We’ve all heard about workflows lately. It’s a popular buzzword. Document workflows, optimizing workflow, workflow automation, it seems like every day, we’re hearing about how bad our business processes are and the fact is, most businesses do have workflow challenges that need to be addressed.

Workflow is defined as the process to get a project from initialization through to completion. It can be a simple document management system, or a complex product manufacturing workflow. Let’s take look at a workflow common to every business, accounts payable, and how automation can save time and improve efficiency.

The Company:

XYZ & Sons is a furniture store with three locations in the city. They sell plenty of furniture, but are still process A/P manually. It’s a time-consuming process and the person in charge of finance spends most of his day dealing with paper. He has an MBA in business and has great ideas for growing the family business, but his time is wasted dealing with paper.

The Current Document Workflow:

Finance is handled at the main office downtown. All A/P documents (invoices, receipts, POS) for each location must be sent over. Right now, when each location receives an invoice they:

• Scan it
• Email it to the downtown office
• Finance prints the invoice
• Manually enters the information into Payables
• Re-scans the completed invoice as a PDF
• Saves it for record keeping
• Pays the vendor
• Finally, enters the transaction into the books

Complex and inefficient, this document process opens XYZ & Sons up to the risk of human error as well as security breach. If a mistake is made, the process must start over. A copy left out can put vendor information at risk.

Improving the System

With a simple automation solution, A/P’s document workflow can be simplified and made secure. For example:

• Invoice is scanned at the location it’s received
• It is scanned directly into the AP document workflow system
• Automating the system means the invoice is processed and approved, digitally
• Payment is sent, a record saved and information is automatically entered into the system

No more manual entry, scanning, printing, re-scanning. Just scan the invoice once and hit a button!

Imagine how much time you could save to focus on core business using automation! Want to learn more? Give us a call today for a no-obligation print environment assessment and let us show you how automating document workflows can help you grow your business!

Related blog: 

Small Business and Digital Workflows – Worth the Investment?