Johnsonville wanted to be the best at what they do and identified some focus areas with scope for improvement in their order to cash processes. One area of focus for them was managing their deductions as they realized the highly disruptive impact of poor deductions management on their balance sheet.\n\nDisintegrated Order-to-Cash Systems\nOnce claim documents came in regarding short payments made, deduction teams began their manual research to find the reason behind the dispute. Other internal teams, however, had no visibility into the reason for short payments. While it was already challenging for the deductions team to handle disputes given all the backup data procurement, it also further led to the cash application teams’ inability to apply cash. Thus, the invoice remained open despite payments being received and this led the collector to make customer calls requesting payment from customers who had already paid. The siloed systems thus caused challenges to all the teams involved, resulting in a poor customer experience.\n\nTackling Disputes with Scarce Resources\nWorking with big-box retailers introduced Johnsonville to a vast volume of disputes but they only had a few resources to handle them. They thus struggled with compliance requirements, high cost-to-serve, and a large volume of transactions. They were therefore looking for a less manual and more efficient way to handle disputes.\n\n100% Manual and Time-Consuming Cash Application\nThe cash application process at Johnsonville was 100% manual. With such a massive volume of invoices coming in daily, their manual process was time-consuming and error-prone. It also caused the inability to apply cash the same day the payment came in, causing a trickle-down effect in their entire order to cash cycle.

The financial services team at DPSG relied on 3rd party vendors, outsourcing their Collections, Cash Application, and other A/R functions to control costs. This led to limitations such as restricted access and control. Moreover, outsourced contracts prevented shifting to other platforms or discontinuation of services prior to the contract period. A lack of metrics and statistics also made it difficult to track outsourced resource productivity causing inconsistencies across processes and creating complications for the A/R team. Only after insourcing receivables processes and leveraging technology was the team able to streamline A/R operations and achieve end-to-end process visibility. Continuous training and retraining were required for analysts to stay up-to-date with the high level of non-standardization in the process. There was a lot of hesitation from the team in adopting new processes. The majority of A/R correspondence was either mailed, or printed/scanned/emailed manually. There was no centralized system for analysts to record notes on receivables transactions, and no worklists were incorporated to help analysts prioritize work across collections and deductions.

Lhoist faced significant challenges in their cash application and collections process due to a high volume of transactions and limited resources. They had 2,000 active customer accounts with over 22,000 open line items and $5,000,000 in unapplied cash. The collections team had to manage $25,000,000 past due A/R on 22,000 open line items. Manual processing of check-based payments, non-standardized e-payments, high deductions volume, and overall slower cash posting were major issues. Additionally, manual correspondence and limited resources further complicated the collections process.

The PrimeSource A/R team faced significant challenges due to decentralized operations. They wanted to switch to a centralized process for better collaboration within different teams. The team faced issues with standardizing processes, lack of managerial visibility, and time-consuming collaboration. Analysts relied on SAP for collections but handled dispute management manually, leading to inefficiencies. Additionally, limited reason codes and manual data aggregation further complicated the deductions process.

With a team of just 12 people, Staples faced a hectic work environment. Seven collectors were managing 900-1000 accounts each, with aging buckets up to 1000 days. They had to manually gather information from 20 different customer portals, which was time-consuming and inefficient. The accounts included multiple parent-child scenarios, complicating visibility and transparency. Paper-based aging and manual prioritization further added to the inefficiency, with dollars stuck in 1000+ days aging buckets. Manual invoice tracing from customer portals led to lesser productivity.

WESCO faced a complex cash application scenario involving multiple payment formats and remittance sources. Analysts spent significant time extracting remittances from emails, EDIs, and A/P portals, leading to inefficiency. Banks did not support e-payment reconciliation, requiring manual work. Payments and remittances often arrived separately, complicating invoice matching and making the process laborious and time-consuming. WESCO sought a solution that would act as a single source of truth, be easy to deploy, and train staff on, aiming for a sustainable and scalable cash application process.

Summit Electric faced several challenges in their Accounts Receivable (A/R) processes. The credit team struggled with manual and inconsistent data gathering, incomplete data, lack of real-time risk alerts, and longer turnaround times due to the absence of a workflow. The collections team had no customer prioritization strategy and faced issues with process standardization, leading to inconsistencies and inefficiencies. The cash application process was entirely manual, with poor lockbox services and manual deduction coding, resulting in slow processing and delays.

