What innovative technologies or strategies has ImageSource employed to stay ahead in its industry and earn recognition as one of the smartest companies in 2024?
ImageSource is an early adopter of artificial intelligence geared towards practical applications. We’ve integrated AI into all the capabilities of our ILINX process-improvement platform to give customer-partners new ways to unlock insights in their owned, local data. In this way, we’re enabling customer partners to AI- enhance the processes that drive customer satisfaction and revenue growth with benefits in critical areas, including predictive analytics, risk management, personalized recommendations, proactive services matching, and intelligent workflows. We’re making it possible for them to do more with the information assets they already have.
Can you highlight some of the key milestones or achievements that have contributed to ImageSource’s reputation as a smart company this year?
We’re very proud to provide the eForm solution that the state of Alaska’s Division of Public Assistance (DPA) recently used to facilitate SNAP benefit applications. This solution improves access to benefits by significantly reducing what was a 28-page paper form to one mobile-friendly form that uses logic to collect only the information it needs from each applicant. The average completion time of each application has dropped to just 20 minutes, and abandonment rates have plummeted. We’re excited to be part of a solution with tangible, real-world benefits for people in need.
Another notable achievement this past year was a patent award for our Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution. This innovative solution uses artificial intelligence to identify and redact sensitive and personally identifiable information (PII) in content, ensuring that sensitive information is accessible to users with privileged roles and no one else. It’s a vital security layer for financial services and government organizations, whose hybrid workforces handle claims and other kinds of cases outside traditional workplaces.
How has ImageSource embraced and integrated artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other cutting-edge technologies to enhance its products or services?
ILINX, our process-improvement platform, is a suite of modular solutions that target distinct business processes. Our latest release, ILINX 9.5, uses Python packages and IXMs to incorporate AI throughout platform’s capabilities, and throughout the business processes we improve.
One of our key differentiators is the way we integrate workflow into any part of a business process. AI has superchared our workflows, ILINX can make decisions at the point of capture based on the content of the information. It speeds processes by identifying the relevant person or role and routing vital information directly to them for rapid resolution.
ILINX Records Director, our solution for public records request management, uses AI to seek out information by type, such as social security numbers, financial account numbers, victim names, addresses, etc. The solution redacts PII and then routes to a human reviewer, remembering decisions to speed the process in future record requests.
Our ILINX Engage is a role-based user experience solution powered by AI. Engage delivers a unified interface that tailors the information it presents to the user’s role so it adapts seamlessly to the needs of customers, employees, and executives. It connects legacy systems and other applications to rapidly surface insights that would otherwise take extensive human effort.
In what ways does ImageSource prioritize sustainability and environmental responsibility as part of its smart business practices in 2024?
ImageSource is headquartered in Olympia, WA. Residing in the state capitol, in the state that is bleeding edge on environmental policy, gives us the opportunity to meet standards that are not yet national expectations. Clean buildings and reduced carbon footprint are part of our day-to-day business decision-making. Our solutions have historically reduced paper usage by digitizing information and optimizing physical storage and the labor and gas-intensive historical method of delivering documents by FedEx or other physical services. Our solutions counteract the climate impacts of the fuel it takes for a person to travel to a physical service center or for an organization to transport large volumes of mail by plane or truck. When we enable information intake through eForms and route it digitally instead of physically, we reduce the damaging emissions of conventional transportation methods. Our Digital Mailroom solution helps enterprises route mail from the point of receipt to any location with complete security and traceability.
Can you discuss any notable partnerships or collaborations that ImageSource has engaged in to foster innovation and contribute to its smart business approach?
ImageSource refers to our customers as customer partners. Our average customer relationship is over 15 years, and our customer retention rate is 96%; these partnerships are focused on building a process innovation for organizations like Experian, state departments of Health and Human Services, Tribal Nations, and Vitas, a national in-home health provider. Solving their business problems with the ILINX platform is the heart of our product roadmap, and imagining their future state is the basis of all our innovation efforts. Most of each ILINX release is full of enhancements based on real-world customer needs. Our work with the State of Alaska created ILINX Cognitive Services, which transformed the way their agencies handle incoming constituent phone calls. We trim calls to the legally required attestation and documentation of a problem or request. ILINX then transcribes the call to connect it immediately to established workflows. This reduced agency call handling time by nearly 90%, which translates to constituents being connected to services they need nearly 100% faster.
