Strategies Learned From the COVID-19 Experience Help Businesses Prepare for the Future
By: Paul Lavenhar
Tags: Document Management, Remote Working, Accounts Payable, Human Resources, Remote Work

ineedafile is a leader in providing cloud-based document capture and information management services. During the pandemic, ineedafile helped clients in many business sectors adapt to remote work.

Businesses learned the importance of tracking employee performance, organizing workload remotely, and managing processing questions enabling employees to function remotely and work more effectively when they returned to the workplace

The businesses struggled to track employee performance, address liability issues, and access critical information. While dependence on paper documents in departments such as Accounts Payable (AP) and Human Resources (HR) is diminishing, the use of shared mailboxes and shared drives created new issues for department processing and document retention.

“One of the issues companies faced is distributing and controlling work to be processed, whether it is paper, emails with PDF attachments or uploading to a portal like our Virtual Mailbox. Many departments, including AP and HR, need document management support as do retailers like auto dealers,” says Rick Manista, CEO and President of ineedafile.

According to a March survey by research firm Gartner, 74% of CFOs plan to transition additional onsite employees to remote work spaces permanently.

“When the pandemic led to workers functioning remotely, many businesses were caught off guard and needed solutions quickly,” says Manista. “The document management changes we helped them implement addressed their immediate concerns, and also helped them be better prepared in the event of a second wave or future business disruption.”

ineedafile enabled its Accounts Payable clients to initiate secure processing within days. Managers had 100 percent transparency of all invoice processing. It also allowed managers to track whether remote workers were meeting production goals and were on schedule.

ineedafile’s web-based processing queues allowed managers to see work in progress and evenly distribute the workload. It made each processing team members’ output transparent. Managers tracked information within their system and could easily find documents needed to make business decisions.

Corporate Human Resources departments also have records that must be tracked, recorded, and protected. HR departments are responsible for processing and protecting employee information. They also must comply with government regulations regarding confidentiality.

During the pandemic, companies had employees work remotely, laid employees off, or implemented pay cuts. These actions have the potential for unhappy employees to take legal action. Documentation is essential to HR departments to address potential litigation.

Auto sales transactions also require extensive documentation. During the lockdown, many dealers were unable to open their locations. Even during a crisis, dealers must respond to manufacturers’ audits and legal compliance requirements. Dealers are also required to guard customers’ confidential financial information.

Many auto dealers struggled due to having records they could not access. Afterward, many dealers lost trained employees when they did not return to work after pandemic guidelines were modified. Training new hires and paper-handling concerns led to dealers being behind on record keeping.

Lessons Learned to Help Plan for the Future

Learn and adapt from experience: The pandemic restrictions caught many companies off guard. Use the experience to implement a contingency plan based on what was effective and review what needs to be changed.

Process improvements: Consider if changes made during the pandemic to streamline remote work can improve onsite operations. Scale a solution that makes sense for current and future challenges.

Review existing systems for adaptability: Many workflow systems require the client to conform to that system instead of adapting to the client. Consider how to improve how the workflow system functions to address specific business rules.

Third-party services: Some third-party services, including offshore service providers, were unable to support their customers during the pandemic. Are there alternatives?

Data security: Employees accessing business records online can create cyber risks. A secure private cloud-based application can safely provide access to information they need to function.

Whether working with a corporate or a retail operation, ineedafile document management enabled employees to access information remotely 24/7. Scanning, indexing, and storing information in secure servers enabled workers to access and find documents to help them keep their business operational. ineedafile’s Software as a Service (SaaS) model was configured quickly to each client’s business model and was easily expandable.

According to Manista, “Many of these innovations remain in force as workers have returned to their jobs. Our SaaS model has shown companies that having employees processing remotely is very manageable, and it provides a complete audit trail of every transaction. What was a daunting task to adjust to pandemic restrictions became a process improvement for these companies that serves them now and in the future.”