The cause for this lies in the new available functionality of Enterprise Output Management applications through the vendors and the managed service providers. Enterprise Output Management is usually divided into three processes:

Document creation

Nowadays creating documents is no longer restricted to the design of a document that is destined to be printed and sent. Now, documents also come in the form of an e-mail, an Internet page or even an SMS. A marketing campaign is no longer about that one brochure but about a process of subsequent messages that can be sent through the various media channels. Besides the necessity to send documents via several media channels it is also becoming more important to personally address the addressee. Of course this relates to the personal details such as name and address particulars but also about additional personalized messages. The addressee’s profile is important, what do we know about the client? Document creation is all about optimal ‘content’ management, integration with CRM and ERP applications, efficiently using the various media channels and the variable set up of documents based on corporate rules and regulations.

Document production

Traditionally document production is the printing of documents via the printer and then further processing so that documents can be sent in an envelope. And although this still is one of the core activities of document production many tasks and activities have been added in recent years. With the increase in electronic distribution of documents or the need/desire to record electronic documents it is vital, for the data destined for the printer, to have the possibility of using the data for electronic processing and/or recording immediately. Moreover, for document production it is crucial to set the documents up for distribution as efficiently as possible. Issues such as sorting on postal code and ‘weighing’ the postal item in order to stay within the range of certain postal tariffs are important here.

Document distribution

Nowadays the eventual distribution no longer takes place exclusively via e.g., TNT, Royal Mail or Deutsche Post. There are now several mail distribution suppliers, each with their own guidelines for efficient mail dispatch. The addition of electronic distribution channels makes document distribution complex. Questions such as: “What if there is an error message when you send an e-mail?” or “What should we do when the fax is not responding?” need answering.

Enterprise Output Management is a complex architecture of several business processes in which documents are designed, processed and distributed. Compliance, optimization and effective document set up are vital. Enterprise Output Management is a combination of software and hardware as is reflected in the Automated Document Process Management model below.