Many strive toward the paperless office, and for some it is a utopian ideal.

But documents still drive many of our document processes.

According to the Garner Group office printing represents 1-3% of a company’s annual revenue, which means that a $10 million company will spend between $100,000 to $300,000 on document printing.

If you don’t know:-

What is print costing you?

Who are the biggest users of print?

Then you need to have a print management strategy.

Although figures suggest that office printing volumes are declining it doesn’t take into account the increasing trend in BYOD.

With increasing demands for mobile print solutions and employees working where they want, why should that not include printing what they want?

Office culture is one of the primary reasons companies don’t change their print and paper practices.

The exponential growth in mobile devices and their prevalence in meetings could make you believe that the use of paper is almost archaic and yet office practices result in many of us printing off that report or information for a meeting ‘just in case’ technology or the lack of internet connection fails us.

Not surprisingly many companies don’t know what they spend on print, hardware/software and support. Given that documents drive paper processes it makes sense to know what your annual print spend is.

Not knowing how many printers are in use across the office building, how they are being used and their associated running costs makes understanding the print spend almost impossible but it also means that the organisation may not be delivering what departments really need in the way of document output.

Organisations, Universities, Councils all like print solutions because it enables them to show how much they have saved on print and paper usage.

What is produced is done so wisely and not at the expense of the taxpayer.

Outsourcing print to cut costs whether in the form of print management or managed print services ensures transparency of print costs, an increase in management control over printing, a complete audit review of what is being printed when and on what device.

A managed print strategy means:-

1. You don’t need to buy new equipment

2. You need to understand what you have and how it is used – what volumes are printed and by whom?

3. Only then consider outsourcing the management of your devices using a print management or MPS (managed print service)

4. With your office devices being managed by a print management provider quarterly reviews of print volumes will ensure that recommendations will be put in place to optimise your printing.

Your company has a business plan right?

It also has a marketing plan that determines when and what you are going to ‘sell’ to your target audience?

You probably have an HR strategy if you are more than 5 people so why would you not have a print management strategy?

Even if it forms part of the marketing budget, you need to understand the cost of print and what that means to your bottom line.

If you don’t know what you are spending on print then how can you manage what and where you print effectively?

The post Why you need a print management strategy appeared first on Digital Print Management.

Document security on the move

My last blog discussed the importance of having a document management company policy that ensures integrity and security of company information.

But what happens when you are on the move or working from home? What information or document management protocols do you have in place?

Recently, I was on a train to London and took the opportunity to write up a report and read through a proposal, nothing unusual in that.

But as the journey continued I was irked by a commuter who was sitting next to me and kept peering into my laptop screen.

I didn’t have a laptop privacy screen so I was well aware that he could catch some of what I was reading and writing.

You might be thinking what a stupid thing to do but there was no confidential information on display and nothing onerous that anyone reading it could use to affect.

That’s not the point I was irked because he persisted in deliberately reading in my space and this got me thinking.

Do organisations need an information management policy and is it really necessary?

How many of us actually travel with company work documents – paper and digital, and read them in view of other commuters?

The british workforce has become increasingly mobile, we travel further and more often.

Many employees use planes and trains.

If you take a train during peak commuting periods it is not unusual for people to use this travel time to work on their smartphones, laptops or tablets, reading important documents and responding to emails in full view of all and sundry.

Not forgetting that endless business phone call the woman sitting next to you is having and divulging all sorts of interesting information if you care to listen.

I picked up a potential company lead because a woman on her phone name dropped,  she was talking so loudly it was hard not to hear and everyone understood the context of the conversation not very secure or confidential and I wondered what her client (I assumed it was a customer) would have made of the conversation had they known she was travelling on a train.

Would they have questioned her about the existence of a company information management policy?

How many times in the last few years have we heard about breaches at the home office or NHS trusts inadvertently sending out information to the wrong patients.

It happens innocently due in part to carelessness like divulging confidential company information on a mobile phone, reading sensitive documents whilst on a train, bus or plane.

You may not think your friendly commuter sitting next to you isn’t in the least bit interested in what you are reading or writing but look at the statistics below and it might make you think again.

http://www.slideshare.net/CarolineMcCormack/commuter-snoopers-jan14

Employees should be aware of an information management policy particularly when working remotely or in transit providing clear and practical guidelines to ensure employees reduce the risk of losing information or worse still falling into the wrong hands.

