform, document processes were standardized, simplified and sustainably standardized.

Implementation: Scalable, multilingual, cross-channel

The first productive version went into operation back in 2011. Step by step, they became:

• 15 delivery applications connected
• Around 6,000 text references in four languages are centrally recorded
• Integrated output channels such as mass printing, local printing, PDF, e-mail and archive
• introduced a test center for quality assurance in the editorial process
  

Today, PostFinance uses the INVARIS solution to produce around 260 million A4 pages per year — reliably, consistently and automatically.

The added value: measurable and sustainable

• 60% lower operating and innovation costs
• Significantly lower costs in operation, maintenance and development
• Quick implementation of market and change requirements
• Uniform, modern and multilingual customer communication

Or as the PostFinance program management team sums it up:

“With the powerful INVARIS platform products and INVARIS's extensive know-how, we are well on the way to achieving our ambitious goals. ”
— KUDOBE program manager, PostFinance

Conclusion: A blueprint for modern customer communication

This project shows how output management can work in complex, regulated environments: centrally, efficiently and consistently customer-oriented. PostFinance is thus setting standards — not only technologically but also organizationally.