The Client:
Elderhostel is a not-for-profit organization
dedicated to providing extraordinary learning
adventures for people 55 and over. With over 200
employees and over 170,000 program attendees in
2004, Elderhostel is a unique company with
diverse software needs.
The Challenges:
Beta Site – Elderhostel had no idea that their
tag line, “adventures in lifelong learning”
would soon take on a whole new meaning. As the
first Lawson/Siebel connector implementation and
beta site, our initial engagement was to support
the implementation of the Lawson 8.0.2 Accounts
Receivable (AR) and Billing (BI) applications.
Existing Interfaces – Elderhostel’s
existing billing interface specifications were
incorrect and did not meet Lawson Software’s
standard functionality. Paradigm was tasked with
the review of existing (AR) interfaces,
identification of additional interfaces needed
and preparing the necessary specifications
required for the interface process.
Go Paperless – Paradigm was also
charged with helping to develop a streamlined
paperless method for processing payments to
various goods and service providers.
Improve Conversion Efficiencies-
Included in the project was the task to organize
and test the overall conversion process
resulting in reduced conversion time. The
deliverable was to test, verify and support the
AR conversion process.
Develop the plan to Upgrade to Lawson
8.0.3 – As an official Lawson Beta site, the
team was responsible for creating and
documenting the upgrade process for
incorporating Siebel connectors.
The Solution:
The initial contract was to organize and support
the existing client staff to complete the
project as soon as possible. Tasks were
completed and actual “go live” occurred within
four months of Paradigms arrival. Things went so
well during the AR conversion that the client
requested assistance with the implementation of
Purchase Order (PO) matching associated with
their provider purchasing process. During this
time a unique system was created to interface
activity transactions from the billing system
through activities and into PO receipts with ERS
invoice and ACH payment processing including
emailed remittance information. The process was
reduced from several distinct tasks into one
automated transaction.
The Benefits:
Paradigm Business Solutions successfully
completed the interface specifications from
Siebel to Lawson. A provider payment process was
created saving time, money and reducing the
incidence of user error. Conversion times were
reduced at Elederhostel by 40%. In addition
Paradigm completed the upgrade plan for AR
version 8.0.3
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