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Digital signatures and accelerated sales processes
BSH uses Contract Management in SAP company-wide
Standardizing processes, saving time, and reducing sources of error are key goals in many companies’ digital transformation journeys. This was also the case for BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, a global leader in the home appliance industry. Distribution agreements needed to be digitized, and processes needed to be accelerated and standardized across the organization in more than ten countries.
Challenge
Company-wide contract management for digitizing sales agreements and accelerating sales processes through digital signatures.
Consulting approach
SAP-integrated contract management software.
Customer benefits
Digital sales contracts, accelerated processes, and standardized operations across the entire company with the SAP-integrated contract management software.
Claudia Bock
Project Lead | Processes, Organization, IT Process Management at BSH Haushaltsgeräte
”The standardization of distribution agreements is already having a significant impact on the business. There is now a consistent structure, even in downstream areas such as accounting.“
Stefan Heins
Managing Director at valantic
”With our contract management solution, we are providing the BSH Group with a fully functional solution that can be customized to meet country- and company-specific requirements while seamlessly integrating with the existing SAP system.“
About BSH Hausgeräte
BSH Hausgeräte GmbH is one of the world’s leading companies in its industry with around 62,000 employees worldwide and the largest home appliance manufacturer in Europe. In addition to the global brands Bosch, Siemens, Gaggenau, and Neff, the BSH brand portfolio includes local brands such as Thermador, Balay, Profilo, Constructa, Pitsos, and Coldex. For a company of this size, consistent processes are essential.
An Electronic Workflow with Digital Signatures
“At the beginning of the project, we had ideas and requirements for the new system, of course. This included replacing existing Excel and SharePoint solutions with an electronic workflow and digital signatures,” says Claudia Bock, Project Lead | Processes, Organization, IT Process Management.
Distribution agreements in individual countries were to be digitized and standardized. A key objective was to eliminate the large volume of paper records and the often lengthy approval processes. The new processes were initially rolled out in Austria and Switzerland, with other countries such as Italy following or preparing to implement the customizable solution.
“With our contract management software we are offering the BSH Group a fully functional solution that can be adapted to country- and company-specific requirements while being seamlessly integrated into the existing SAP system,” says Stefan Heins, Managing Director at valantic.
Digital contract management allows all associated documents and emails to be managed in a structured and audit-proof manner throughout their entire lifecycle—from inquiries, tenders, and offers to contract conclusion, controlling, termination, and controlled deletion.
Farewell to Paper Records
Before the transition, BSH Group kept a paper record for every sales agreement with retailers and associations. Agreements were often sent by post and always required handwritten signatures. Today, the processes are fully digitized.
“The standardization of distribution agreements is already having a significant impact on business. There is now a consistent structure, even in downstream areas such as accounting,” says Claudia Bock.
The contract management software provides an overview of all existing agreements and an interface to relevant BSH systems, such as the billing tool. Thanks to the digital system, there is now an electronic and rule-based workflow for internal approvals by responsible stakeholders such as sales managers, CFOs, and CEOs. This saves time and streamlines processes.
Digital Signatures
“All relevant data is stored in the contract management software; the agreement is created using the Document Builder and sent to the employee’s tablet. The customer then provides a secure digital signature,” explains Stefan Heins. Signing contracts and documents, electronic signatures save a significant amount of time and effort. “Digital signatures that are secure and easy to implement were also an important requirement for us when selecting the solution,” remembers Claudia Bock. Sales employees can obtain signatures directly on-site using a tablet. The DocuSign solution, which can be fully integrated, can also be used online, offline, and on mobile devices. Contracts and contract-related documents can be created, managed, signed, and archived in a legally compliant manner in the SAP-integrated contract management system.
GDPR compliance must be consistently ensured when improving process efficiency and digitizing documents and contracts. With its detailed access and authorization management system, the contract management software ensures that all processes remain fully GDPR-compliant at all times. The assignment of access rights and view authorizations is differentiated by business unit, and only data that is strictly necessary is retained. Once the data retention period has expired, the system automatically deletes the corresponding personal documents and records based on predefined rules, either in a semi-automated process requiring validation by an authorized user or fully autonomously.
