Crosswater chooses Esker to Improve Order Management with Machine Learning

Derby, UK — 7th December 2017 — Esker, a worldwide leader in document process automation solutions, and pioneer in cloud computing, announces working relationship with Crosswater, one of the most pioneering companies in the UK with three distinctive and prevailing brands: Crosswater, Simpsons and Bauhaus, to automate its order processing with a leading edge machine learning solution.

Since Crosswater was established in 1998 the business has grown rapidly and as a result so has the quantity of orders having to be processed. This prompted the evaluation of their internal systems and processes to understand what could be enhanced or developed to handle this increased workload. One specific area of the business that encountered certain challenges was how to process the additional amount of sales orders from the initial receipt to the approval and final submission to their Sage business system.

Having identified the requirement, Crosswater selected Esker as the preferred supplier to solve the challenges presented. Esker was able to demonstrate the most appropriate solution for helping to facilitate gaining a faster way to manage orders placed, more control and visibility along each step of the process as well as building a scalable, robust and efficient system going forward.

Manage growth with increased order volumes
Although Crosswater had a large experienced team to manage the order process, the increased volume of orders totalling more than 240,000 per year was applying added pressure. On occasion this could result in errors being made which detrimentally impacted the customer which was unacceptable. A review of the process illustrated some tasks were prone to error such as data input being entered incorrectly from the time constraints that were now imposed.

Also, the overall control of the workload and the visibility of orders along the process was becoming difficult to manage and there was no longer an easy way to understand how many orders were being processed, when a particular order came in, where it went, who had it and what was happening in real time.

Automated machine learning for improved order processing
Firstly, Crosswater uses Esker’s on demand solution to receive the customer orders in any file format (e.g. fax, email) which are then automatically routed to the correct customer services representative.

Next the relevant data is extracted automatically through an intelligent recognition tool to create the corresponding sales order in their Sage system without the need for any manual inputs. Through this machine learning capability it means that the customer services representative can simply verify that the data extracted has been done so correctly or update any missing elements found. Using the solutions ‘teaching’ interface allows new document layouts and specifics to be learnt on an ongoing basis, continually improving the recognition and extraction over time.

“Crosswater receives around 20,000 orders per month and over 2,000 of these can now be processed completely touchless. We believe that the number of orders requiring no manual intervention will only increase as we continue to teach the system to recognise more of our customer’s orders going forward” commented Jason Groves, Head of Customer Service, Crosswater.

“Over the past few years we have been expanding at an exceptional rate which means that scalability of Customer Service is fundamental as we continue to grow. It is investment in solutions such as Esker that will help us to grow the business further and continue our success from having the most efficient processes possible,” added Groves.

Esker’s Managing Director, Alistair Nicholas said, “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with very innovative organisations such as Crosswater and are excited to be a part of helping them towards future success through the benefits that automated processing and machine learning capabilities can bring”.

About Crosswater
Leaders in bathroom design, Crosswater Holdings has been welcomed by the specialist bathroom retailer market since it was established in 1998. Excelling with a vast, exciting and innovative product range has led them to become one of the most pioneering companies in the UK with three distinctive and prevailing brands: Crosswater, Simpsons and Bauhaus. They provide a distinctive style and explore the next generation of bathroom brassware, furniture and shower enclosures that range from the simply elegant to the truly inspirational and extraordinary.

They source the best designers and finest of materials to offer the best in design, innovation and quality. Crosswater offers a comprehensive range of unique brassware solutions designed by a pool of carefully selected leading European designers to bring unparalleled design, superior materials and function. Using advanced techniques, their standards are unrivalled to offer an exceptional value and high design that embraces the latest technology such as Cool Touch valves and air infused showerheads. For more information, visit www.crosswater.co.uk.

About Esker
Esker is a worldwide leader in cloud-based document process automation software. Esker solutions help organisations of all sizes to improve efficiencies, accuracy, visibility and costs associated with business processes. Esker provides on-demand and on-premises software to automate accounts payable, order processing, accounts receivable, purchasing and more.

Founded in 1985, Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2016, Esker generated 66 million euros in total sales revenue. For more information on Esker and its solutions, visit www.esker.co.uk. Follow Esker on LinkedIn at Esker – Northern Europe, or on Twitter at @EskerNEurope and join the conversation on the Esker blog.