The DocuWare deployment was launched at the association's headquarters in Berlin, where ten workstations were equipped with second monitors. In a second step, several regional associations received new multifunction devices for document digitization for nationwide use.
Today, more than 2,000 employees in all areas of the organization work with the DMS. DocuWare is integrated into the Diamant ERP system via an interface, allowing documents to be accessed directly from the commercial solution's interface.
Digital workflow controls approval process
All personnel files are now available (to authorized persons only) in digital form. Applications, sick leave documents, training certificates or change of address which arrive in the respective HR departments by postal mail are scanned by the staff, then assigned to the correct file via employee number and archived. A digital workflow is also used in invoice verification and approval. After scanning the paper invoices, they are indexed with Intelligent Indexing and stored in a tamper-proof manner. The DMS then notifies the employees of the regional offices responsible for approving payment by email, who sign off on the documents from a task list using a digital stamp. In some cases, the workflow controls several release steps at once, from the area manager to the board of the regional office. At the end of the process, the documents for payment end up in the accounting department.
Quick document access saves money
The digital invoice approval process is much faster today , especially since the various offices of the aid organization are often far apart and documents previously had to be sent by post. Now, they can benefit from early payment discounts. Thanks to digital employee replacement rules, invoices are no longer left unprocessed, even if employees are ill or on vacation. The accounting department always has an overview of where a receipt is at the moment and can also easily determine afterwards who checked what and when. Likewise, area managers can quickly call up all invoices from the previous year for planning the next annual budget.
Employees in the personnel department also appreciate the quick access to documents. Since they no longer have to send files to the regional associations by post, they can be sure that no unauthorized person can access them. At the same time, they are saving time and money. That's why DocuWare is constantly being expanded. The next major project is a nationwide archive for home emergency calls, similar to a digital personnel file. For this purpose, the DMS will be seamlessly integrated into other software systems.
