St. John’s University found its solution with DataBank IMX
Business Process Improvement Initiatives
St. John’s has been a sophisticated and experienced user of SunGard Higher Education Banner® Software for over a decade. In 2005, they started a business process improvement initiative and, using Banner’s workflow software, they were able to achieve speedier and more consistent processing of information and associated paperwork in their Alumni Relations and Development Office. They quickly recognized the benefits of workflow automation and document imaging, particularly in paper-intensive processing applications in the areas of Admissions and Financial Aid.
Maura Woods, Executive Director, Applications, Imaging & Information Technology at St. John’s University, knew there were several opportunities for significant business process improvements that could be achieved in several areas within the University. Working with each department, Woods began the process by first analyzing, understanding, and mapping their current-state processes. She gathered information on each department’s desired goals and areas that could benefit the most by implementing a new document management strategy. The desired benefits varied by department ranging from improvements in processing speeds, turnaround times, auditing, tracking, data verification capabilities, reduced handling and use of paper, and other desired operational efficiencies.
Recognizing the Value of Experience & Expertise
Initially, St. John’s elected to implement an in-house solution to manage all mailroom operations and document processing. The Banner Xtender module (a variant of EMC® Documentum ApplicationXtender®) would serve as the vehicle for importing images and data into their system. For the definition and design of front-end paper handling processes, they called on DataBank IMX to provide consulting services. Those services identified and defined processes and methodologies for managing all incoming mail, document preparation, taxonomy design, data entry and efficient document scanning procedures.DataBank IMX also provided advice in the design of a Document Processing Center with the ultimate goal to train University employees in the methods and steps required to ensure quality, accuracy, and efficiency in processing all incoming documents. As St. John’s recognized the knowledge and expertise demonstrated and required to effectively capture these critical documents and realized the complexity, labor and resources required to perform these critical functions in-house, they revised their approach and decided to outsource those processes to DataBank IMX.
Growth in Applications for Admission
Woods quickly saw that one of the areas that could immediately benefit from document imaging was the University’s Office of Admissions. Within a five-year period, St. John’s admissions applications increased 65% from 15,000 applications to over 25,000. Accompanying this growth was a significant increase in the volume of supporting credential documents. The University realized that in order to handle and process all of these documents, and to be responsive to applicants in a timely manner, they needed to implement business process improvements. Business Process Automation along with document management and imaging could provide these benefits and more. While Woods directed her attention to business process improvements, she turned to DataBank IMX to develop and implement the front-end document management process.
St. John's needs a partner that is capable of reacting to and satisfying our business requirements quickly and accurately and one that understands the importance of our mission-critical applications. said Woods. We also need an organization that is not resource constrained when our needs expand and grow. DataBank IMX's organized approach on how best to process paper-based information – producing superior quality images and highly accurate information – was recognized as a not-soinsignificant task. Also, DataBank IMX's experience in delivering these same services to other colleges and universities and their expertise with ApplicationXtender uniquely qualified them and gave St. John's a level of confidence in their abilities to deliver on their promises.
DataBank IMX Delivers
DataBank IMX is now the mailroom and document processing center for St. John’s University. Joseph Tufano, St. John’s CIO, was quick to recognize the importance of, and effort required to obtain highly accurate index data and to produce images of superior quality, and that these functions were best left to experienced professionals. He also realized that outsourcing these activities freed up his technical staff to focus their attention on higher level tasks that best utilize their talents. This new approach now gives St. John’s the freedom to direct their attention to other improvement initiatives that would further leverage the capabilities of their Banner implementation.
DataBank IMX established both a dedicated Post Office Box for daily incoming documents as well as processes to handle documents that would arrive via FedEx or over a dedicated fax line. In addition to providing all mailroom operations, documents are prepped, scanned, indexed and advance through a quality control process at one of DataBank IMX’s production centers located just outside of Boston.
DataBank IMX identified over 30 document types and their indexing requirements. Incoming documents are grouped by applicant, even noting which documents are originals and which are copies. Document handling and data entry processes and methodologies are well-tested, highly productive and highly accurate with quality assurance performed by experienced and well-trained staff. Scanning is performed on the latest Kodak high speed production scanners with integrated image processing software. Images and index data are uploaded to the University where processing by Banner ® software takes place.
Acceptance Letters Before Christmas
Even during peak processing periods, DataBank IMX has never failed to meet St. John’s desired turnaround time of 72 hours. Image and data files are electronically transferred to St. John’s each day.
Once all data and images have been file transferred to St. John’s, these documents are automatically matched on pre-assigned student IDs; Banner Software automatically populates the database with any index data and image locator information. Documents received prior to an applicant’s submission of an application, such as student transcripts, and prior to receiving a student ID are kept in a staging area for later processing. The quality and speed of services provided by DataBank IMX and business process improvements implemented by Woods and her staff have made it possible for the University to send out acceptance letters before Christmas for the first time in St. John’s history.
Continuing the Successes into Financial Aid and Beyond St. John’s University now has a paperless Office of Admissions. DataBank IMX has aided in the elimination of lost and misfiled documents, eliminated the need for St. John’s to hire and train temps, and their staff is now focused on higher level tasks, all while improving their student selection process. With DataBank IMX’s established track record of performance, St. John’s University expanded the relationship to include processing of all Financial Aid documents. DataBank IMX has continued to meet all performance goals without missing a single deadline.
As St. John’s University continues to improve efficiencies in other departments, they intend to continue their successes leveraging DataBank IMX’s strengths and capabilities and the associated business partnership that has been established.
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