Pure Performance in the Data Jungle

REFERENCE
Pure Performance in the Data Jungle
Thanks to EASY Contract, cable network provider LIWEST always keeps a clear overview of its contract management
Cable network provider LIWEST sup-
grams through the LIWEST cable net-
plies private households and com-
work. There are also service agree-
panies in Upper Austria and western
ments with companies, such as the
Lower Austria with TV, telephone land
firms who maintain their equipment.
lines, and fast internet service with
Or – an especially important factor
speeds up to 250 Mbit. The company
when we consider the ongoing expan-
achieves top marks for its streaming
sion of the cable network – agree-
CLIENT
speeds in the Austrian ISP Speed In-
ments with public and private property
LIWEST
dex from worldwide video-on-demand
owners of land where LIWEST needs
Kabelmedien Gesellschaft mbH
provider Netflix. We call that pure per-
to run network cables. The legal de-
Lindengasse 18
formance. One example of performan-
partment at LIWEST has to manage all
A-4040 Linz
ce at LIWEST is its legal field office,
of these contracts. As if that weren’t
www.liwest.at
with the second-largest cable provi-
enough, the legal department also
der in the country trusting in contract
deals with regularly generated mar-
INDUSTRY
management solution EASY Contract.
ket analyses. And, of course, there
Telecommunications
are other contracts important for the
A cable network operator like LIWEST
company‘s work, even if they don’t sto-
SOLUTION
has to enter into a huge variety of cont-
re or edit them personally. For examp-
EASY Contract
racts to be able to provide the services
le, to do its daily business, the cable
EASY Capture
it does. It has countless agreements,
provider relies on information from
for instance, with the TV and radio
around 126,000 customer agreements
broadcasters who distribute their pro-
with the households its serves.
REFERENCE
LIWEST:
Austria‘s Second Largest
Cable Provider
A Clear Mission: Efficiency and
be automatically extended, and when;
a Forward-Thinking Attitude
when do termination periods end, and
When Monika Kainz took over her posi­
whether we need to re-negotiate con-
tion as head of the legal department
ditions are all important pieces of data.
at LIWEST over two years ago, she
We used to keep lists by hand on all of
decided that making the division more
these points. Each new contract we
efficient and forward-thinking would
­
concluded, and each extension, meant
be one of her main focuses. In this vein,
extra work for the team”. When you add
she worked with her team to develop a
it all up, maintaining these lists by hand
LIWEST Kabelmedien GmbH is a joint ven-
new system for file storage, then got
took up a large number of man hours.
ture of energy supplier Linz AG, manage-
started right away looking for a power­
In addition, they led to a high suscepti-
ment service Linz GmbH, and eww ag.
ful solution for document manage-
bility to error – which could also grow,
126,000 customers use the operator‘s
ment. “Up to that point, we’d managed
depending on current workloads, ab-
high speed network. Its market share is
files exclusively in physical form”, says
sences, or priorities.
95 percent in Upper Austria, and it is the
Kainz, “with filing systems and every­
country’s second largest cable network
thing that goes along with them. How­
In a Search for Experience,
provider. The name LIWEST is a combi-
ever, it was important for me to add an
the Solution is EASY
nation of the names of the three largest
electronic file side by side with the pa-
Looking for a solution to help resolve
cities in central Austria: Linz, Wels, and
per one, as well as electronic contract
this situation did take some time. The
Steyr. The provider‘s coverage area stret-
management – sort of a double book-
company researched providers and
ches over 60 cities and communities in the
keeping system to make our work more
programs for about six months. Initial-
centre of Upper Austria, part of the Salz-
efficient and faster”.
ly, they restricted their search primarily
to specialised solutions, for instance
kammergut region, and western Lower
Austria. LIWEST has invested around 130
In particular, the promise of more
programmes designed for attorneys
million euros in network expansion over
transparency provided important moti­
– however, they quickly found out that
the last few years.
vation for the project. Transparency
most solutions on the market weren’t
about deadlines and the current status
capable of mapping the filing system
of contractual negotiations, for instan-
used for paper files without exten­
ce, were key issues. “For us, always
sive customising. In fact, this ended up
keeping an overview is indispensable”,
being one of the company‘s key criteria
explains Kainz. “When are which con-
in making their choice: “We didn’t want
tracts expiring; which contracts will
to have to re-invent the wheel with an
REFERENCE
expensive specialised solution. We had
Stress-Free Introduction,
a freshly introduced filing system with
Clear Reduction in Workload
a file structure that was tailored to our
EASY‘s offer was approved in early fall
processes and worked well in everyday
of 2015. After that, the process mo-
practice. We were looking for a solution
ved quickly: Besides Kainz, two other
that could exactly and digitally map this
employees from the legal department
structure”, says Kainz.
