In his view, using the cloud for this has the fundamental advantage that the solution is easier to calculate, since the entire range of functions is available and any additional modules can be used without having to think about additional costs, installation and maintenance effort. Another important aspect: the wide range of customization options, some of which he can take care of without external support.
DocuWare's preconfigured solutions are based on the wealth of experience gained from thousands of digitization projects and can be quickly adapted to a variety of operational environments. Processes that occur in many companies and organizations in a similar form are already preconfigured in workflows and can be introduced in just a few steps. Interfaces and integrations with other widely used applications – such as their DATEV accounting system – are already in place. Incoming A/P invoice processing could therefore be quickly implemented with the cloud solution.
Acceleration boost for invoice processing
Half of incoming invoices are sent by mail or email to BTV's central accounting department. Here they are scanned and automatically indexed and stored in a digital inbox/tray. This is also where the formal, factual check takes place, which is then followed by automatic forwarding to various departments for technical verification – from administration (including HR) to mass sports and coach training, youth development, competitive sports and tournament operations, to public relations, finance and IT. After review by department managers, there may also be additional approval levels all the way up to the executive board depending on the type of invoice and the amount invoiced.
All of these routes and options were mapped out in an authorization workflow concept of the DMS. "With the introduction of DocuWare," says BTV's Vice President of Finance and IT, Bernd Walther, "we had set the goal of making our internal approval processes digital, transparent and traceable – and significantly faster." As a result, a process which once took up to three weeks from receipt to payment, now takes a maximum of one week and in most cases two to three days.
Christian von Freyburg is "very happy" with the cloud solution: the performance is right, the processes for incoming invoices were significantly accelerated, and there is transparency about the use of funds at all times. The next projects planned are the creation of a digital contract archive and the complete digitization of travel and expense allowance statements, including the independent scanning of receipts by employees.
