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WHY
FILEPLUS?
Customers tell us the top three reasons
for choosing FilePlus.Net are:
-
Ease of scanning.
Bureaus are using our scanning software
for greater efficiency and higher productivity.
-
Customizable user interfaces
for File & Search functions.
This is most important as a user-friendly
screen will be gladly used and not avoided.
-
Low cost and fast ROI.
Achieved through space saving and fast
accurate retrieval.
Document
Capture
There are two methods employed in the FilePlus.NET
suite designed to capture documents prior
to filing. Incoming or signature-bearing
paperwork is scanned whilst internally-produced
electronic files can be transferred as unalterable
images into the FilePlus archive database.
Image capture - Paper
This powerful part of the software has
been developed over 15 years resulting in
a bureau-standard product. It is not manufacturer
dependant and will drive most scanners in
the marketplace e.g. Canon, Fujitsu, Kodak,
Panasonic.
A great deal of thought has gone into making
FilePlus’ scanning interface very
efficient in use, to the extent that it
compares favourably with offerings from
some of the biggest hardware players. The
Scan Module includes a powerful batch scanning
feature, allowing documents scanned centrally
to be saved anywhere on the network. The
software also includes powerful tools more
usually found in much larger products such
as image cleansing, barcode reading and
OCR.
Image capture - Electronic files
FilePlus’s ethos is to store all
documents in standard TIFF image format.
This allows us to store copies of any document
from any software application ensuring future
integrity, whatever Microsoft and others
might eventually do with the format of Office
documents. Another potential positive of
this approach is that files ‘sent
into’ FilePlus as a TIFF copy could
be argued to be unchangeable records from
a regulatory/legislative viewpoint.
Documents captured this way join the scanned
images for eventual filing into the FilePlus
database.
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Filing
Controls
Keyboard indexing
This is where FilePlus has always differed
to competitors. Our software works on the
principle of employing completely licence
free databases each tailored to the specific
user requirements. To achieve this, we do
not expect (require?) users to be involved
with folders. Our approach is to present
an interface comprising of pre-agreed design
allowing indexing via text, combo and tick
boxes.
Examples of these can be seen here:
For enhanced accuracy, any or all of the
index values can be verified against pre-loaded
data files. Unique values can also be used
to populate the remaining fields from data
files, thus saving indexing time.
Barcode and OCR assisted indexing
Barcode indexing is the ultimate filing
tool. It is an accurate, fast and totally
automatic filing procedure. In FilePlus,
barcodes on the scanned images are read
and stored as data for use in future retrieval.
Thousands of images can be filed automatically
in one operation.
In addition, FilePlus offers full text
OCR indexing where a structured approach
is not relevant. This provides a very powerful
search facility as all text read is stored
in a very fast text-retrieval database.
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Retrievals
Keyboard retrieval
As with keyboard filing, similar user-friendly
interfaces are deployed with keyboard retrieval.
Examples of these can be seen here:
Results are presented in a navigable listing
from which documents or selected pages can
be E-mailed, printed, faxed or exported.
The E-mail function links directly with
your client software (Outlook, Lotus Notes
etc) and attaches images in PDF or TIFF
format.
Automatic retrieval
Utilising API technology, images can be
retrieved from third-party applications
and displayed in a special FilePlus viewer.
This eliminates the need for FilePlus traing
but still offers the print and E-mail facility
as described above. One customer has linked
his monthly management costing spreadsheet
in this way, providing the Directors with
easy access to supplier invoice images.
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Why Digitize
Cut Costs & Increase Productivity
with our Document Imaging systems
In a business climate where organizations
are looking for ways to cut costs and increase
productivity, document imaging systems are
providing the most dramatic impact since
the copy machine replaced carbon paper.
Finding and retrieving a document using
our document imaging system is significantly
faster than with a paper-based system. The
amount of time saved using our electronic
retrieval system is enormous because it
eliminates the wasted manhours spent filing,
searching, retrieving, and refiling paper
documents. This “found time”
gives a business the option of either re-
allocating an employee’s time to more
productive tasks, or to reduce the size
of its workforce.
When information is freed from the physical
limitations of paper and converted into
an electronic format, it becomes a more
valuable strategic resource. Our document
imag- ing system allows you to create electronic
documents that can be viewed, searched,
and printed from virtually any networked
PC, while retaining their original look
and feel complete with text, graphics, photos,
and color.
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Problems of a
Paper-Based Filing System
The average document gets copied
19 times
• 7.5% of all documents get lost,
3% of the remainder get misfiled
• Professionals spend 5-15% of
their time reading information, but up
to 50% looking for it
• There are over 4 trillion paper
documents in the U.S. alone growing at
a rate of 22% per year
• 90% of corporate memory exists
on paper
• Of all the documents that get
handled each day in the average office,
90% are merely shuffled
Source: Coopers & Lybrand
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Paper vs. Electronic
Documents
| |
Paper
Filing System |
Document
Imaging System |
|
| File Retrieval |
May take minutes to hours, depending
on whether the file has been properly
filed, is on someone’s desk,
or has been removed from the office.
