Application Support: Improved Performance and End User Experience of Client's System with e-Enablement

The client is one of the largest data record keepers in the US. It services over 11 million subscribers across all markets by offering full-service record keeping and administration, investment services and education programs.

The client was using a Unix based payment processing application for all of its payment processing activities. This application processes payments for approximately 850 clients with a total of 2.7 million payments issued per month. The application includes key functionalities like manual data entry, file processing, reporting, check run processing and client specific functions.

Challenge

The client’s existing legacy system for payment processing was error-prone and non-user friendly, which required a user to spend a lot of time making the payment. In addition, lack of business process integration with the user systems caused increase in labour.

With security as an overriding concern, the client wanted a payment processing system that could accept different types of payments, work in an integrated manner across all channels and integrate with its existing information systems. The demand was for a competent ‘self service’ web-based system to run the business at enhanced speed and keep it ahead of the competition.

Our Approach

CSC’s rich web services experience was the critical differentiator that made the client choose us to develop a web-based equivalent of its existing payment processing application, with few additional features. The promise of web services is that the client will be able to connect the systems to those of its partners, suppliers and customers by using the Internet to circumvent the incompatibility issues inherent with the different platforms involved.

The project kicked off in January 2006 with a full-fledged Development team at India involved in detailed design, development, and testing of the new application. The offshore team in India used the latest technology framework to develop a web-based application on existing systems, covering critical functionalities of the complete payment processing system.

The new web-based application enables both clients and record keepers to access their payment information and conduct payment processing including update, reconciliation and reporting functions.

Business Benefits

With the implementation of new application, the client is experiencing significant business benefits:

• Lower self-service costs involved to administer all or parts of the payment cycle processes online


• User friendly and high performance modernised web-based payment processing system


• Responsive, customer-focused support services

The client is now lesser dependent on its IT staff to maintain the system, and the company has cut development time and costs in half while maintaining quality and enhancing customer service. The system is expected to “leap-frog” client’s competitors and enable the client market to new clients and gain market share.