IBM Launches Case Management Tool for Analytical Insight

IBM has announced new software that helps clients automate content-centric processes and manage unstructured content such as scanned images, electronic documents, web pages, video, email and text messaging to gain better insight across the business.

At its Information On Demand (IOD) 2010 conference here on Oct. 26, IBM introduced the IBM Case Manager and enhancements to its content analytics and information lifecycle governance solutions.

IBM Case Manager integrates content and process management with advanced analytics, business rules, collaboration and social software. Business users now have the tools to support ad hoc processes such as communication by email or paper and extract more value and critical insight from their structured and unstructured information, IBM said

According to recent analyst reports, enterprise data growth over the next five years is estimated at 650 percent, and 80 percent of this data will be unstructured generated from forms, web content, and chat transcripts, etc. Organizations are also facing an increasing need to manage important case-related processes that are manual and paper intensive such as social services, healthcare member enrollment, dispute resolution and insurance claims in a more collaborative and efficient way.

IBM’s new software offers a more integrated way for customers to handle growing, increasingly complex caseloads and shrinking resources in areas such as insurance claims management, credit dispute management, fraud identification and resolution, and contract execution.

An insurance underwriter, for example, can make decisions faster with better information by using the software with integrated analytics to improve key processes covering applicant review, risk assessment, and policy issuance, IBM said. Customer service agents can use the software to resolve a credit card dispute fairly by capturing, processing and analyzing key information from all parties including the customer, the merchant, the card issuing bank, and the credit card agency in a single view, the company said. And doctors and nurses can use the software to get real-time access to complete patient history. In addition, hospital administrators can help ensure proper compliance and billing information by using its content and process management capabilities.

The State of North Dakota uses IBM capabilities across 23 agencies and 2,000 employees. Departments of Commerce, Taxation, Transportation, Human Services, and Secretary of State, currently use IBM Enterprise Content Manager software. The solution manages a wide variety of citizen records and information, ranging from unemployment applications and vehicle registrations to tax filings and flexible benefit records resulting in increased operating efficiencies, improved services and a reduction in overhead expenses. For example, the payback for implementing IBM software in the Public Employees Retirement System was achieved in only six months. Prior to using IBM software, Tax Department Records employees manually retrieved over 500 paper withholding returns per month. Now with instant access to information, they've been able to save 200 employee hours per month by eliminating the need to request the documents and manually retrieve and re-file the returns.

"Serving citizens is at the forefront across our agencies. With IBM software, we can now provide our agencies with a 360-degree view of our citizens, quickly develop and share best practices and leverage capabilities such as advanced analytics to adjust case management business processes and balance workloads," said Chuck Picard, an Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS) Coordinator for the State of North Dakota, in a statement. "There are eight regional Human Service centers, and they all rely on silos of information to provide assistance in their regions. With advanced case management capabilities, we have the flexibility to house those documents in a repository, automatically route applications to the proper case worker, and run analytics against them to find patterns where fraud might exist," Picard said.  

Moreover, as part of its announcement, IBM has also enhanced its content analytics software, designed to help customers more easily access and analyze structured and unstructured data such as documents, customer correspondence, web forms, email, and case notes to drive smarter decisions based on external and internal insights. With IBM content analytics software, users can reach better and faster decisions, turning their content into trusted information and sources of business insight, IBM said.

A content analytics solution results in an integrated view of all the information that is relevant for a business, IBM officials said. By leveraging information as a strategic asset, businesses can now derive new intelligence and gain competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

A telecommunications company, for example, can analyze call scripts to identify early customer satisfaction trends about a new product or service and adjust marketing efforts. An insurance company can identify fraud earlier and more efficiently in the claims process to streamline existing predictive detection models.