Children's charityNCHhas improved its accounts payable (AP) processes
withVersion One's document imaging
technologyDbArchive.
By using Version One's solution, which is integrated into NCH's
OpenAccounts eFinance system, NCH can electronically store 180,000
documents every year.
This significantly improves AP efficiency and saves money, said
NCH.
NCH has about 500 project teams which work with more than
178,000 children, young people and their families across the UK. AP
documents include purchase invoices, staff expense forms, mileage
claims and petty cash forms.
Paul Addington, finance change programme manager at NCH, said,
"Before Version One's technology, obtaining an AP document and
resolving an invoice query were both long and tedious
processes.
"It could take many days for a simple invoice query to be
resolved. These processes were also extremely costly in terms of
fax and postage charges as well as staff time, and as a charity,
these overheads were totally unacceptable."
NCH has now resolved the issues that used to plague its AP
processes. With Version One, each AP document arriving into NCH's
head office is affixed with a
barcode and imaged using a high-speed
i280 Kodak scanner.
With the help of the barcode, the image is then automatically
tagged to the appropriate record in the OpenAccounts system. The
original paper document is eventually destroyed.
By using the OpenAccounts ledger or by using the web-based
browser, users can view all imaged AP documents directly from their
PC screen, putting an end to staff searching filing cabinets and
warehouses full of archived paperwork.
In addition, the imaging system has transformed the document
authorisation process. Instead of posting and faxing documents for
authorisation, staff can approve documents directly from their
desktop regardless of where they are in the UK.
Addington said, "It's now possible for AP queries to be resolved
within seconds, freeing-up staff time."
He said purchase invoice approval times have also been cut,
providing greater control over how and when suppliers are paid.
Costs have been reduced by "many thousands of pounds, freeing-up
funds that can be used by the charity more effectively," said
Addington.
He said the technology would now be rolled out to other parts of
the organisation.
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