Crownlea fixed with instant access EDM repository

The group, which has gone through a series of acquisitions, says that it needed to improve information availability, and that the Filenet system, together with 40 simplex Kodak i30 workgroup scanners at its 16 UK locations, has provided the solution. IT manager Roulla Brownless says that the firm has created a centralised storage system for all business paperwork generated by the operating companies, resulting in improved staff and organisational efficiency and faster response to customer queries. “Not only did each company acquired have its own paper-based filing system and processes, but getting paperwork from the different businesses, located all over the place, was time consuming and difficult,” explains Brownless. “So, a big client ordering, say, from both our Birmingham and Aberdeen depots, would have documentation in two places. The time was right to go electronic and install a group-wide EDM solution to cut down on the obvious administrative overhead.” The system runs on a mid-range HP server at Crownlea’s head office in London, and staff gain access via a secure VPN. Says Brownless: “Searching for things is now easy. You can do this by client name, order or contract number and date ranges, and Filestream will pull up all associated documents. Without doubt, efficiency has increased and customer perceptions of us have improved, too.”