An industrial giant in metals and mining, Martin Marietta faced significant challenges in its operations overall. The processes they had in place, such as keying in information, were highly manual and took up a lot of the analysts’ time. The company needed a way to repurpose this effort into more productive tasks like analysis and value optimization. Processes also lacked standardization which needed to be addressed and they wanted a method to increase visibility into metrics to help track where time was being wasted. They were using three lockboxes and 1 EDI file along with bank keying in.\n\nCredit\n\nDecentralized Processes\nEach division followed its own processes and this led to confusion among teams. It also led to inconsistencies in information gathering for shared customers.\n\nManual Work\nProcesses were completely manual based on forms that needed to be filled in by credit managers from the master data. Record-Keeping was exclusively hands-on and analysts also made customer calls and set-ups in person, which took up a lot of time.\n\nLack of Visibility\nGetting audits done for credit analysis was a huge task because the information was inaccurate. A lack of transparency also caused inconsistencies in credit calculations.\n\nCash Application\n\nMis-Keying of Information\nInformation wasn't being accurately fed into the system by banks, causing frustration and misapplication on the analysts’ side. This called unnecessary delays and errors.\n\nNon-Standardized Practices\nCustomers paid with inconsistent formats like tickets and statements that caused issues because information regarding invoices and remittance had to be aggregated manually from these documents. This consumed a lot of the analysts’ bandwidth so identification of payments also became a hectic task.

Forecasting was done with FP&A and ERP reports as inputs. An indirect method was used where data was taken from balance sheet and income statement to generate only longer-term forecasts with poor insights. With 900+ projects in hand, gathering data from multiple divisions was tedious and error-prone. Delays in reporting from these divisions affected continuous visibility. Forecast models lacking key drivers for construction & engineering business provided no short-term visibility resulting in frequent cash crunches and high-interest loans.

Teletrac Navman faced significant challenges with their Accounts Receivable (AR) processes. The manual and time-consuming nature of these processes led to inefficiencies and disorganization. The absence of a prioritized worklist further complicated the collections process, resulting in a lack of end-to-end visibility. These roadblocks hindered the company's ability to bring AR processes in-house effectively.

Kichler Lighting faced significant challenges in their Accounts Receivable (AR) processes. The manual nature of their AR function led to time-consuming and error-prone invoice payment processes. Additionally, the company struggled with inefficient past-due recovery due to a lack of time and resources. The limited visibility into the end-to-end AR landscape further exacerbated these issues, making it difficult to manage financial operations effectively.

Intuitive, while newly adopting an SSC operating model, was struggling to cope with a manual & lagging cash application process. True no-touch cash posting rates were below expectation, generating consumer dissatisfaction. Inaccurate tracking of metrics and reports hindered visibility and executive supervision on day-to-day tasks. Manual research & deduction coding were time-consuming and drove an increase in FTEs. Rapid year-on-year growth at Intuitive led to a huge volume of transactions and a lagging cash application. Healthcare companies like Intuitive witness heavy capital expenditure incurred in funding research & manufacturing. Hence, sustaining the business through optimized working capital is crucial for this industry sector. And one of the many ways they seek to accomplish this is by breeding healthy & long-term consumer relationships. But at Intuitive, the delayed cash posting rates posed a major threat to their consumer relations, business with pharmaceutical firms, and infirmaries, who insist on getting their invoices cleared immediately upon payment. Also, the auto-cash posting rate was just 40%, which being inconsistent with the actual rate hindered visibility, further compounding their troubles. For Intuitive, dealing with their European customer segment was another major conundrum. While doing business with the public & government-led hospitals & firms, they often came across exceptional scenarios, which were very hard to tackle even with their existing ERP, banking tools & IT team. Also, having to cater to customer portfolios spread across 15+ countries, Intuitive was liable to accept payments in multiple currencies while conforming to a broad spectrum of payment & trade statutes. The sudden spurt of growth over just a few years at Intuitive led to an unprecedented rise in business demands. But the Banking and A/R management tools in place couldn't meet the automation requirements the business team desired, despite the incurring costs. Hence, they had to thoroughly meet the operational requirements with manual efforts, which often led to Analysts' fatigue. So, as an attempt to ease the heavy workload on the existing manpower, headcounts were further added. However, the manual workforce, although now scaled-up and functioning at a 100% capacity, failed to keep up with the incremental transaction volumes.

Virgin Media O2 faced a threefold internal challenge: spreading awareness about new roaming rules, teaching employees how to explain these rules, and leveraging employee engagement to disseminate the information organically with minimal initial spend. The pandemic exacerbated these challenges by isolating people and making communication difficult. The company needed to find a way to overcome these obstacles and seize the moment to create an opportunity for themselves.