took part in preparatory meetings,
along with a colleague from IT and an
However, Kainz already had enough ex-
EASY consultant. This committee then
perience with document management
settled on a file structure and authori-
systems from previous positions in
sation management concept – the legal
other companies to know: customisa­
department would be able to view all
tion is always hard work, and hard work
agreements, and other divisions could
„However, it was important for me to
means higher implementation costs.
only view agreements for which they
add an electronic file side by side with
She was also aware that the more the
were responsible – then made all the
the paper one, as well as electronic
chosen solution focused on standards,
other preparations necessary to intro-
contract management – sort of a dou-
the more sustainable and forward-­ duce the software. After just about two
ble bookkeeping system to make our
thinking the investment would be –
weeks, in September, EASY Contract
work more efficient and faster”
simply because the system is subject
was installed and running perfectly.
Monika Kanz, Head of the legal depart-
to regular updates without any work by
“We left ourselves a little time to get
ment at LIWEST
LIWEST at all, and is continuously im-
used to the solution, then started im-
proved through feedback from a large
mediately with the project of recording
number of users.
all of our files and contracts at a scan
work station and transferring them into
Ultimately, EASY Contract was in the
the system”, says Kainz. The process is
running against one other candidate,
still ongoing today. With as many exis-
but EASY took home the gold. “EASY
ting files as the company has, digitisa-
Contract offered me exactly what I
tion does take time.
wanted. It is a standardised solution
that is continuously updated, with­
But even now, it‘s clear to the team
out requiring my input as a user. At
that their workload has been reduced.
the same time, EASY Contract proved
“We need almost no manual lists now­
signi­ficantly better able to map our fi-
adays. EASY Contract handles deadline
ling structure in direct comparison
management for us – that’s a major
with its best competitors through pre-
relief. We can even tell the difference
sentations and tests”.
during contractual negotiations, ­since
REFERENCE
HEADQUARTER
GERMANY
EASY SOFTWARE AG
Am Hauptbahnhof 4
D-45468 Mülheim an der Ruhr
Phone: +49 208 45016-0
Email:info@easy.de
Web:www.easy.de
SUBSIDIARIES
AUSTRIA
EASY SOFTWARE GmbH
Mauermannstraße 8
A-5023 Salzburg
Phone: +43 662 461546
Email:office@easy-austria.at
we are able to version all contract re-
form a full-text search, and EASY Con-
Web:www.easy-austria.at
visions using the system. After we fi-
tract shows us the agreement and the
nish discussions, and once we sign the
text passages we‘re looking for. Thanks
GREAT BRITAIN
agreement, the system requires that
to EASY, we can answer inquiries like
EASY SOFTWARE (UK) PLC.
we scan in the original document with
these in just a short time and over the
Reflection House, The Anderson Centre,
signatures and enter and double check
phone”. Recently, the company was
Olding Road, Bury St. Edmunds
all deadlines before we can set the con-
able to use the solution to introduce an
Suffolk, IP33 3TA, UK
tract to ‘valid’”.
interface through which all required
Phone: +44 1284 727870
Email:info@easysoftware.co.uk
Web:www.easysoftware.co.uk
information on the 126,000 customer
In addition, the division is much more
agreements can be extracted from its
prepared for the future, as one typical
secondary software programme.
example from the network operator‘s
SINGAPORE
EASY SOFTWARE
(ASIA PACIFIC) PTE. LTD.
4 Battery Road
Bank of China Building, #25-01
Singapore 049908
Phone: +1 610 3508677
Email:info@easy.de
Web:www.easy.de
TURKEY
EASY SOFTWARE Türkiye
Phone: +90 216 53774 50
Email:info@easy.de
Web:www.easy.de
USA
EASY SOFTWARE INC.
102 Pickering Way, Suite 503
Exton, PA 19341 USA
Phone: +1 610 240 9260
Email:sales@easysoftware.us
Web:www.easysoftware.us
business makes clear. Just like every
Throughout the process, working with
other network operator, LIWEST has a
EASY Contract proved so self-expla-
construction department tasked with
natory that almost no introduction
continuously working on the network.
was required. “My colleague was on
Most work days, the company gets a
maternity leave while the system was
call from a construction management
installed”, Kainz remembers. “After
company to find out whether there is
she came back to work, she was able
a service agreement for a particular
to work with the solution in just a short
property, or what exactly the service
time, and without lengthy explana-
agreement states. “Before, we had to
tions”. She concludes: “I‘m very satis-
go dig up the document to answer ques-
fied, and I would pick EASY again. The
tions like these, then identify the right
software is clear and user-friendly, and
passages in the document itself”, says
customer support from EASY was and
Kainz. “Today, all we have to do is per-
is still very good”.