Hillcrest Housing has reduced its reliance on paper records, improved document retrieval and accelerated invoice approvals using document management and workflow software from Document Logistix.
The move to the new Document Manager EDM software was primarily prompted by the housing provider’s move to new headquarters. Other factors included the difficulties staff had when trying to find documentation held throughout Hillcrest’s various offices and the slowness of a paper- and post-based system for budget and invoice approvals.
Following a tender process with six potential document management suppliers, Document Logistix was chosen, based on the ease with which documents could be automatically indexed using barcodes, the simplicity of integrating Document Manager with other business applications and also a recommendation from its Platinum Partner Konica Minolta.
Ken Birse, IT manager, Hillcrest Housing, said, “The fact that it was a UK-based company who were willing to modify the package in line with our requests, the friendliness and professionalism of the Document Logistix staff, and the fact that the software was based on Microsoft SQL Server and offered close integration with our existing Aareon QL housing management system all helped us choose Document Manager.”
The most immediate cost savings delivered by Document Manager have been a dramatic reduction in document printing, copying and storage costs. The time-saving benefits have been mainly related to accelerating various authorisation processes that previously relied on external paper mail services.
The Document Manager software has also enhanced staff productivity by providing instant access to relevant information on-screen, without having to retrieve the information from other offices. For example, when viewing a tenant’s record on-screen, Hillcrest staff can now easily call up all the correspondence from and to the tenant, including letters, tenancy agreements and original application forms.