Paper is very easy to transport to and from the office and just as easy to misplace or leave on the train on the way home. When these documents are no longer required employees should be required to return them to the office and have them destroyed on company premises.

Organisations need to manage information appropriately ensuring that devices issued to employees such as mobile devices, laptops or tablets are encrypted with passwords and any sensitive information is managed via a secure VPN connection (virtual private network).

Laptop privacy screens ensure that if work is being undertaken on a journey, it makes it impossible for the information to be read from a side view.

Of course this reads like common sense, BUT

Next time you are travelling count the number of potential information and security risks, you will be very surprised just what you see and what you can learn!

When you next make that phone call to an important client or read sensitive documents. Be aware of the security risks.

For more information on document management systems and solutions click here

Does it really matter how you transport information?

What management policies do you have in place?

How do you manage your information and any paper documents when you are on the move?

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Document management security why do you need it and how can a document management solution help?

We all carry lots of vital often-sensitive information – whether it’s carried on a smartphone, tablet, laptop, USB stick or as paper files. 

Important data such as company information, a detailed proposal for a prospective customer, financial information relating to a specific client left on public display could prove to be a serious issue for you and your client.

Leaving things on a train, restaurant even at a client’s desk after a meeting is an unpleasant reminder of how a lapse in concentration can cause distress, embarrassment, upset and in some cases be very dangerous.

Thankfully those of us who leave gloves, keys or a wallet whilst these items are replaceable the loss can be downright inconvenient.

Printed matter is a different issue. Paper documents can’t be encrypted and transporting paper has its associated risks. Taking sensitive documents from one location to another a seemingly harmless act yet often necessary can quickly become a security issue.

In reality they are simple everyday mistakes that human beings make.

Protecting printed documents is not easy and a breach in compliance can be costly.

Back in the 80s, the paperless office was predicted and although we are still along way from achieving that, compliance and environmental sustainability will be a factor in reducing the number of non-electronic documents produced and distributed in the future.

How do we manage and secure paper based documents?

Digital documents are secure but how do we address the security of paper-based documents?

It is unrealistic to handcuff ourselves to the briefcase we are carrying the documents in nor can we walk around with a vault attached to our backs. Making employees aware and ensuring there is a document management system in place minimises the risk of paper documents going array.

How does document management prevent disasters from occurring?

Document Management helps to reduce the volume of printed documents in a number of ways.

Users can scan or batch scan printed hardcopy documents and have them automatically transformed into a format that can be stored in a document management database.

Document management software creates a secure digital file cabinet for an organisation, in effect it is a digital archive where you can securely store any document type and then find it weeks, months, years later.

Document management solutions add value by saving time and money because documents stored can be indexed and retrieved by users in a secure manner meeting compliance criteria and reducing paper document storage costs.

No longer the premise of large organisations, companies can benefit from document management solutions where compliance requires retention and or destruction of documents within specified timescales. Providing scanning, imaging, document archiving, fax archiving, and electronic records management all accessible within a digital cabinet.

Document management is an integral facet of the disaster recovery plan of an organisation, document automation helps the process of quickly and efficiently managing paperwork and other documents in an electronic form.

The question that needs to be asked by an organisation is “what am I looking to achieve and what is the best solution to achieve that”?

From print to automation

Why automate?

Many people use paper as a bridge between systems that aren’t working effectively such as the link between the supplier and customer in the form of contract, invoice, statement or a link from one internal process to another.

Most documents start their life in a paper format and contain data that has been extracted out of an internal system i.e. AP/AR and then is eventually stored in a digital repository.

DO we really need to print and store paper?

In an ideal world why print?

By improving internal systems and business processes and receiving documents electronically there is a case to argue that paper could be eliminated. Keying errors are reduced, data is less likely to be lost, decision making is based on accessibility to current and up to date information and distribution costs i.e postage are reduced.

Paper also presents other challenges notably mobility.

With so many people working remotely how do staff further the next stage of a paper based business process if they are not located in the same office? 

