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INVU Document Management System
| Reference Site: |
W J Miscampbells |
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Belfast - 30 staff |
Is Efficiency Optional?
Partners in accountancy practices pride themselves in being
able to offer their clients a long term, professional, and
yet personal service over a considerable range of activities.
However, like many of their clients, accountants are faced
with the challenge of doing it more efficiently in an ever
changing environment.
Computers are now common place in accountancy practices,
and in their clients, and in the various government agencies
with whom they communicate daily. As a result, accountants
have to deal with multiple sources and formats of information.
Yet core client information and internal administration
data are generally still managed using print-outs which are
stored in manilla folders. These print-outs are sourced from
paper correspondence & notes, and from electronic files
such as e.mails word processed documents, spreadsheets and
specialist application software such as Sage or Iris.
Increasingly, accountants are storing their information
in several discrete systems and, as anyone who has tried
to keep two diaries knows, this could not be described as
'best practice'! Information is held in manilla folders,
on computer servers and on a myriad of PCs throughout the
premises. Indeed, staff often use their own systems for naming
files and folders on their PCs, making comprehensive retrieval
difficult, particularly during absences from the office.
One Chartered Accountant has said "95% of our information
is looked at only once, yet we pay to print it off our computers,
we pay for storage space to house it and we pay for staff
to retrieve it. Further, current files are not always to
hand when a client calls, and this causes delays and costly
call-backs to clients. Then, when we have to send information
to a client, we either have to post it or fax it or find
the original electronic file and e.mail it. It simply doesn't
make sense any more to have so much of our information on
our computer and yet have to depend so heavily on paper print-outs.
The only time we really need to put our information on paper
is for our clients and even then we are increasingly being
asked for it to be sent electronically."
Stress, it is said, comes more from work we know we have
to do in the future, rather than from the work we are doing
now. An accountant's day can be made more acceptable if his
systems reduce 'the number of balls he has in the air' at
any one time, by enabling all the information he requires
to be immediately accessible.
Allan Leighton, current Chairman of Royal Mail Group plc
and past CEO of Walmart-Asda, has said that "being successful
in business is no longer about being the biggest, or the
best, or even the first. It is about being quickest, in every
area of a business".
INVU is a product that is ideally placed to help accountants
overcome these challenges cost-effectively within their practice.
Core Benefits of INVU
The following testimonials are not hard to believe and speak
for themselves.
"When a client phones me, I can immediately access all
his documents on my computer, see a roadmap of all communications
and work done and deal with the issues raised, without involving
anyone else and without having to phone him back" This
is how one senior partner described his experience of Invu.
"If this place burned, we were in trouble. Now we have
multiple security copies of everything, including the contents
of all of our PCs which we back-up on our network."
"Frankly, we are just more organised. I can see everything
in our practice on my PC and I can see what everyone is doing."
'Nice to Have' Features
Invu clients tend to notice they are photocopying less and
they are interrupted less. Their staff workstations look
less cluttered and more efficient when clients come to visit.
Staff utilisation improves, freeing up time for more chargeable
hours.
Practices in high-rent, or high-wage areas, or in architecturally
sensitive buildings, find Invu gives them more cost effective
options as they grow.
Re-location of a practice should be a lot easier. Further,
some Invu clients feel that an electronic repository of managed
client data adds value to their practice.
When auditing off-site, staff can download the appropriate
files to their laptop for viewing in their clients' premises.
How INVU Works
Invu captures all paper and electronic documents received
by or issued by the company. These documents can then be
viewed on a computer screen and printed as hard-copy if required.
Paper documents are captured by running them through a scanner.
Modern scanners are inexpensive and fast and they can accept
single or multiple sheets. Electronic documents produced
by application software, such as invoices, are captured electronically
(without scanning) and PC produced documents, such as Word
documents and notes, tax computation spreadsheets, web pages,
powerpoint presentations and e.mails are also captured electronically.
Faxes can be captured electronically or by scanning.
All captured documents are initially entered into designated
'in-trays'. From there they can be classified on-screen as
to their 'cabinet, drawer and folder', as in a manual filing
system. Document retrieval is then achieved by going to the
appropriate 'cabinet, drawer and folder' if these are known,
or by searching on key words.
Retrieved documents can then be edited or revised on screen
and re-filed, with strict version control and no loss of
previous versions. Invu is designed to be tailored to meet
individual priorities and company cultures.
The Installation Process
While Invu does not require special computers, the accountants
referred to as reference sites took the opportunity to upgrade
their workstations and server to provide a solid platform.
Hardware is no longer the major cost in new business solutions,
so it is generally wise to 'over spec' and 'future proof'
in this regard. The old saying that 'the cost of success
is usually less than the cost of failure' applies.
An appropriate senior administrator is allocated the responsibility
for managing the installation, maintaining the system and
interfacing with their Invu Partner.
Careful thought should be given to how documents will be
categorised and indexed, before scanning or other inputs
are commenced. Often, the existing methodology can be used
or developed, and an experienced Invu Partner is a useful
advisor to get the best results.
Staff training can be completed easily on or off site. Since
all staff will eventually need to know the system, it is
recommended that some staff are trained as trainers.
Installation is best achieved gradually, department by department.
For example, one practice started with its 'administration'
department, followed by its 'taxation' department and then
by its 'client accounts' department. To begin with, current
documents are transferred to Invu. Archive files are first
pruned and then entered into Invu by junior staff as time
permits or as an outsourced service.
A programme of early and regular testing of data back-up
and recovery tends to enhance staff confidence in the system.
Staff sometimes prefer to know that originals are still available,
during their learning period, before they are shredded. Once
they become used to instant retrieval on screen, few staff
volunteer to return to the previous manual system!
Accountants can take comfort from the fact that Invu Partners
are specialists in document management in a variety of industries.
They don't stop at initial installation, preferring to monitor
new clients' use of the system to provide feedback for their
'continual improvement process'. There is no danger of a
'sell and run' approach.
Accountants have found that there are substantial core benefits
to be derived from an INVU document management and retrieval
system. In addition, there are many 'nice to have' features.
Other Case studies: Insurance
Brokers
For more information on any of the INVU products please call
or e-mail to arrange
an appointment or for details of and to book onto one of our
Free INVU Seminars pleae click
here.
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