Wayne Homes is a subsidiary of Centex Homes, a leading residential builder in America. The Uniontown, Ohio, builder was established in 1973 and has more than 200 employees throughout thirteen divisions and corporate offices. Offering clients a choice of 35 semi-custom homes, Wayne Homes oversees the entire building process, from planning to completion, as well as any ongoing maintenance years after. The company's mission is "to build homes of exceptional quality and value and to achieve customer satisfaction by building better for less."
With more than 40 industry awards for superior quality, it appears as though Wayne Homes is doing just that; and much of that success can be attributed to technology as Wayne Homes employed an OnBase information management system since 1996.
The Situation
Exceptional and responsive customer service is a priority for Wayne Homes, but managers and employees were facing a challenge of maintaining the level of service their clients had come to expect while building more homes than ever before. Central to the problem was the fact that the volume of documentation necessary to see a house through to completion, from blueprints to footprints, had evolved into an unwieldy, paper-intensive management system in need of an overhaul.
According to John Neidert, Wayne Homes' director of IT, the company was ready for an electronic information management system. Said Neidert, "Our customer service representatives were experiencing difficulties addressing clients' needs in a timely manner. In some cases, they were even required to search for documents at an off site location."
The Solution
After reviewing several document management systems, Wayne Homes chose Hyland Software’s OnBase solution.
Says Neidert, "We were looking for an electronic information management system which could streamline our business processes. After examining several competitive products we chose the OnBase integrated document management solution for three reasons: its straightforward configuration module, ease of use and a well-rounded suite of products that provided a clear solution to our document storage and retrieval needs."
OnBase electronically captures, stores and manages literally every document generated or received by an organization, providing Wayne Homes' users with quick access to any and all documentation related to the construction of a home. Beginning with the sale of a house right through to completion and the ensuing warranty service, OnBase streamlines Wayne Homes’ processes, reduces paper usage and storage, and provides employees complete document access in one integrated system.
OnBase is comprised of more than 30 separately licensed modules. Organizations are encouraged to invest in solutions that meet today's needs and then incrementally, cost-effectively expand and enhance the system as needs (and budgets) grow. Wayne Homes initially implemented COLD/ERM, Document Imaging and Host Application Enabler; and, recently, the homebuilder added Application Enabler, Image Statements and Web Server with the help of Imaging Solutions Group, Inc., a top-performing Authorized OnBase Solution Provider. With the expansion, Wayne Homes is fully reaping the benefits of integrated document management.
The Result
Purchase orders, generated from Wayne Homes' building software, FAST, are automatically captured and indexed with OnBase COLD; and, incoming invoices are scanned into the system using OnBase Document Imaging. Once in the system, documents are available throughout the enterprise and can be annotated, faxed, or emailed directly from the desktop. OnBase Application Enabler provides a seamless integration (without programming) between FAST and OnBase. With the image on their screen, invoice data is entered into FAST and used to index the image into OnBase—eliminating the need for timely double entry.
OnBase Image Statements automatically matches primary documents with supporting documents for rendering or printing. Wayne Homes utilizes the module to assemble purchase orders that include all supporting documents required by subcontractors, including plans, specifications, instructions and job maps. Because this step previously was completed manually, the time to assemble purchase order packets has been reduced significantly. Also, the module maintains an electronic record of each purchase order packet and allows subcontractors to contact Wayne Homes, ask specific purchase order questions and receive an answer immediately. Says Neidert, "We've eliminated 95% of the paper we previously used in Accounting and we're much more efficient as a result of our OnBase system.â€
Accounting is not the only application reaping benefits from the system. "Since implementing OnBase, Wayne Homes' employees have quick access to any documentation related to the construction of a home," reports Neidert. "Customer service issues that previously took days to resolve can now be handled while the customer is on the phone."
To provide its mobile workforce and satellite offices with complete access to mission critical information, Wayne Homes instituted the OnBase Web Server. Employees now have secure access to job packages, customer selections, variances and other documents via the Internet. In the near future, the builder plans to give vendors access to documents specific to their activities, thus further reducing customer service personnel workload.
OnBase's versatility allowed Wayne Homes to select the client/server combination that met its needs, however, the fact that OnBase can be economically deployed in virtually any environment ensures compatibility with future network platforms and hardware.
In addition, Hyland Software's approach to customer relations is as integrated as its products. Says Neidert, "OnBase has integrated easily into our current process. But should issues arise that require technical assistance from someone outside of Wayne Homes, an Imaging Solutions Group or Hyland Software representative can always be reached in minutes."
Neidert continues, “I feel Hyland's attitude is right on track, and it was a pleasure working with the OnBase team." And the same goes for working with OnBase itself, as Neidert concludes, "If some of our other software worked half as well as OnBase, my role as director of IT would be painless."
