Adecco

A Revolution Or Just Evolution

Every recruitment company has difficulty trying to file and then find and match various documents such as timesheets, CV’s, invoices, contracts and all the regulatory documents that have to be completed whenever a candidate is placed either in a permanent or temporary position. Much of the information is on paper, some on email, some in MS Word, some on the database – in short, it’s all there but it’s all over the place! And that means that it can be difficult to find and there’s a potential for it to be lost or mislaid.

This creates all sorts of challenges in the back offices of most recruitment companies as they try to gather and match the information - matching timesheets with invoices to ensure correct payment, CV’s with contracts and so on - and if you can’t find it you’ve got to request a copy. There are tremendous administration costs relating to the effort needed to collect all the necessary information together. This often means that candidates, particularly contractors, switch between recruitment companies because they become dissatisfied with the way their accounts are inefficiently administered and the poor service that is subsequently provided. There are big costs in processing all these documents and there is a potential cost if the candidate goes elsewhere.

These days there are more and more challenging issues for most recruitment companies relating to the regulations, data protection, employment agencies act and other compliance obligations, most of which require many documents to be easily available. There are also security implications - everyone backs up their computer data but not usually the paper files so there is an exposure to considerable risk.

Most of these problems are solved quite simply by the use of Electronic Document Management (EDM). You can easily store every file, document or email that passes through the office so that they are held in a central information pool that's easy to access, instantly traceable and offers total reliability and confidentiality. All paper documents are scanned and converted to electronic images and all other information types (such as emails, Word docs, etc.) are imported into the system automatically. Once they are stored in the system then access is instantaneous from any computer workstation on the network and they won't get lost. And to make it even simpler most EDM systems will integrate with the computer system(s) that are used by recruitment companies – what this means is that when you need a document all you have to do is click on the candidate number (or client number, invoice number or timesheet number) and it is instantly displayed on the screen alongside the data any other related document, regardless of its origin.

Compliance is one of the natural benefits of the use of EDM, all information is stored electronically so is secure and readily available on request. What’s more it will be backed up regularly with all other computer data thus ensuring further compliance with any disaster recovery policy.

EDM In Action

An increasing number of recruitment companies are deciding to reap the benefits of EDM. Leading IT recruitment firm Abraxas (part of the Vedior Group) have chosen the EDM system Invu from Pacific Solutions to help automate some of the company’s back office processes, and provide a vehicle that will ensure instant and reliable access to the majority of the documents. As a result Abraxas has significantly speeded up some of the processes by increasing the efficiency of its document retrieval and at the same time freeing up office space and improving on customer service. IT manager Manu Dell’Aquila agrees that since Invu was implemented there has been a significant impact on the back office processes, people can now get on with the jobs they were employed for without having to waste so much time chasing after documents.

Meanwhile at Office Angels (part of Adecco) prompt, accurate timesheet processing is critical for many reasons. Rapid payment of invoices is foremost. That in turn helps ensure timely payments to the company’s contract workers. Customer service is also an issue. Clients often request timesheet copies when billing questions arise. However, quickly locating and providing copies wasn’t easy when paper files were the only alternative. Off-site timesheet storage exacerbated this issue. But storing paper timesheets onsite consumed too much expensive office space.

Associating the right timesheets with the right invoices was another challenge. Office Angels wanted to mail invoices with copies of all related timesheets to improve customer service and minimize billing issues. And when a customer called with the inevitable invoice issue, Office Angels staff needed the ability to immediately view all signed timesheets associated with the invoice to resolve the situation. But that was impossible with offsite paper files.

The Solution

Office Angels now scans the timesheets into the EDM system from Pacific Solutions.

“Previously, we had to locate, sort and collate timesheets with the sales invoice,” Andrew Chapman, IT manager at Office Angels says. The solution has enabled instant access to electronic folders which link invoices to images of all relevant timesheets. Customer billing inquiries can now be resolved instantly, receivables have been accelerated and customers like receiving copies of signed timesheets with their invoices.

The Process

Timesheets are scanned weekly at headquarters. The process begins by sorting them into Batches that correspond to the office which sent them. Once scanned, they are indexed automatically by recognising the timesheet number using OCR technology. Workers sometimes submit their hours without using the Office Angels form. These documents are scanned and manually indexed.

Timesheets are multi-copy forms to facilitate workflow. Scanning has reduced the number of carbon copies required from each form. The worker’s name, the name and billing address of the client company, the client account number and the ending date of the workweek are typed on the form. The worker fills in hours worked each day by hand.

Thanks to the EDM system, timesheet images can be viewed from within the application which generates invoices. An employee can then key the hours worked from the image into the invoicing application. This process is much faster than locating and keying from each hard copy. The solution has given Office Angels an electronic folder for each client that contains invoices, scanned timesheets and correspondence. Keeping all timesheets related to an invoice “attached” to that invoice is critical to timely payment for Office Angels as well as the temporary worker. It also answers most client billing questions without the need for a phone call – or a delay in payment. Invoices are now paid much more quickly and retention of the temporary staff is greater since they know they will always be paid accurately and on time.

Most recruitment companies are striving to increase their efficiency as the level of competition increases and EDM is now making a significant contribution to help with this process as the Office Angels experience demonstrates.

EDM increases productivity and efficiency whilst at the same time providing a secure repository for all of the information that is vital to the way the business is run, whether you regard this as a revolution or just evolution, either way you can no longer be left behind.