This haphazard, inconsistent method of communication presented a huge problem. Frontline workers have the most contact with the public and can make or break relationships with customers. The company needed a better way to provide employees with timely, relevant information so they could feel more confident about understanding company initiatives, more inspired about their jobs, and create a great in-store experience for everyone who walks through the front door. Information at the fingertips of employees Today, people use smartphones as remote controls for their daily lives as they access interesting and useful information. Wawa wanted to replicate that experience on the job. A communication platform with a well-designed mobile application A communication platform with a well-designed mobile application could deliver content directly to employees in the manner they prefer. This would keep employees informed while also enabling them to return quickly to their fast-paced jobs of helping customers. them to return quickly to their fast-paced jobs of helping customers Key communication challenges • Hourly store employees wanted a stronger affiliation with the company • Without corporate email addresses, store employees relied on their managers or printed materials for important information • Wawa had no idea if employees were receiving critical information to help them do their jobs better • Executives wanted the ability to speak directly to every employee through short videos

With much of the staff working 12-hour shifts on site, it was vital to be able to communicate with staff members in a fast, mobile method. The need for quality care increased sharply when the COVID-19 pandemic hit worldwide. As businesses began shutting down and cases began to climb, the first and most pressing need, for both patients and employees, was the need for information. Executive communications had been limited to emails or newsletters, and there was a struggle to reach employees and medical staff in multiple locations with policies and protocols changing hour by hour.

Providence faced significant challenges in reaching 120,000 frontline healthcare workers across 1,000+ locations in 7 states. The organization struggled with ensuring consistency in communications, measuring the reach and impact of their messages, and mobilizing their workforce quickly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The existing tools, including Microsoft Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, and various regional communication tools, were not efficient for a complex healthcare organization. The need for a unified communication system became more apparent as COVID-19 changed daily operations, requiring rapid and consistent dissemination of critical patient care and employee safety information.

ING, a Dutch multinational banking and financial services giant, faced the challenge of effectively disseminating positive content about the company’s products, webinars, planning tools, and employee experiences across its global workforce. The need for a unified platform became more pressing as online audiences grew more eager for trustworthy news, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company sought a solution that would not only centralize this information but also encourage employees to share it on social media, thereby boosting external communications and social advocacy. Additionally, ING wanted to track and analyze employee engagement to refine their content strategy and maximize the platform's impact.

Leadership at Booz Allen Hamilton recognized the need to improve communication and engagement with their dispersed workforce. With 75% of their 29,000 employees working remotely and often embedded with clients, these employees lacked access to company tools and resources and rarely checked their corporate email. The challenge was to find a technology solution that could connect executives and managers directly with these employees, ensuring they received relevant information and felt aligned with the corporate mission. Additionally, Booz Allen wanted to empower employees to become brand ambassadors, sharing approved company content on social media to enhance brand advocacy.

Penske Australia and New Zealand faced significant challenges in internal communication due to their dispersed workforce across multiple business units and geographical areas. The company relied heavily on direct managers to relay information, which often led to inconsistencies and delays. Additionally, there was a notable divide between field workers and office employees, with the former often lacking access to laptops and the latter being overwhelmed by constant notifications. This communication gap resulted in employees feeling disengaged and lacking visibility into the company's operations.

Phillips 66, a diversified energy manufacturing and logistics company, faced a significant challenge in effectively communicating with its 12,000+ employees spread across different time zones and shift patterns. Traditional methods of sending company-wide emails at a fixed time often resulted in messages being lost in digital noise, leading to low engagement rates. The company needed a smarter way to deliver communications that would consider individual employee preferences and schedules to ensure higher engagement and productivity.

Sage needed to identify a robust, flexible platform that would be the central place for employees to learn about everything that’s happening throughout the worldwide company, and share that information. The company wanted to enable employees to develop positive word-of-mouth about the company, create awareness about products, and discuss how it’s a great place to work—all by sharing content on social media in their authentic voices. The challenge was to find a solution that could deliver the latest brand news and stories that support the company’s mission and values, while also being relevant to each employee's role, division, and location.

Raising Cane’s, a fast-casual restaurant brand, faced the challenge of maintaining a highly motivated and connected workforce across its 560+ locations, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company needed a way to keep its Crew engaged, informed, and connected despite physical distancing and social restrictions. The challenge was to sustain the vibrant culture of service and community involvement that Raising Cane’s is known for, while also ensuring that employees felt valued and heard.

