Transervice Logistics Inc. provides total transportation management. They have over 38 years of experience in the transportation industry and are driven by the needs of their customers. They understand the customers’ desires and deliver innovative services to meet those needs. Their goal is to provide the customer with professional service on the most cost-effective basis.
Expanding Document Managementfrom the Department Level to the Enterprise Level
by Greg Rapport
Transervice Logistics Inc. provides total transportation management. They have over 38 years ofexperience in the transportation industry and are driven by the needs of their customers. Theyunderstand the customers' desires and deliver innovative services to meet those needs. Their goal isto provide the customer with professional service on the most cost-effective basis.
Some of their programs include fleet maintenance, routing, scheduling, reporting and trackingsystems and maximum vehicle utilization. Each of their customers enjoys a specialized programtailored to meet their specific needs.
This flexible approach is a major contributor to their growth. Beginning in 1969 with under 100employees, the company now employs 1,500 employees at more than 120 locations in 21 states andCanada.
That's today. A few years ago, with 1,000 employees, Human Resources AVP Gina Lydakiscalculated that the HR file for each employee contained 30 pages, meaning they were manuallykeeping track of 30,000 pieces of paper, just in the HR department.
Start Departmental, Think Enterprise
It wasn't just the fact that there were over 30,000 pieces of paper that drove Gina to seek a solution.The nature of the paper, medical files, I-9's, affirmative action documents, payroll records, etc., wassuch that many of the papers had to be kept separately for each person. So, in addition to the purebulk of the paper, there was an organizational aspect that needed to be addressed.
Space was also becoming an issue. File drawers were full and blank forms decorated the tops of filecabinets and other spaces. Perhaps the biggest annoyance was when an employee would look for afile, not find it, and have to walk around the office to find out if someone else was using it. Walk-arounds cost companies countless wasted dollars in unproductive work-hours.
Gina had been discussing the problem of space and paperwork with CFO Eric Sklar who suggestedthe idea of document management. From the beginning, the two saw the value in launchingdocument management in the HR department and progressively including additional departmentsthroughout the enterprise.
The Search for the Right Solution
Gina received the go-ahead immediately to begin the search for a provider and did most of thelegwork online. First, she had to learn about the different types of solutions.
One type of solution was a web-based hosted application that Eric had suggested. With thisapplication the files actually reside offsite on the host's server. This was vetoed when they discussedwhat might happen to the files if the host went out of business. Most host companies aren't that largeand there is an issue of what happens if the company goes under. Who really owns the database?Would they have trouble gaining access to their own data? Both Gina and Eric felt more securehaving their records onsite and in their control.Another type of document management solution utilized a networked copy machine with scanningcapabilities. Ultimately, they had trouble believing a solution based on the copy machine (hardware)would measure up to a solution based on software. It just didn't make sense, especially when theyconsidered expanding from a departmental scale to an enterprise scale.
Since one of Gina's main priorities was ease of use for the employees, it wasn't difficult selectingComputhink as a possible provider. She liked what they had to offer. Computhink put her in touchwith a reseller of the product in her area. A live demonstration was given that seemed to address thisissue, but Gina still wasn't convinced. She needed to make sure this product was the right choice.
What finally put Computhink's ViewWiseŽ Solution ahead of the pack were the references Ginacontacted. Each highly recommended the product and confirmed the superior ease of use. WithViewWise meeting this core requirement, the decision was made to purchase and install a ViewWiseSmall Business Solution.
The original install and implementation took less than two days with the help of a regional consultingcompany.
The Paperless OfficeŽ
Computhink calls their ViewWise Small Business Solution "The Paperless OfficeŽ" because it cantransform a small business or a department from a paper disaster into a model of electronicefficiency.
The ViewWise... [download for more]
