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With squeezed budgets and an emphasis on process management brought on by legislation and the need to do more with less, UK businesses and government organisations are now looking for end-to-end Electronic Document Management (EDM) solutions. They need bespoke solutions designed to support their entire organisations' digital documentation strategies, not just quick fixes and departmental stop gaps.

This growing need for complete tailored solutions is where the channel really adds value. Rather than relying on a single vendor to provide a branded solution, value-added distributors such as Spigraph can leverage their relationships with software vendors, manufacturers and resellers not only to build the most cost effective solution for an end-user, but also to create, implement and manage a bespoke, 'best of breed' EDM solution to meet the unique requirements of each organisation. As outside experts, these distributors have experience of delivering a wide range of EDM programmes across a variety of industries, which means they ask the right questions to get to the bottom of what an organisation truly needs from its digital document strategy.

Take healthcare as an example. As part of the NHS, individual GP practices need to meet data protection requirements as well as fulfil freedom of information requests. If a patient calls requesting a copy of his or her complete medical history and records, the practice has to provide these in a timely manner. It is essential that the practice not only has all of its patient records digitised - a process most GPs have adopted in a bid to 'go paperless' - but also electronically filed and managed. The latter can often be overlooked when technology purchases are made without advice or input from a channel expert. Without the software to complement the scanning solution, however, GP surgeries can find themselves struggling to locate the right patient records, slowing down the efficiency of the practice.

The consultative expertise of value-added distributors can also contribute to the efficiency of private sector organisations and SMEs. Paper-led processes are rife within the logistics industry for example, and can often cause delays in payment to delivery companies. After a driver delivers a pallet to a warehouse, they generally collect the proof of delivery paperwork and need to make a return trip to their office before raising the invoice. With a mobile scanning device, however, they can scan the proof of delivery from the cab of their lorry and issue and deliver the invoice there and then. In addition, capture software can be at the point of scanning used to ensure the proof of delivery and invoice are automatically linked to the logistic firm's back office systems like Sage, SAP and Sharepoint.

This enables payment processes to be finalised, logged and captured, ensuring there is an audit trail in place for each order. Completing these processes at the point of delivery can speed up the payment processes by nearly 50%, which is especially important for small, independent traders.

All of these solutions can of course be built by individuals within an organisation, but not all GP administrators, lorry drivers or even general in-house IT experts are aware of EDM technology options such as archiving software and scanning solutions. As such, they are often entering the process blindly, which can take valuable time away from their day to day roles. Channel experts work with end-users to assess and understand all of their requirements and engineer solutions to fit these, rather than trying to fit an organisation to an existing solution.

This expertise and access to a wide range of technology packages -including software and scanners of all shapes and sizes - combined with the ability of the Value Added Distributor to maintain and support these solutions, mean that the channel can take away the headache of going paperless and digitising processes, leaving employees and business owners to focus on running their organisations and delivering services to their own customers and clients.

Spigraph UK specialises in document capture, providing complete and bespoke solutions including scanner hardware, capture and image processing software, and dedicated services and support.
More info: www.spigraph.com