As soon as confidential information has been printed it is vulnerable to being left or misplaced somewhere therefore data integrity and security is compromised. Workflow speed is reduced as paper based processes are slower and less efficient.

What about storage?

Cloud based storage is cheaper than having warehouses full of archived boxes and more complex to index and therefore find let alone remember where the information has been stored.

Storage in a digital repository means information is accessible for years to come

Then there is the issue of retrieval. Document management solutions provide flexibility and scalability.

Paper and print has other associated costs – print consumables, maintenance, paper, postage, envelopes, files and filing cabinets, floor space, logistics’ and distribution.

Consider what you print. Why do you print it? Where will you file it once printed? What elements of your business would be most affected if you stopped printing now? Could the medium be replaced with a better digital alternative?

What would happen if you lost that document?

One final thought.

How much of your corporate stationery is tied up in office space, human capital and your customer communications associated with paper?

For more information click here

The post Document management. How to bridge the gap between paper and digital. appeared first on Digital Print Management.

Document capture software can improve the speed of your invoice processing and e-invoices can also be incorporated into the flow.

Are you still printing and scanning PDF invoices from your suppliers?

As of January 1st 2013 the European Union issued new legislation that states companies can now store invoices in the format they are sent.

Having a document capture solution allows you to have invoices sent by email to a specific email address where data capture software will automatically retrieve the email and attachments, read the data and input it into the same flow as your paper invoices. Reducing the time taken, reducing costs and eliminating human error by automating the process.

By removing the need to print the invoice and then scan the document you are cutting down on paper usage.

Encouraging suppliers to send e-invoices by email ensures the process is faster and cheaper.

So how does the document capture solution work?

Data capture software automatically imports email attachments such as invoices, order forms and applications straight into the capture software where information is then extracted and managed.

The software automatically detects any attachment – PDF, XML, TIF, PNG and transfers it to the data capture software. Incoming mail attachments can be approved in a matter of seconds and as each email is processed it is removed from the mail server and archived, there is no limit on the number of invoices or forms entering the system as removing from the server will ensure there is no overload.

Forms processing and Automation 

‘Forms’ captures and processes all types of forms in any format. The software reads handwritten text, machine print, barcodes, check boxes, circles, tables and matrixes.

Automatic forms processing is much faster than the manual keying of information it reduces time and money and the information is accurate.

Automated Document Processing

‘Documents’ automates the processing of incoming email to cut operational costs typically by a third. Staff aren’t tied up in laborious tasks of sifting, sorting, identifying and classifying mail items this task is automatically managed by the process. Any incoming paper mail is added to the scanner without any separator sheets  and the software sorts and classifies the documents. Any electronic documents are easily incorporated into the flow.

E-invoicing solutions can detect any attachment PDF, TIF, XML, PNG and transfer it to the data capture software

Automated import of email attachments

‘Collector’ automatically imports email attachments such as invoices, order forms and applications straight into the capture software where the information is then extracted and interpreted.

Collector detects any attachment PDF, XML, TIF, PNG and transfers it to ReadSoft’s© data capture software.

Statistics on your invoice processing

The web based ‘reporter’ helps you keep track of documents and costs and provides accurate real time information.

Document capture software enables automation of invoices received via email and the benefits include:-

A reduction in handling costs as there is no need to manually check incoming email attachments. As long as they arrive in the correct inbox they are opened and imported automatically

1. The speed of invoice processing is increased because incoming invoices are automatically entered on to the system
2. Improved control as email is sorted automatically and all sender information is retained
3. The software enables capturing of text files, PDF, XML, TIF, PNG from email attachments
4. Importing of emailed invoices into the system is seamless
5. Easy set up
6. Completely transparent
7. Seamless integration with the majority of financial systems

For more information on how to automate your invoice processing and to implement an e-invoicing solution please fill in the contact form and one of our expert advisors will be touch.

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The post Invoice processing – from paper to e-invoicing solutions appeared first on Digital Print Management.

Integrated print management software ensures printed documents are secure and remain confidential.

Secure printing for any organisation is vitally important where sensitive information is concerned. Using secure print tracking software is essential in maintaining an organisations credibility.

Any breaches of the Data Protection Act of 1998 can lead to fines issued by the ICO (Information Commissioners Office).

