Reference story Bremer Kreditbank AG

A new digital file was needed — the introduction of eFiles at Bremer Kreditbank AG

Bremer Kreditbank AG

Bremer Kreditbank AG has established a successful cooperation with medium-sized companies since 1863. Headquartered in Bremen and with further locations in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hanover, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Berlin and Munich, it is a renowned bank with a high level of expertise and a wealth of experience. The employees of Bremer Kreditbank AG see themselves as partners to their customers and provide personalised expertise and support.

The modern world of work as a challenge

In 2027, Bremer Kreditbank AG (BKB) faced the challenges of the modern working world. At that time, BKB was a small financial institution that offered a wide range of financial services with total assets of over 2 billion and a credit volume of 3 billion. BKB was particularly successful in the area of specialised financing in addition to corporate and business customers.

Although their previous system met the regulatory requirements for document management, it was neither user-friendly nor intuitive to use. They utilised a mandatory paper-based filing system, combined with documents that were stored fully electronically and could be accessed in every branch. Nevertheless, there were some challenges:

1. The annual licence/maintenance was extremely cost-intensive.
2. The system was primarily used as an archiving system, although interactive collaboration on documents was required at all times in the highly individualised corporate client business.

Three software providers were evaluated in a selection process. After the solution presentation on site in Bremen, the BKB team decided in favour of the d.velop partner amexus to replace the existing system,

Bremer Kreditbank AG relies on SharePoint

BKB had already introduced a new intranet based on SharePoint before the project began. The idea of utilising and expanding the existing functionalities was perceived as a real benefit. The project team now faced two challenges:

1. The solution had to combine the existing structures of BKB in their existing document management system within the capabilities of SharePoint.
2. An efficient migration path from the previous document management system with minimal manual effort had to be part of the new solution.

Document Management for Microsoft 365 offered the perfect solution, combining SharePoint with a structured filing structure in the form of digital files. The DMS for Microsoft 365 utilises the features already available in SharePoint and extends them with additional functions. In joint workshops organised by d.velop and the Bremer Kreditbank AG, an Excel file was created that mapped the entire file structure in the previous document management system, including the ‘creative implementations by individual user groups’. The document, which was over a thousand lines long, contained each individual document type with a precise description and the respective keywording. Over several iterations, this Excel file was then turned into the finished digital file, which can be opened both from the browser and directly from all existing Office applications.

The advantages of the new eFile for BKB Bank

The new eFile makes it possible to store live documents, work on them together and present them to every employee in a simple way. Documents can now be accessed directly in the file via a link. Several documents can be searched at the same time and the new structure means that everyone is in the right place with just a few clicks. Summarising the advantages:

1. Integration in Office applications: With d.velop’s sidebar, documents from Word, Excel or PowerPoint, as well as emails, can be easily filed.
2. Collaboration on live documents: Documents can be edited directly in the browser. Changes are directly visible to colleagues via the SharePoint collaboration features.
3. Reduced maintenance costs: d.velop has significantly reduced annual maintenance costs.
4. More flexible structures: d.velop document management with SharePoint integrates seamlessly into many leading applications.

The modern working world is becoming faster and more complex due to new requirements. Employees have to do more and more in less time. The banking sector is facing an even greater challenge in this respect: the highly regulated sector is always required to align with the changing rules of the game. This also applies to systems including document management.

Fixed structures become metadata

Following the successful implementation of the eFile at BKB, the next immediate challenge was migration. For this reason, a second document was drafted. This provides the corresponding new location in the eFile for more than a thousand document types. The document also provides additional rules for metadata, which were automatically defined based on the filing structure. With the help of HAVI Solutions, this challenge was successfully overcome. The documents were extracted, enriched and imported into the eFile with metadata based upon the agreed rules.

A look back and into the future of BKB Bank

At the end of the project, we now have a system that meets the current requirements of the modern working world and enjoys a high level of acceptance. The introduction of d.velop solutions for Microsoft not only brought with it a different technology, but also a change in working methods. The newly formed banking group, which operates under the name Oldenburgische Landesbank, will continue to rely on SharePoint in the future. The amexus team is therefore looking forward to further exciting projects and new challenges.