Looking to make some changes within your organization to boost your efficiency but unsure where to start? While most organizations have plenty of areas that could use a little streamlining, we often recommend narrowing things down by evaluating your reliance on paper.
Business processes that rely on paper documents are slow and prone to bottlenecks, and with paper filing systems, documents are easily lost, misfiled, and damaged, not to mention difficult to keep secure. Storing paper also takes up a lot of office space – an inefficient use of expensive real estate which could be used for revenue generating activities instead.
In this post we’ll explore the stories of three organizations who went paperless because they were tired of dealing with problems like these. Now, with their new paperless systems enabled by document scanning, they’ve all seen radical improvements to their efficiency and are able to be much more responsive to customers and other stakeholders.
Ace Endico
Streamlining AR
Ace Endico, a New York-based food distributing company, needed help streamlining their accounts receivable process. Their old process used paper proof of delivery (POD) slips when dropping off food shipments, which could easily be lost or misplaced, making it difficult to know when the shipment was delivered or if it had been delivered correctly.
To eliminate potential uncertainty around deliveries and payments, Ace Endico chose to move to a paperless AR system. With this new system, they send all delivery paperwork including POD slips, to MetaSource for document scanning each week.
Improved customer service
Now, when a customer asks questions about the status of a delivery or an invoice, their AR team can simply log into their cloud-based document management software solution and look up the pertinent information instead of having to dig through boxes of paper. Having digital access to accounts receivable documentation has improved customer service by allowing Ace Endico’s AR team to respond to the inquiry right away.
Easy access to invoices has also simplified the process of collecting on invoices. Should a client be late in paying or question whether an invoice matches the shipment they received, Ace Endico’s AR team can easily email them a signed POD right from their document management system.
Ace Endico was so happy with the increased productivity in their AR department, they also digitized their accounts payable files and credit applications.
“There is very minimal paper around here in our office – it’s all online.”
-Cecile J. Merto, Controller, Ace Endico
Simpler audits
Digital access to AR documentation has also streamlined Ace Endico’s sales audit process. During an audit, auditors request upwards of 40 specific files, including proof of delivery slips and invoices. Before switching to electronic document management, this process took days as the team would need to bring in pallets of boxed paperwork that had to be sorted through to find the correct files. Now, because the requested information can easily be pulled by searching for a check number, the process takes an hour at most. This improvement in workplace productivity means less stress for employees.
“We can easily find it by just keying in a check number instead of looking for boxes. Whatever selection the auditors make, we just log in and pull it out. It is very straightforward and easy to find.”
No more wasted office space
Space was a struggle for Ace Endico before they utilized document scanning services. Filing cabinets took up valuable space that was needed for offices and workspaces, and departments were spread out throughout the building because there was no room for them to sit together. Going digital in AR has eliminated most paperwork, freeing up work space for employees.
OASIS Medical
Digitizing patient records
Oasis Medical, an orthopedic and spine integrated services provider with practices throughout New York and New Jersey, recently went digital with their patient files in order to improve productivity, save space, and provide faster customer service.
Quicker time to serve
By implementing electronic document management, Oasis was able to eliminate the 780,000 pages of documents that were stored throughout their offices. The volume of documents overwhelmed their office space, with documents stored on desks, in a file room filled with overstuffed filing cabinets, and even in boxes on the floor. It could take hours or even days for staff to find the files they were looking for.
The practice’s chief patient referrers are personal injury and motor vehicle accident attorneys who often need information on tight turnarounds when they’re working on cases. The Oasis team used to have to scramble to respond to attorney requests, and were often forced to recruit people from other departments to help gather information. Now, digitized patient files can be located in less than a minute within FileBound document management software, allowing Oasis to respond quickly to attorney requests.
Improved file security
Medical providers from Oasis Medical’s main location often travel to provide services at other sites. Before digitizing their charts, providers would need to bring the paper charts of patients they’d be seeing offsite that day with them. Traveling with paper charts did not offer the same level of security as remotely accessing digitized medical files in cloud document management software does. Having secure remote access to the charts with FileBound has allowed Oasis to see offsite patients much more easily, even unscheduled patients at offsite locations.
Better use of real estate
Digitizing patient files has allowed Oasis to clear out a large space – about the size of a 2-3 bedroom apartment – in their offices which was previously filled with rows of filing cabinets. The space will now be used to expand their service offerings and bring in additional revenue.
As the next step in their paperfree journey, Oasis is considering implementing a paperless patient onboarding process using eforms!
Denihan Hospitality
Digital Mailroom and AP Automation
Denihan Hospitality, a high-end hotel management group with boutique locations throughout the country, decided to streamline their AP process to improve invoice processing times. They’ve implemented a digital mailroom, which means all invoices are mailed to a dedicated PO box, then scanned, indexed, loaded into workflow automation software for review and approval, and directly loaded into their AP system for payment.
Efficient processing
Because of Denihan’s multiple properties, vendors often mailed invoices to the incorrect address, and re-routing them to the appropriate address frequently caused processing delays. All invoices are now sent to an outsourced, dedicated PO box, where the documents are scanned and indexed upon receipt and enter the approval process as soon as they are digitized.
Denihan’s prior invoice approval process was paper-based, meaning that everyone involved worked from paper, which had to be manually routed throughout the organization for processing. Not only was that process time-consuming, but there was always an underlying risk of losing or misplacing the invoices. Their new digital approval process allows approvers and managers to view, route, and approve invoices right from their computers.
Easy tracking
With their new document management software, Denihan accounts payable staff is more productive, no longer needing to chase down invoices or approvals because they have clear visibility into the progress of each invoice. If an invoice is stuck somewhere in the process, they can easily check the system to see why, and locating invoices is now as simple as searching within the software by property, vendor, or another unique identifier.
Have these three paperless transformations inspired you to go digital, too? The next step is finding a document management partner who can make your transition seamless. Download our free guide: 8 Things to Look for in a Digital Mailroom Partner