Remington

Challenge

Accounting relied heavily on overnight delivery services like FedEx. Paperwork for AP and other functions were packaged weekly and sent to the corporate office for review and processing. Delivery costs were high and Accounting was mired in paper. “We knew we needed a document imaging service to get us out from under those bills,” says Nanci Pyles, Director of Accounting Systems, “and to tame the paper trail that stretched across the country.” Working with Advantage Business Solutions of Dallas, Remington determined that by replacing paper files, it could achieve ROI within six months. It would also significantly improve the firm’s workflow and help employees better manage intracompany communications.

Solution

Key criteria during research included integration with existing Sage ERP software and being user friendly for all skill levels. Sue Smith, president of Advantage Business Solutions, said, “We quickly saw that DocLink was the right choice. It integrated tightly with Sage and required no extra steps.”

DocLink was initially rolled out across 50 sites. “Everything was up and running within two weeks of installation; that’s pretty awesome,” says Pyles. Altec’s support team played a key role in helping the company achieve its aggressive implementation goal. “Altec worked closely with our IT department to handle all connectivity issues,” Pyles explains, “and to complete the initial setup for all of our hotels.” Pyles was particularly impressed with Altec’s willingness to make modifications that would benefit Remington. The firm’s distribution stamp was modified, for example, to allow Accounting to “see” specific items before approval or sending into the corporate workflow. “Whenever we had a special request or need, Altec came through for us quickly,” says Pyles. “They were always very agreeable when it came to making tweaks that helped with our production.”

Benefits

Now all sites scan their AP invoices and use a batch file to transfer data via Citrix from local directories to the corporate office. A distribution stamp is used to code all invoices which are redirected to appropriate channels. Once approved, the invoices are transferred into a corporate workflow, reviewed by AP, and imported into Sage. Pyles says being able to access financial data without searching through paper is a key benefit. “Completing financial reviews has become extremely easy,” she says.

“It’s been a great time saver for us and a way to cut down on paper and reduce our interoffice FedEx use,” Pyles states. She estimates that DocLink saves the company $40,000 in annual FedEx charges. In the future, Remington plans to implement DocLink in other departments, based on the solid results it’s already seeing from the document management investment. “When that happens,” says Smith, “Remington will save even more money and realize the additional benefits of going paperless.”