Replaces filing cabinets with Laserfiche ECM in Weatherization Department
What advice would you give a CAP that is fearful of going paperless?
“The managers of the programs need to be dedicated to see this project through and have the staff with the abilities to support the transition as this is a long process. Energy Conservation’s Manager was thinking of electronic processes in the late 1990s. The process finally started two and a half years ago, and only nine months ago, paper files were completely gone and the system was fully implemented. Changes and tweaks continue to happen, it is an ever-evolving software.
It takes a while for the staff to get on board and use it for the process. This involves a lot of training, conversation, evaluation and purchase of equipment, and software testing by the staff. We found (when we were using paper processes) that if the staff didn’t user part of the process, we did not know if there were problems and therefore could not fix them.
The goal will be to continue to streamline and tweak our Laserfiche software as the staff gets more comfortable, and short cuts can be established. Laserfiche is not a system that is set in time if an organization wants, Laserfiche is as flexible as they are.”
How has Laserfiche benefited your organization?
CAPRW scanned seven years of paper files into an archive Laserfiche folder (approximately 15,000 sheets of paper), thereby eliminating an entire room of secured storage. The organization is now able to use this space for a company Wellness Room. Things that have changed and streamlined the process:
- Eliminated three-part printed forms. Staff now uses Laserfiche Forms when they are in the field to get forms signed electronically on either computers or phones.
- Eliminated customer paper files which could consist of 100-150 sheets of paper.
- Eliminated staff time tracking down where a file might be. Everyone has access to Laserfiche files so multiple staff can be working on a file at the same time.
- Eliminated staff time ordering paper folders, paper, forms, printing, and labels for customer folders.
- Copy paper, labels, printer costs are no longer needed for the customer folders.
- Eliminated administrative staff time putting customer files together, generally a 15-minute process for one file. CAPRW Energy Conservation completed 167 jobs this past year, which equates to a little over a 40 hour work week!
- Saved $1400.00 in printing seven different three-part customer forms the first year, and these yearly savings will continue into the future.
Would you have any comments about Hemingway Solutions and the services we have provided that you would be willing to share?
” This is a very close relationship with whoever is spearheading the project. Hemingway Solutions has been responsive throughout the development and as we continue to tweak the system as the staff is utilizing it. For Energy Conservation it would have been helpful to have had a testing environment to use as we developed and continue to tweak our workflow process as opposed to using the live system. It was helpful that Hemingway Solutions hired another employee.
Hemingway Solutions was willing to be on the phone, in our office, and in the field to accommodate any training needs we had with the staff. This has been helpful because Energy Conservation has staff with a wide range of computer skills.”
Any comments on Laserfiche?
“Laserfiche has improved staff efficiency, organization, and saved time and money.”