Professional services companies and local government organisations are particularly susceptible where client data is concerned.

The days when reams of paper were left discarded at the printer should be long gone; leaving confidential information for anyone to pick up and read is careless in today’s office environment.

Sensitivity of data is paramount particularly in departments of local government such as childrens’ services who deal with sensitive data on a day to day basis.

Implementing a secure print management solution and secure network printing ensures that only the person who prints the information can collect and view it using user authentication.

Case study

For one City Council this proved to have a serious effect on the department and yet the situation could easily have been avoided. Two case workers who work with vulnerable children, printed reports to a shared network printer with no secure print software in place.

The first case worker was trying to print a report on child A but the device failed to print, the case worker left with the print job still in the print queue.

The second case worker then went to print a report on child B from the same device by which time the first case workers report had actually printed.

Both prints outs were collected by the second case worker who mistakenly and unknowingly picked up papers relating to child A.

As a consequence of this, the mother of child B was sent personal details of both child A and child B. This was reported to the ICO and the city council.

The mother of child A was also contacted by mother of child B and advised of this breach in confidentiality.

This incident happened because of human error; it wasn’t done intentionally but in this instance it caused embarrassment to the council. The incident was further compounded by the lack of secure print management software. The printing and despatch of sensitive data to clients did not include adequate checks.

Steps taken

As a direct result of the mis-management of information the council installed a new printing procedure requiring staff to enter an ID at the device before their documents can be printed and released.

Any documents which are not printed within twelve hours are auto-deleted from the print queue. This removes any unwanted print jobs from the system.

“Integrated print management software ensures printed documents are secure and remain confidential” 

Setting up print management software that networks printers and MFPs (multi-functional printers) is the the most effective way for safe guarding against print mis-management which can potentially lead to data protection breaches.

Print tracking software saves time and money and is the easiest way of avoiding data protection breaches.

Benefits of print management software

1. User authentication before the print job starts means that only authorised people can collect their finished print jobs
2. By enforcing print rules, print jobs can be allocated to the most economical and efficient printer
3. There is a potential print saving of up to 30% on print costs
4. With an effective print management tracking solution in place, printed jobs are only printed when authorised reducing paper wastage and complementing a greener office policy

If you require more information on how setting up a secure print management solution or print tracking software can help your organisation save money, enhance confidentiality and reduce print costs then contact Digital Print Management on: 01234-271156.

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Print Management Solutions for Professional Services Companies helps track billable expenses, saves time and reduces paper waste.

Recover costs, reduce waste by implementing a print management solution.

Using an effective print management solution tailored specifically for professional services companies provides more than just cost recovery.

Recovering client billable expenses using the appropriate print management software provides an audit trail of all your printing – capture, allocate, and accurately bill for every applicable client-related expense. Giving professional services the ability to:-

• Track client expenses automatically
• Record client’s information for every service
• Enforce internal rules that reduce total print volume
• Redirect jobs to the most cost-effective output device
• Identify and relocate overworked or underused systems
• Manage from a central location which helps to reduce the burden on your I.T. department

Using Print tracking to recover costs and reduce expenditures

How often does this happen?

A dash to the printer to keep private information safe from prying eyes wasted paper, resources, and money from documents left unclaimed. Lost time and productivity because of queues at the printer waiting to collect your documents.

How can the print flow be improved? 

Implementing a recognised print management solution will save professional services companies time, money, and human resources.

Implementing a recognised print management solution, Equitrac Professional which supports multi-function printers (MFPs) and is widely deployed in law firms, architecture firms, marketing, and PR agencies, and other professional services firms. Seamlessly integrated within the MFP, the software features provide the ability to:-

1. Utilise the machine’s own control panel or touchscreen
2. Provide full print tracking and cost recovery capabilities right at the MFP
3. Automatically capture, allocate and bill for every client expense generated anywhere within your organization
4. Gain mobility and convenience of secure document printing to your terminal of choice via Follow-You Printing®
5. Convert scanned documents to searchable and editable format for improved archiving, document discovery, and productivity
6. Redirect print jobs to the most cost-effective machines
7. Make scanned documents compatible with court-filing requirements with PDF/A output and file-size control

This means you don’t have to choose between security and economy as the print management system only releases documents when users are at the printer. Wasted paper is reduced by adding accountability to encourage users to print only the documents they actually need.