Archived files are a particular problem
it they are
stored off-site. |
You can search and retrieve documents
in seconds right from your desktop
PC - including archived documents. |
•
It is virtually impossible to lose
a filed document using our system
90% of an organization’s knowledge
resides in paper. |
| Lost
Documents |
According to
Cooper & Lybrand, 7.5% of all
documents get lost, and 3% of the
remaining are misfiled. |
It is virtually
impossible to lose a document filed
using our system. |
•
Print, fax or e-mail documents with
our system using password-protected
security at the document level. |
| Document Filing |
May take from a few minutes to
several hours. Off-site filing is
especially time consuming |
Easily managed from your desktop
PC; once accessed, documents are.
re-filed instantly with the click
of a mouse button. |
•
Approximately 23,000 electronic documents
can be stored on a single CD costing
under one dollar. |
| Document
Sharing |
Requires making
multiple copies using a copy machine.
The average document gets copied 19
times and most of the copies get filed. |
Everyone accesses
the same digital document, eliminating
the need for physical duplicates. |
|
| Sending Documents |
Mail 2-5 days, overnight mail,
fax (poor copy). Faxed copies can
be seen by anybody that walks by the
fax machine. |
Print, fax or e-mail documents.
E- mail can be password-protected
so that only the intended recipient
can view the document. |
|
| Storage
Space |
One incurs the
cost if filing cabinets plus the cost
for the space that they require. |
Approximately
23,000 documents can be stored on
one CD, which costs under one dollar.
Active files reside on your server
(which requires
minimal space). |
|
| Customer Service |
When a customer calls you must
usually pull the file and call him/her
back. Many times this results in a
game of “phone tag.” |
Customer files are retrieve instantly
from any networked PC, reinforcing
your professional image and avoiding
many return phone calls. |
•
The time saved by electronic documentation
is enormous! |
| Disaster
Protection |
Inherently vulnerable
to physical insults (e.g. fire or
water damage). |
Duplicate electronic
backups may be maintained off-site. |
|
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Resolving known
issues
| Known
Filing
Problems |
Does
Imaging Overcome Problem |
Does
Paper Filing Overcome Problem |
| Sorting records prior to filing |
Yes - no need to sort physical
records |
No - Files must have at least
one logical sort process |
| Group and label
before filing records
|
Yes - Index
from page, but no need to group or
label after imaging |
No - Some grouping
or labelling is required to locate
the file in the filing system |
| Storage housing for paper files |
Yes - Paper can be destroyed after
imaging, only computer housing for
image storage and backup media such
as CDs |
No - Paper must require housing,
in some cases special buildings are
erected for this purpose costing $100k
and even millions |
| Misfiled records,
although index register is correct |
Yes - Imaging
overcomes misfiles by software and
permanently capturing images in electronic
backup media |
No - Misfiles
can easily happen at time of filing
or after an inquiry to the file. In
a large filing system, misfiles are
almost permanently lost. Generally
6% or records are misfiled. |
| Lost records due to handling |
Yes - Same as above once a record
is scanned it is focused permanently.
Through integrity checks, preloading
and comparing image against expected
data any anomalies are easily detected |
No - There is no guarantee that
a file makes it to the filing system
or is returned after an inquiry. Very
few companies perform detailed or
100% accountability audits on their
paper files after filing |
| Lost records
due to environment |
Yes - As above,
the environment cannot affect both
the source and the mirror site, unless
a catastrophic event happens to the
planet. The mirror site can be located
on the other side of the world if
required. |
No - Vermin,
moisture, dust, dust mites, chemical
interaction between ink and paper
all can effect the durability of the
paper file, illegible data is the
same as lost file. |
| Lost records due to malicious
intentions |
Yes - As above, once a record
is scanned, it is locked permanently.
Unauthorised access is easily blocked
and authorised access with grievous
intentions can be easily tracked |
No - Any person having access
to the filing system can remove records
without anyone else's knowledge. It's
only when it's too late that someone
may take notice and by that time,
it's difficult to pinpoint a culprit.
|
| Lost records
due to disaster |
Yes - As above.
The worst case scenario is a disaster
such as a fire, flood, bombing, earthquake,
terrorist act, etc., causing damage
to the central operating area in these
circumstances the mirror site will
maintain continuity irrespective |
No - Unless
a photocopy and exact replica of the
same record exists elsewhere, a one-time
disaster will be enough to cripple
the department or organisation dependant
on the destroyed files |
| Concurrent access
to files |
Yes - The imaging
solution through an internal intranet
or internet network can provide simultaneous
access to any file |
No - Unless a photocopy,
facsimile and exact replica of the
same record exists elsewhere |
| Desktop access to
any file |
Yes - As above. Files
are retrieved in seconds not minutes
or hours |
No - A person must
physically move from their desk to
retrieve a file. This not only causes
a distraction to their productivity
but also can affect customer service
if a call back is required to satisfy
a query |
| Blocking access to
select files |
Yes - Software control
permits files to blocked from unauthorised
users
|
Yes - Only if the
selective files are moved to a separate
filing system |
| Adding electronic
records to the physical file |
Yes
- A letter or spreadsheet or photo
image can be easily attached to an
existing imaged file all from the
desktop and recorded permanently |
No
- The electronic record will need
to be printed and taken to the filing
system and added to it manually. Productivity
losses will be experienced in the
process |
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