The alternative to the classic extractor bonnet is the hob extractor. BORA is the pioneer and trailblazer of the system that extracts cooking fumes downwards instead of upwards. A lot has happened since the first BORA system was patented 13 years ago. A significant constant and at the same time an important basis for the company’s success has been the advancement of technical innovations. This applies to the product area as well as to administration. A successful digitalisation project of the legal department is the automation in contract management.
Recognising the potential
BORA sells its products via trade partners (e.g. kitchen studios or furniture stores). The BORA sales department creates newly acquired trade partners in the CRM system. Before the introduction of automated contract generation, the sales staff created a new trade partner contract from the information stored in the CRM by selecting the correct contract template. The sales representative filed the draft contract for counter-reading on a platform accessible to the trader. “The contract creation process was error-prone and updating the contract templates was time-consuming,” recalls Bernhard Johne, General Counsel at BORA. “On the other hand, the process consisted of repetitive and easy-to-isolate process steps. It was therefore clear to us: there is enormous potential for automation here.”
Three systems, one process
The proven CRM system as well as the well-functioning partner platform were to be retained for the automation project.
Bernhard Johne and his team were therefore looking for software that could take on a “workflow-controlled intermediary function” between the systems. “The solution that the otris consultants proposed to us finally convinced us,” Bernhard Johne states in retrospect. “We wanted to replace the time-consuming and error-prone manual work from the contract creation process with digital processes. With otris contract, we succeeded.”
The new contract creation workflow now runs through three systems that communicate smoothly with each other: The CRM system, otris contract and the partner platform. The CRM system has master data sovereignty. This is where the data of existing partners and newly acquired prospects with the negotiated contract conditions are stored. otris contract is connected to the CRM system via an interface and pulls the data created there at the touch of a button to create a draft contract. Another interface connects otris contract with the partner platform in order to assign the draft contracts to the respective dealer.
otris contract as the control centre
“With more than 10,000 new contracts or contract adjustments per year, it was extremely important to us that the new process be easy for the user to learn and work reliably despite its complexity,” Bernhard Johne explains one of the most important goals of the project. To implement the requirement, the consulting firm configured otris contract so that the contract management software operates as a central control system in the background. The user continues to work with the familiar CRM system in the sales process and the customer can also continue to act via the familiar partner platform.
The process in detail
In concrete terms, the workflow for contract creation works as follows: The sales employee creates a newly acquired prospect in the CRM system and enters the negotiated contract conditions (e.g. the terms of payment). At the touch of a button, he then triggers the automated contract creation process. otris contract processes the data from the CRM system into a draft contract. To do this, the system first selects a contract template in the relevant language that corresponds to the data. The template contains variables which the system replaces with clauses according to the negotiated conditions (read here in detail how clause management works in otris contract). The composition of the contract template and clauses creates a contract document that the user can now check and approve at the touch of a button. The approval triggers another workflow: The system sends an email asking the trader to register on the partner platform.
After successful authentication, otris contract transfers the contract documents to the partner platform. The retailer checks against and – if he agrees to the contract – will be listed as a partner in the CRM in future.
Contract database
otris contract controls the contract creation and approval workflow. On the other hand, the software serves as a contract database. Clearly arranged and easy to search, sales staff can find all active contracts and those under negotiation. The system sends a reminder after a predefined period if a dealer does not react to a draft contract. Likewise, the system automatically deactivates draft contracts after the binding period of the offer.
Conclusion
Rethinking established techniques and improving them by redesigning them – that is the principle by which BORA hob fume cupboards were created. The extent to which this principle influences all parts of the company is shown by the courage to digitalise in BORA’s administration. The automation introduced in cooperation with otris considerably simplifies and accelerates the contract creation process. At the same time, the new system allows more complex situations to be managed with the same amount of effort and minimises many risks that arise from manual data transfer. “Working with otris has been extremely productive. We are very satisfied with the project execution and the result,” Bernhard Johne sums up.