How does ImageSource prioritize and invest in employee development and well-being, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation?
ImageSource CEO Terry Southerland is passionate about growth, and continuous development is a core company value. We make and maintain our own extensive library of computer-based trainings on everything from the ILINX software platform to professionalism, calculating ROI, and beyond. These in- house trainings set a shared understanding of company values and create cohesion within and between our teams.
In addition, we incorporate education goals into every employee’s annual plan. The goals might come from a departmental skill vacuum, specialized knowledge needed for a specific project, or the employees’ interests and requests. ImageSource funds these courses and provides company time for study and certification. We believe that our culture of continuous growth keeps our employees engaged and contributes to our extraordinary staff retention rates.
Each of our program managers and professional services staff are challenged to increase their Microsoft, PMP and other industry standard certifications annually. Our sales and marketing staff are required to pass the CIP (Certified Information Professional) exam within 90 days.
As technology evolves rapidly, how does ImageSource ensure adaptability and agility in its business strategies to stay at the forefront of industry advancements?
ILINX is the world’s most flexible process-innovation platform. That tagline is based on the vast amount of capabilities the platform supports and its unique scalability and extensibility. We approach ILINX development with a continuous improvement mindset. Every week, we release enhancements to the platform’s functionality and user experience – many of which are based on user feedback or on incorporating innovations that only just became possible.
One of our critical priorities now is helping longtime customer-partners transition from on-premises systems to ILINX Cloud. We want to ensure that every ILINX user benefits from the seamless updates, security, and availability that SaaS provides.
Could you elaborate on ImageSource’s commitment to data security and privacy, especially considering the increasing importance of protecting sensitive information in the digital age?
Data security and privacy are of critical importance to the core industries we serve, which include financial services, state and Tribal governments, and healthcare, and we hold ourselves to the highest standard when it comes to meeting their expectations. ImageSource is Soc 2 Type II certified, which means that we meet or exceed the highest Trust Services Criteria for security, confidentiality, processing integrity, privacy, and availability of customer data. We leverage cutting-edge encryption and content security solutions and are constantly vigilant for signs of malicious actors and other security threats.
What role does customer feedback and collaboration play in ImageSource’s innovation process, and how does the company actively involve customers in shaping its smart solutions?
ILINX was developed in response to customer-partner needs, and user feedback is at the core of the platform’s evolution. We recently released ILINX 9.5, which features more than 100 new enhancements. Of those, 36 were directly influenced or requested by current users. These enhancements have made the platform easier to administer, more accessible, and more user-friendly by expanding its low-code/no-code capabilities.
The ILINX User Community on LinkedIn is our hub for direct interaction with the people who leverage the platform daily. Greg Council, our Director of Content Marketing, engages ILINX users with videos, thought content, and product development previews. The community gives us a platform for soliciting feedback and requests for future development.
As we continue exploring generative AI’s possibilities, user feedback informs our priorities and development strategy. Collaboration with ILINX users is central to shaping the platform’s future.
Looking ahead, what are ImageSource’s plans for future innovation and growth, and how does the company envision staying among the smartest companies in the coming years?
Our entire company embraces the spirit of innovation. Everyone is committed to expanding our capabilities, services, and offerings. This mindset shows in our approach to partnerships and product development.
Terry Sutherland, ImageSource’s founder and CEO, is in relentless pursuit of innovation for ImageSource and the ILINX platform. Each employee is viewed as a process innovator. Under his leadership, we are looking for new tools and partnerships to help us help customers faster. We are ready to build and deploy private, secure large language models for generative AI content and to inform workflows and decision making. This is an exciting time to be working in process evolution, and we’re excited to roll out new AI solutions throughout the year ahead.
