Spreading the word at Philips - electronically of course
Organisations accumulate information at an alarming rate. Much of it still arrives and is stored in the form of paper documents that have to be referenced later but which, all too often, prove difficult to find quickly and efficiently. A perfect solution to this is to convert the documents into electronic versions which can then be indexed and searched for in the blink of an eye. When you then add the security benefits into the mix, it is clear to see why document management delivers such tangible benefits.
Already well versed in the benefits that scanning offered, in 2007, Philips was looking to extend its document management programme across all divisions within the company and so needed to identify a partner able to cover the requirements. This partner would need to have the capability to deliver all aspects of scanning, as well as provide a secure online image storage solution for the document files once they had been digitised.
Preview had previous experience working with Philips and was clearly able to demonstrate both the expertise and the scale to allow them to effectively manage the scope of the complete project. In addition, their secure online web repository, eView+, was exactly the type of online solution that Philips required to deliver the efficiencies of being able to view and retrieve files as necessary across all of their business divisions. For all these reasons, Philips chose to further develop their partnership with Preview as their preferred supplier and roll out the full project with them.
The initial work looked at specific categories of files including the RTSF and Good Stock files, all of which were all uploaded onto an Alchemy database for Philips to view from. Following on from this work, there was then the job of extending the project across the organisation as well as keeping the system up to date. To achieve this, there are regular bi-monthly collections of documents which are collected by Preview and taken back to the bureau to be scanned and added to the existing repository held within the eView+ system, making them instantly accessible to all authorised staff.
“The benefits have been excellent,” commented Neil Dryden, Finance Project Manager at Philips, “particularly in time savings because of the ease of access that the eView+ system gives us. Having orders, credit notes and bank statements available online has meant that we can work much more efficiently which is critical in the current environment.”
In addition to the ongoing document management, there have also been occasions where specific scanning requirements have arisen – office relocations are a prime example and, indeed, are one of the key “scanning triggers” we see time and time again. Philips was no exception and, during a major office move for a number of departments to new premises in Guildford, a wholesale scanning of documentation was undertaken ahead of the relocation. As many companies have discovered, it’s always better to have the paperwork transferred to electronic format than transported and stored.
At Preview, we also ensure that we continually develop the technology we use to meet our clients’ requirements. So when Philips’ Legal department was looking for greater autonomy and the facility to load files directly into the eView+ system, a solution was developed to allow just that. The new tool, called “Drag and Drop”, enabled staff within the department to upload a variety of files and documents themselves to be viewed later. This system has proved to be such a success that it is now being demonstrated across other areas of the business to evaluate its potential elsewhere in the organisation.
As to the future, given its success so far, the intention is to extend the programme across other departments so that they too can benefit from the ease of access to documentation that many of their colleagues now already take for granted.
More information on Philips can be found on their website at www.philips.co.uk