Card-based ID systems simplify authentication and integration into a multi-vendor environment is straight-forward.

Follow-You Printing® with secure document release makes it easy to keep confidential materials out of the wrong hands by accounting for and reporting all document output activity.

Employee productivity and mobility are improved because users are no longer tied to one printer and users can output documents when and where they are needed thus avoiding the inconvenience of printers that are busy or out of service.

By centralising your print flow and eliminating the need for single desktop printers print management software brings the security of personal printers to every shared device.

Follow-You printing® works with output devices from any manufacturer and provides one convenient administrative user interface for managing a company’s entire fleet of printer devices.

Available as device embedded and terminal based software. Compatible with IPSec encryption and supports alpha-numeric login, PIN entry and magnetic strip or proximity card authentication.

Contact Digital Print Management for independent advice on 01234-271156.

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This week I am focussing on the benefits that can be derived from having an automated Proof Of Delivery process.

Doing so will lower your costs, increase efficiency, and improve customer service.

Is this your business?

Still, relying on paper documents coming back to your depot to validate delivery of your goods?
Orders taken at your customers’ premises are they being fed back to the customer service team as fast as you’d like?

Does this represent your proof of delivery process?

Automating the Proof of Delivery process removes the risks associated with manual paper handling of delivery notes through to the invoicing.

•  Manual processing is expensive, tedious, and slow, and of course susceptible to human error.
• Staff costs are increased as the time spent resolving customer queries reduces the team’s time spent servicing your customers.
• P.O.D.’s are easily lost leading to a delay in payment or claims against you for lost goods and the potential loss of a valued customer.
• There is no functionality in place to provide live financial management reporting.

What happens when you automate the Proof of Delivery Process?

Proof of Delivery Solutions and Systems scalable, modular, and affordable.

Any automation should in theory improve the speed of a business process. Automating your proof of delivery removes the following manual tasks:-

1. By removing the printing and scanning of the delivery notes
2. Manually capturing data from the document and keying into the finance system for invoicing
3. Physical distribution of documentation across the organisation
4. Storage, archiving and retrieval costs are reduced
5. Query management and resolution substantially reduced

What are the benefits of automating the Proof Of Delivery Process?

1. Improved efficiency and compliance
2. Improved customer service with the team focused on the customers rather than “fire-fighting” queries
3. Provides full tracking and auditing at each stage
4. Consistent cash flow as the time taken to capture and integrate data into the finance system is reduced minimising customer queries and time wasted on disputes.
5. Cost savings by reducing expenditure on staff needed to manually process delivery notes. Staff no longer have to be engaged in repetitive tasks and can be re-deployed into other areas of the business
6. Confirmation that the products have been delivered assists with any disputes or queries that might arise
7. Job sheet files are centralised and structured and are easily retrievable from any computer on the network
8. Management reporting provides an accurate measurement of the automated POD process within the organisation

Case Study

4 full-time administration staff @ £15,000 per annum were spending 100% of their time keying data from delivery notes into the finance system this equated to £60,000 total cost to the business per annum.

20 depot staff totaling £15,000 per annum spent 5% of their time every day either scanning, faxing, or posting delivery notes to head office for input into the finance system which was costing the business £15,000 per annum.

The Financial Controller @ £55,000 per annum was spending 25% of his time collating data for management reporting and accounts at a total cost of £13,750 per annum.

Automation reduced the staffing level to one person overseeing the process and delivered a total saving of £88,750 per annum for the business.

How does it work?

By capturing and allocating the data contained within the delivery notes that arrive from the depots and drivers. Data uploading is automatic and is deposited in the relevant business system. The documents are then digitised for storage and can then be retrieved if required at a later date.

The integrity of the data that is added to the system is validated and identifies any exceptions this then provides detailed reporting for KPI’s and SLA’s.

Ultimately automation reduces the time to manually keying data from proof of delivery notes, reduces customer queries and disputes, and gives your organisation a tangible and measurable ROI.

Document Management Solutions.

For more information on how to improve your Proof of Delivery process drop your details in the form below and one of our advisors will call you for an informal chat.

