Minerals handling firm Hargreaves Services is introducing 'paperless office' technology in order to streamline its purchase requisition and credit control processes.
The company is using systems from Version One that are tightly integrated with the Saga Line 500 accounting package used by Hargreaves, and is looking to improve cash flow and purchasing efficiency.
Marcus Spence, the firm's project accountant, said he expects to chase debt more quickly and improve cash flow as paper chasing is eliminated. Hargreaves processes around 9,000 purchase orders, invoices and other documents each month.
Version One's software enables the automatic scanning, storage and management of business documents and is designed to integrate with all major accounting systems.
Paperless trend gaining pace
Hargreaves' move suggests that the trend towards paperless offices is gaining pace. Although many accountants are understandably wary of changing the way they operate, the paperless office brings with it many benefits.
As well as saving space in the office, less time needs to be spent on manual tasks such as retrieving files, while documents can be made available to multiple users.
Writing on the Microsoft website, accountant Joseph Anthony spotlighted "greater efficiency and smoother processing at tax time" as the main benefits of such a move.
Hargreaves Services specialises in the handling and storage of bulk materials, as well as waste and transport services.
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