01732 759725 30 DIGITISATION continued... ASL team. “We simply loaded a bundle of different paper weights and sizes into the scanner and it just powered through,” Webster said. “We digitised 120,000 images. One thing we really liked about the scanner is the metal detection feature which prevents mis-feeds, paper jams, and loose staples and paper clips from scratching the scanner glass. “If the scanner detects a staple or a multi-feed, it shows you the last scanned image and you simply put the rest of the pages back in, rather than on an MFD, where you have to re-scan the whole document,” she added. The Perfect Page image processing technology built into the KODAK i4850 Scanner is another feature that ASL particularly liked. With de-skew and auto rotate set up on the scanner, the document image quality is consistently superb, and because the image enhancement work is done directly on the scanner rather than the PC, the document throughput continues at full speed. Improved efficiency and responsiveness ASL’s sales order processing team is responsible for setting up all new customer contracts in the system. If a customer needs a copy of their agreement, this team is the first port of call. “Often, it’s an urgent request, they may have auditors in the office and don’t have a copy to deliver, so they need it quickly. Before we started this project with Kodak Alaris, if a call came in, we didn’t know where to start or even which box to look in,” Webster explained. Now, when the team receives a request for a copy of a contract, they simply go to SharePoint, retrieve the file that was delivered via KODAK Info Input Solution, and then email it to either the customer or the salesperson in a matter of minutes. Continual productivity gains Looking ahead, ASL is planning to leverage more of the advanced features of KODAK Info Input Solution. For example, prior to engaging with Kodak Alaris, ASL conducted a manual data cleansing process that involved physically sorting and shredding files they no longer had to retain. “We know that Info Input Solution could have automated that data cleansing for us. The software recognises date ranges to automatically determine whether to save that information in the workflow or, if out of range, place it in a separate folder for manual checking,” Whapshott said. “There are a lot of other advanced features that we didn’t utilise this time round, such as automatic classification. Info Input can determine whether a document is from Copyrite or Sharples, or whether it’s a lease, an email, or a service contract, much faster than an employee could do. The software also integrates with the latest handwriting recognition technologies, which run in both the cloud and on-premises, so that’s another feature we will utilise moving forward.” He continued: “The key thing is that Info Input Solution provides us with lots of flexibility. We can choose to use pre-configured processes or we can use AI and data extraction. For this project we just wanted to get it done quickly, and I was able to set up the workflow and get us up and running the following morning. The software is simple to use - it was really easy for me to go in and make quick changes. The flexibility of the application is impressive.” Cost savings For ASL, the ongoing cost savings have been substantial. “When you’re scanning and digitising files, it’s important to take into consideration how long you need to keep that information and the cost of actually storing it in the cloud,” Whapshott explained. With scanners from Kodak Alaris, compression reduces the file size without lowering image quality. This in turn reduces the amount and cost of cloud storage. With many documents needing to be retained for seven years, this file compression delivers significant savings straightaway and over the life of the document. “This project went so smoothly - with just one person, we managed to complete the project in just two weeks, and it was twice the size of the still unfinished project we started four years ago. I think the key takeaways are firstly we are never doing it manually again, and two, we will never use an MFD for high volume bulk scanning again!” Webster concluded. https://asl-group.co.uk www.alarisworld.com
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