Going Paperless is a Necessity. Choosing the Right Solution Can Be a Science.

Transcription

1 Going Paperless is a Necessity. Choosing the Right Solution Can Be a Science. I

2 Going Paperless is a Necessity. Choosing the Right Solution Can Be a Science. By Bob Helms Chairman & CEO, Pegasus TransTech The case for going paperless is compelling. How to really get there is less evident. If you re ready to eliminate the mounds of overwhelming paperwork in your office, you need to select a document management solution (DMS). Or if you re already using a DMS but not experiencing the full benefits of automation and improved efficiency, it may be time to look for a new solution. Electronic workflow improves the flow of information and employee productivity by eliminating manual paper handling -- filing, copying, and faxing documents. The benefits of that are self-evident. Electronic images are immediately accessible and integrate easily with other business applications, so a document management solution improves customer service as well. You quickly access complete and accurate records, reducing response and turnaround time. At the same time, information security is increased. There s a wide range of DMS options available both server-based and cloud-based. But how do you choose from the wide range of options available? IMPLEMENTATION How long does it take to be up and running so that your users can scan, index, store retrieve, route and share documents? How efficient is the vendor in leading and managing the project.? Ask your prospective vendor to describe their process and timetable and then ask them for 2-3 references of companies about your size. Any operational disruption and the amount of time it takes before you are up and running is not only lost opportunity cost but also lost efficiencies that you hope to gain by using the software. Converting paper documents to electronic images and automated processes should allow you to quickly eliminate the cost and worry of lost or misplaced documents that could negatively impact your billing and payroll functions, not to mention your revenue and profit. A good document management solution will increase your staff s productivity and accuracy and speed your time-critical business processes. I

3 EASY TO USE If you choose software that s too complex for your employees to learn, either they won t use it or the cost of training will be daunting and you may not see the expected benefits of your investment. Better to choose a document management solution that is both simple to use yet powerful. FLEXIBLE & SCALABLE Will your electronic document management software and vendor be able to meet your future requirements in terms of number of users and the amount of electronic documents processed? Does the solution grow with you and run equally well on a single desktop as it does at hundreds of locations? Find out before you purchase. The bottom line is you should validate that you are getting the document management solution that you need today with room to grow in the future. SECURITY Sensitive and confidential documents must be stored securely to provide protection against intrusion and data loss In a paperless office you can add several levels of security. The best document management solution allows you to set individual and role-based security at folder and file levels. This means you can give different people access to folders and documents based on their roles in your company. Ask your vendor about their security levels. I

4 EXPERIENCE IN TRANSPORTATION Does a vendor have broad experience and expertise in the trucking industry serving other customers much like you? Do they speak your language? Make sure the vendor knows the ins and outs of your business or you will waste a considerable amount of time and money teaching them about your business processes, industry requirements, compliance issues and the like. Expect your vendor to be an expert on their products and a professional in your industry. AUTOMATION & WORKFLOW Will your document management solution provide you with the ability to automate business processes with electronic workflow? Workflow is a powerful automation tool that allows you to streamline time-critical business processes like accounts payable and receivables, maintenance, recruiting and more. It will boost productivity by enabling you to identify, optimize and track virtually any business process and quickly implement a standard repeatable process. These workflow processes generate optimal results regardless of the specific individuals involved in the process. Workflow constantly measures overall performance and reports the metrics. Management can analyze any process for ongoing improvement opportunities. Make sure whatever document management solution provider you are choosing provides workflow solutions on the front end of your implementation. Otherwise, you will miss out on much of the value of going paperless. CONCLUSION Technology alone does not solve business problems. The proper selection of technology and solutions vendors is the first step. Companies that continually look for ways to leverage technology can make business improvements to productivity and efficiency. Document management solutions can turn expensive manual processes into automated, electronic exchanges of documents and data that boost productivity and speed cash flow. I

5 A document management solution also makes perfect economic sense for large and small carriers alike to make the switch. Just ask yourself. How much money can be saved by reducing the amount of paper used and by minimizing the amount of time spent by your staff to manage a complicated paper process and file storage system? The difficult task of securing business critical information and backing up files is simplified with a document management solution. But you will want to consider the points outlined in this White Paper before making a decision on a Document Management Solution vendor. The right solution can revolutionize the way you do business. Pegasus TransTech is a full-service solution provider with options to fit your company no matter its size. TRANSFLO Web allows customers to access, route and archive documents and send invoices electronically with this very basic online document management system. TRANSFLO Web is attractive to small trucking companies without sophisticated back office systems or networks and for departmental imaging solutions where only the basics are needed. TRANSFLO DMS is a new enterprise level, cloud-based document management solution that improves productivity and automates workflow processes, allowing users to perform billing, payroll, receivables, recruitment, collections and other operation critical functions most efficiently. As a cloud based solution, you may speed implementation, reduce IT cost to launch and chill out while someone else performs maintenance and upgrades. Due to its versatility and scalability, TRANSFLO DMS is the perfect solution for companies of all sizes who want to outsource their document management and workflow solution, thereby gaining third party implementation, support, redundancy, maintenance and seamless upgrades with enhancements - all for one budget friendly monthly fee. TRANSFLO document management solution is the industry-leading document management and workflow solution that efficiently processes, stores and retrieves business documents using a server-based in-house system you control. TRANSFLO is the perfect enterprise solution for companies who want a cost effective, in-house, fully integrated system. It is not only simple and scalable, but it comes standard with the ability of serving single company, multi-division and multi-company needs. With TRANSFLO you may create your own in-house Cloud if you like, or chose to run a single, centralized system. Either way, all of your varied departmental workflow processes may be supported. I