Scanners in the workplace

[Daniel Liddard]

I am the transaction processing manager at LIFFE in London and am constantly trying to improve the efficiency of paper flows (particularly of purchase invoices in this case) around the organisation.
Our current process involves receiving a paper invoice - inputting it onto the accounting system - sending it out (to the relevant departments) for authorisation & information and receiving it back in the department for payment - and then storing in a cabinet.

I was considering scanning invoices in and e-mailing them to people for electronic authorisation - I have also heard that I could electronically store them when they are paid. Can anyone advise on what I would need to achieve this? If anyone currently uses such a procedure?

We currently process about 500 purchase invoice transactions a week.

Thanks for any help you may be able to offer.

[SDT]

Since you require workflow management, and a volume of scanned data, you should be looking at an "Enterprise" type of solution.

IBM's Content Manager (VisualInfo) product is designed to scan and index images and put the scanned image into a complex workflow environment. The software is scalable from medium size business to large enterprise (IBM is its own largest customer using Content Manager for AS400 to manage its accounts payable). The product is cross platform and can run on a pc network, system 390 or as400 and supports a selection of scanners from different suppliers. The selection includes everything from high speed duplex scanners to flatbed (slower) scanners.

The only concern that I have about your requirement to e-mail invoices. E-mail is FAR FROM SECURE. The preference would be to e-mail the business a notification that they have an invoice that needs to be approved and direct them to a url on your secure web server.

You can learn more about the product at.... http://www-4.ibm.com/software/data/cm/
Regards
SDT

[Target]

Daniel..... SDT has given you a pretty good idea that your company is not the only one interested in (or doing) this type of document handling. At my company, we have one center that is dedicated to nothing but this type of thing. They handle approximately 30 Million pieces of documents/invoices/faxes per year this way. Part of this is accomplished using off the shelf products, with "email" routing handled via an in-house application for the time being. There are off the shelf products available for this part as well.

If you are serious, by all means persue it further. I can't elaborate on an open forum about how we do it and what we do, but the economies/efficiencies gained by going to an electronic handling strategy are enormous!

[BluesMan]

Does a program like ACCESS fit into this solution? Authorized Update workstations, etc.