Lincoln Financial’s millennial and Gen Z team members expected consistent communication and transparency from their organization. The company needed to reach these workers in a way that would work for all employees. Relying on email didn’t fit the bill; neither did the company’s aging intranet. Adding digital signage had made communicating more cumbersome, and the company’s analytics were siloed by communication channel, with no single place to measure unified results across every endpoint. Employee engagement, as measured by the company’s adoption rates, was at just 30%-40% when Lincoln Financial added Firstup in 2018. All employees at the company have now adopted the platform, and their top 4 content channels are all viewed by more than 90% of the workforce.

Publicly-traded commercial and residential real estate trust WashREIT was facing many challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak. The company moved 100% of its office workers to work-from-home but still needed them to fully support the field agents at the heart of their business. Following their business continuity plan and using the Firstup platform, company leaders moved quickly to align workers with new policies, provide effective virtual leadership, and prioritize employee wellbeing. The challenge was to ensure that the entire workforce was consistently up to speed and mobilized to keep the business running efficiently, despite being in a fully digital environment. This required leadership to be at its best and employees to feel supported throughout the uncertainty.

O2, the Czech Republic’s largest integrated telecommunications provider, faced the challenge of meeting the growing connectivity demands driven by the rapid increase in tech startups, e-commerce companies, and software developers. Additionally, the explosive demands driven by 4G/LTE and video streaming added to the complexity. O2 also aimed to increase network diversity for reliability and to foster competition among providers. The solution needed to be scalable to meet the ever-increasing demand while reducing complexity.

Morphlabs needed to find an affordable, open, adaptive, and powerful 1U switch to meet their clients' demands for revolutionary turnkey cloud solutions. The primary concern was finding the best architectural solution that could provide non-blocking wire speed performance on all ports and extensibility built into the switch architecture. Cost, space, and power consumption were also important considerations.

As a true cloud-centric company, LivePerson has adopted an agile approach to software development and infrastructure deployment and is a vocal champion of open-source technologies. More than just a technical fashion statement, its investment in agility is a requirement to meet the massive growth it has experienced that has seen revenues jump from $18.5 million in 2004 to over $220 million in 2017. The explosive growth and high demand for its service have been matched by a continual upgrade of the core technologies needed to service millions of chat sessions. “Our platform helps to improve the relationships between consumers and brands and it needs to be reliable, always available and delivered with the highest levels of performance,” explains Yaniv Katz, Director for Data Center Engineering at LivePerson, “This means we are constantly evaluating how we can deliver the best experience while ensuring that we can scale to meet growing demand.” Behind the scenes, the engineering team is continually monitoring around 1 million metrics such as server utilization, memory, connection, latency, and a whole host of other data sets to ensure that the service is running as expected. With data center expansion planned over the next few years, in late 2016, Katz and his teams began examining the possibility of upgrading and optimizing its network architecture to meet future trends. “We always need to be ahead of where our customers want to go,” he explains, “support for new drivers like increased use of video and chatbots are areas that we must cater for and as such the network needs to be able to scale in line with our needs.”

With a steady increase in student enrollment, Walsh University's Office of Information Technology (OIT) realized that their existing controller-based wireless network could not maintain adequate throughput for the growing number of devices connecting to it. This inadequacy was particularly evident in the residence halls, where students experienced connectivity issues, especially during peak evening hours when streaming and gaming activities surged. The IT team, led by Brian Greenwell and Rick Seivert, identified the need for better connectivity to ensure a positive experience for students, whether they were studying, streaming, or gaming. Additionally, security concerns were paramount, as universities have become prime targets for hackers seeking valuable personal identifiable information (PII).

Asteroid aimed to create a new type of Internet Exchange Point (IXP) service that combined better self-service options and automated provisioning while keeping costs down. The challenge was to address longstanding issues in the IXP market, such as slow service setup times and limited self-provisioning capabilities. The goal was to offer a more agile, cost-effective, and customer-friendly IXP service that could scale from 10Gb to 100Gb seamlessly.

In 2011, AIS recognized a shift in customer needs towards more advanced cloud computing solutions. The primary challenges faced by AIS were the need for higher speed to interface compute hosts with storage and the increased complexity of network management tasks. To address these challenges, AIS needed to move to 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) with a higher port density. During the vendor selection phase, AIS discovered that some of their customers were already using Arista Networks products in their colocation space. This, along with insights from IT professionals involved in VMware deployments, led AIS to consider Arista Networks for their cloud computing infrastructure.