Even the smallest business issues a multitude of documents throughout the day, such as supplier invoices, letters, contracts and payslips. Managing this much paperwork can quickly become overwhelming and complex, resulting in wasted time and money.
Disorganised storage of physical documents leads to inefficient workflows, loss of productivity and reduced information security, not to mention additional costs.
Incoming, outgoing or circulating document flows?
To determine the most appropriate solution, it’s essential to map and identify the different document flows in your company. These flows, defined as the organised processes that guide the movement of documents and information throughout an organisation, are essential to an effective document management system.
Incoming flows apply to physical or digital documents entering your company, while outgoing flows leave your company. Examples include customer and supplier invoices, orders, delivery notes, contracts and complaints.
When these incoming documents are received, they need to be sorted and then transferred to the right department. They then become part of the circulating flows, also known as internal flows, within the company. Depending on the function of the receiving department, the document takes different routes.
For example, a supplier invoice will be routed to the accounts department before being approved to trigger payment to the supplier. A customer order, on the other hand, will be sent directly to the sales department, which will generate a purchase order. This purchase order is then passed to the operations department and the delivery department, which issues the delivery note.
Dormant flows and electronic archiving
Each document, once created/received and processed, will have a different fate. It could be:
- Destroyed because it’s no longer useful
- Sent to an external party, thereby leaving the company
- Archived for record keeping purposes
Archived documents enter a dormant document flow. They include all documents that are no longer actively circulating within the company, but which must be kept for future reference.
The length of time archived documents are kept depends on the type of document, the applicable regulations, the risk involved in storing or destroying them and, in the absence of legislation, the decision of the archivist.
All these processing stages require time, energy, staff and therefore money. To optimise procedures, digitisation aims to reduce time-consuming tasks with little added value, such as distributing mail, stuffing envelopes or manually approving a document.
Digitisation also allows physical documents to be converted to digital files, making them easier to manage. In this way, employees can concentrate on their key responsibilities. Automating tasks also makes it easier to search for documents according to their status, and therefore manage them more quickly and efficiently.
Using an EDM for greater productivity and security
By opting for an electronic document management (EDM) solution, when employees receive a paper invoice they can scan it and send it to the EDM software, which will capture the document and integrate all the necessary data for the accounts department.
The accounting department is then alerted and identifies the person responsible for the document. The software can then send the invoice directly to the manager for approval, who can compare it with the initial estimate via the same software.
The accounts department is alerted of the approval and can send the invoice for payment via its invoicing software, before archiving it. If the document needs to be issued again, the department simply searches for it using a document workflow.
In addition to limiting the use of paper and protecting the environment, this process optimisation avoids communication errors and improves operational efficiency across multiple departments.
Access to essential company data is secure, as digital documents can be protected by security measures such as encryption and authentication. Authorised employees can consult documents at any time and from any location, facilitating remote working and collaboration.
Choosing the right solutions
At AGS Records Management, we understand that a single solution cannot meet the varied needs of every business. That’s why we’re committed to developing customised solutions that integrate seamlessly with your existing infrastructure and meet your exact requirements.
Benefit from the expertise of industry leaders
To complement our proprietary IT solutions, we work with industry leaders in information management, such as DocuWare, EzGED, ALFRESCO and Cecurity. These partnerships enable us to offer a wide range of functionalities and optimum service quality.
Constant support throughout projects
The AGS Records Management team of IT technicians, engineers and document flow consultants is committed to providing ongoing support during your document management project.
Are you ready for greater efficiency and cost savings thanks to optimised document management? Contact AGS Records Management for a free assessment of your document management needs.