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The ICO (Information Commisioners Officer) is not holding back when it comes to mis-management of data security.

To quickly illustrate:-

A County Council had to pay £130,000 in December 2011 for a breach of data security relating to confidential child protection case details being inadvertently sent out in error.

In Scotland, a Council was fined £140,000 in January this year for disclosing sensitive personal data about children and their carers to the wrong personnel.

A Care Trust in the South-West was fined £175,000 in August for publishing personal details of staff on its website.

At the very heart of these breaches of data confidentiality was the “printer”; the piece of equipment we take for granted everyday when it comes to printing off emails and necessary information we need to record or refer to!

Printers and MFD’s represent a serious security risk.

How so?

In the case of the Welsh Council, the security breach was related to a mix-up at the printer because an unauthorised case worker had picked up confidential child case notes from the shared office printer and then sent them out as part of another report.

An easy mistake to make particularly when you have shared office printers, get distracted and forget until later to collect your printed documents.

Staff rummaging through the tray on the office printer to find the document they printed earlier is commonplace in most organisations.

But it can be an easy fix.

How? A quick installation of a simple but effective print management solution.

That is safe, secure, manageable and effortless.

Many Companies and Councils have basic print reporting software which lets them know how much toner and paper is being consumed but it doesn’t safe guard what and where it gets printed and by whom.

In a busy office, paper can pile up and by the time you go to collect your vital bits of information you find stacks of paper. Its easy for someone to collect their report or email or letter and inadvertently pick up the first few or the last page of what you sent to be printed.

Not having a secure print management solution in place can prove costly. What results is the document being printed again which is time consuming. In the case of the aforementioned Councils it can pose a data protection breach if the information is confidential and specific to an individual only.

Integrated, secure print management software ensures that the printed documents are secure and confidential until the user is ready to authorise and collect them.

By implementing a print management solution with networked printers and MFP’s (multi-functional devices) is the most secure and efficient way of ensuring organisations safe guard themselves against print and data security issues.

Print management solutions provide the tools you need as an organisation to manage a fleet of networked printers and the security of the documents printed.

Human intervention is the weakest link when there is no secure print management solution in place.

Automating manual processes ensures that an organisation can lock down data security throughout the document journey – from creation, sharing, distribution to storage and archiving.

Digital Print Management can advise specify and provide a range of secure document handling processes.

For more information please call on: 01234-271156 or drop us your details here and one of our expert advisors will contact you. 

What information risks have you experienced?

Do you have a policy in your organisation to safe guard this happening? If so please tell us about it.

We are interested to hear and read your comments.

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How British Companies survive and make it to the holy land metaphorically speaking remains to be determined but there are still a number of cost saving initiatives companies should consider as a means of saving money and reducing debtor days.

Outsourcing your cash collection process can add a vital component to a company’s armoury particularly where the SME is concerned.

How can this work for an organisation struggling to manage and chase their debtors?

Case Study

DCA provide credit management and debt recovery services for many companies that outsource their debt collection requirements.

The service includes outward bound and inward bound calls from a call centre acting on behalf of its clients supported by the printing, mailing and electronic delivery of personalised collection letters to debtors.

The DCA’s growth has resulted in a rapid expansion of their operations to provide services to Companies across the UK, ROI and Europe. The task of producing personalised letters for the companies they represent became too time consuming, cost prohibitive and less efficient in-house.

Efficiency was critical to the speed at which they collect outstanding debt and to maintain the printing of letters in-house would have involved capital purchases of larger printers, employee time and additional I.T resources.

The service the DCA required was a daily production, personalisation, fulfilment and mailing of anywhere between 500 to 12,000 letters.

Working closely with the DCA, Digital Print Management provided three solutions that embraced both printed and electronic letters to be personalised and mailed.

The Print and Mail Solution

Data is sent daily and contains identifiers to determine which files are required to be printed and mailed out and those that are to be electronically emailed. Flags within their data identifies the letter templates to be used, stationery types, envelopes and inserts that are required.

The DCA’s requirements include the use of five different base stock types – letterheads, bank giro credits and envelopes, BRE’s (Business Reply Envelopes) and up to 100 different letter content templates.

