Reduce resources, control costs
The world is already moving forward with paper-lite processes, fast. Utility companies and other essential service providers are more likely to send you bills digitally, your bank has probably asked you to switch to statements sent via email, and whenever you fly or get tickets to an event, chances are they’ll be sent to your device. The amount of paper you use has already been vastly reduced compared to 20 or even 10 years ago, and there’s a good reason for that: paperless processes save money, and they save resources.
By investing in a workflow system that does away with paper, you can not only benefit from these cost savings, but processes can be quicker, simpler, and more user-friendly. It’s not just about there being less paper involved, information is shared and secured in a more seamless, secure manner, so the user experience is improved. With time saved, and frustration minimised (or even avoided), productivity can be boosted.
Less effort, more functionality
One of the simplest paper-based processes to transform is billing – and it’s a good example to demonstrate the efficiencies that digital document workflow management can offer. It’s thought somewhere between 15% and 40% of payable invoices in the UK are now sent by email, but in fact there’s so much more that can be done to make the invoicing process more efficient – not just the method by which invoices are sent.
For example, it might be that even these emailed invoices are printed for signing first, so by integrating the use of e-signature software with specialist document workflow tools, there’s no need to use paper and ink, or wait for that physical pile of documents to be checked and signed off. The signatory can simply approve with a click, once the request is received. Other finance-related options might be to automate the matching of a supplier’s invoice against the original purchase order, or the sorting of invoices to be assigned to different departmental budgets.
Smart systems for reduced risk
Intelligent automation can reduce human error, increase security, and speed up processes – documents can be automatically processed according to the content that is sensed, and progress to the next stage of the process in question automatically, as long as they meet the requirements to do so. Accountability and transparency are improved, and there’s not only an audit trail should it be required, but real-time data can be accessed by approved users wherever they are working from.
There are as many options for transforming paper-based processes as you can possibly imagine – and tailored solutions are key to success. Call our team today to discuss your organisation’s needs, and find out how much time, money and hassle could be saved with a custom document workflow system.