Printing is undertaken using high speed laser printers and identification of multiple page documents is done via the use of OMR marks that are printed enabling inserting machines to ensure the correct documents are presented in the right order within the envelopes.

The Electronic Solution

Electronic credit and collections provides an efficient and cost effective alternative to the more traditional collection processes involved in collecting delinquent payments.

Collections are challenging for AR departments and when debts move into the collection process incur additional expenses such as print, postage, payment negotiation and higher interest fees due to days sales outstanding. (DSO)

Electronic notices emailed into customer inboxes reach customers quickly enabling them to pay by clicking on a link that takes them to a payment page without the need to visit a web site.

The benefits of electronic delivery include:-

• Costs are reduced because it is an efficient way of reaching delinquent customers
• Shortens the payment cycle by reducing the number of customers falling into the credit and collection cycle by sending automatic reminders
• Improved cash flow

Using Digital Print Management’s Print-2-Mail desktop service fulfils this need as data files containing collection letters for the various companies they manage are uploaded daily, printed and despatched, saving postage, processing and mailing costs. In turn they are then able to pass on these savings to their clients. 

The unique business relationship that exists between the DCA and Digital Print Management means that the only in-house requirement is to ensure that data is generated daily and in a timely manner to ensure there are no delays.

There has been significant savings on postage, stationery, staff resources and no further capital investment on additional equipment.

Staff who were previously involved in the debt collection process have now been re-deployed into the business to focus on core competencies allowing Digital Print Management to handle the task of distribution of their debt collection letters.

 If you want to find out how you can transform your debt collection mailings but not sure where to start then leave your details here and one of advisors will call you back.

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The post How to save time and money outsourcing your debt collection letters appeared first on Digital Print Management.

Time sheet processing can be a time consuming and a very manual intensive task for large and small companies alike.

Maintaining accuracy and correct data entry are the cornerstone of any payroll system.

Time sheet automation resolves this problem.

If time sheets are not processed in time then quite simply employees don’t get paid. Late salary payments lead to discord and disgruntled employees irrespective of the cause of the problem.

We are creatures of habit and at the end of the month we expect our salary to arrive in our designated bank account!

Manually completed time sheets present the following issues:-

• They are often illegible
• Tea stained, ripped, folded and written on
• My all time favourite from my recruiter days – crumpled like its ready for the bin.

Payroll staff feel under pressure at the best of times and they don’t want to let employees down. However, manual keying can result in errors, it’s human nature after all particularly when under pressure.

The payroll department are under pressure to get timesheet data into the payroll system. Automating the system speeds up the process.

How do you automate time sheet processing?

Automating the process makes time sheet processing simpler and faster changing the way time sheets are routed into the payroll department.

• Timesheet automation is triggered by paper copies being converted into electronic scanned images
• Data capture technology with a read success rate of 90% the data is extracted from the scanned images
• Data capture helps a business automate the time consuming and error prone process of manually entering data
• Incorporating a Fax solution also helps you manage the process of electronic fax time sheets
• Document Management automates the record keeping by providing storage, retrieval, data protection and security
• The paper flow is improved by removing the inefficiencies associated with time sheet processing being automatically checked and then pushed to payroll

No system is faultless and there can be a small number of exceptions where documents are illegible when this happens an exceptions queue is created and a person within the organisation will usually be responsible for ensuring these exceptions are managed.

Automating the time sheet process = accuracy = results

• The payroll team can access the electronic time sheets, change and add information or send them back to the member of staff by email for re-presenting
• A captured time sheet that is either incomplete or needs further approval can be emailed back to the sender, moved forward to another part of the organisation or sent to the client for clarification
• Full reporting provides compliance and control
• It eliminates the need for repetitive manual keying of time sheet information
• Query handling time is reduced and exceptions are managed in real time as documents are digitally stored making it easier to find them
• There is no need for physical document storage as time sheets are electronically stored in a digital repository
• Time sheet automation has low ongoing costs and delivers a ROI in just a few months.
  

  No organisation is too large or too small to see a ROI in just a few months!

Mistakes are drastically reduced and payroll deadlines are met!

Next steps

The good news is that no company is too small or too large to save money and benefit from this automation

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