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Regardless of the industry your company operates in, whether you are in technology, marketing or music, it is likely that you will have a busy accounts payable department to ensure that all of your invoices are paid on time. What’s more, they will work hard to ensure that all necessary documents are filed correctly in order to remain compliant with HMRC guidelines. However, no matter how diligent and well trained your accounts payable staff are, it can be very difficult to keep track of and manage huge amounts of financial information, especially when it is stored in a variety of physical and digital formats.

Invoice scanning solutions, such as invoice scanning automation can revolutionise the daily process of your accounts payable department

Safely storing data in a way that is easily accessible, saving your business time and money. If you’re still not sure about what accounts payable automation is, or how it can help your company to operate, here are three reasons why you should be using invoice scanning automation.

1. Your time is saved when searching for invoice files

While many may think the process of matching up purchase orders and more is a simple task, the reality of the job is much more challenging. Even with an efficient storage system in place, searching for each particular file is difficult and time consuming. Choosing an invoice scanning service from us means that all of your files will be scanned and uploaded to your document management system using OCR technology, making every document fully text searchable. Time that was spent manually searching through virtual and physical filing systems is reduced to just a few clicks, freeing up more of your accounting staff’s working day to concentrate on other tasks.

2. Scanned invoices are HMRC compliant

HMRC states that a business must keep its records in order to create a Self-Assessment tax return. However, there is no limit to how these records can be stored, and on GOV.UK website it notes that ‘You can keep them on paper, digitally or as part of a software program’. Choosing to digitise your accounts documentation as part of an automation service can keep your business complaint.

3. Your invoice data not to be accidentally damaged or destroyed

It is important to keep a safe and secure record of your businesses accounts files, not only to keep HMRC compliant but in order to maintain an overview of the actual spending of your company. Keeping these files in a physical format runs the risk of this information being lost, damaged or destroyed. Storing them digitally via an accounts payable automation system ensures that no data is ever misplaced, ready to be used when it is needed.

These are just a few reasons why you should be considering to use invoice scanning automaton. The use of a digital invoice is becoming increasingly popular with businesses in London and throughout the UK and invoice scanning services is what we offer through our professional scanning services in London. You can get in touch with us to find out more information about our invoice scanning services.

HR, Accounting and Legal Departments Still Printing Too Much

A new study conducted by Wakefield Research and Infotrends has revealed the extent of the printing crisis in small to medium-sized businesses. Printing and other paper-based activities are still flourishing in the corporate office, despite new eco technologies, and the main offenders are those in HR departments, legal offices and accounting firms.

The studies show just how dependent businesses are on paper for daily routines – with 73% of owners and decision makers at companies with less than 500 employees print at least four times a day. Paper is still a major part of the workflow in many sectors, including legal and HR.

The Research Vice President of Gartner, Ken Weilerstein, says that companies have tried to go paperless but failed to eliminate it altogether. Today, he says employees print an average of 400 pages per month – that’s A LOT of paper. He says many companies have figured out the easiest ways to “go paperless” by scanning and storing documents online, but it wasn’t possible to eradicate all in-house printing and scanning completely.

The Key to the Paperless Office

The trouble with implementing a paperless office isn’t the in-house documents. Once all records are scanned and in an electronic management system, employees can convert to the paperless process quite easily. Being completely paperless becomes an issue when dealing with other businesses and sometimes clients, who still have a reliance on paper.

They may ask you to post a hard copy of a contract to sign, rather than use a digital signature. Some companies may want to fax or post you a shared document instead of email it across. Others may not accept a digital invoice...the list goes on. The secret of successfully implementing a paper office is cooperation. One company has to be brave and take the first step, start the tidal wave in the corporate world. Everything is being transferred to digital, it’s just a matter of time before those businesses which resist the movement have to conform.

So why not be ahead of the times and be the first company in your area to make the move to a paperless office? It’s something you could brag about in the future as a cutting edge forward thinking business.

Pearl Scan specialises in HR document scanning and legal scanning services. Join a number of businesses who have ignited the digital revolution and benefited from exceptional document management.

Are you drowning in invoices and worried about the safety of the information on them? Secure your data by going digital with invoice scanning services.

Invoice scanning and data capture is a service used by many companies across the UK to save money and reclaim space but more importantly to provide their invoices with better security. You wouldn't stand in the middle of the street announcing your company accounts so why leave accounts payable and purchase ledger information open to prying eyes?

Why do we need a better storage solution?

Storing invoices in paper form in filing cabinets, folders and boxes leaves them susceptible to loss, theft and damaged documents. You may think your documents are safely locked away but anyone can find their way into a storage cupboard and rummage through a few boxes without your knowledge. Despite recent hacking news, going digital with document storage provides a much more secure solution, provided it's done correctly. If the passwords are strong and file encryption is of the highest level then you will no longer have the worry of document security on your mind.

How can I digitise my invoices?

To digitise your invoices, you need a scanner with data capture capabilities and a member of staff or two to complete the task. Document management software would also be helpful to keep track of the files once they have been scanned. Alternatively, you could outsource the work to a scanning service. If you receive large amounts of invoices on a regular basis, the latter solution will be the most effective. Scanning services can collect your invoices and scan them using high quality scanners with the ability to scan millions of images. For this reason it would be counter productive to attempt bulk invoice scanning in your office. For help on choosing the right scanning company, check out this useful article. Scanning services should also assist you in setting up a digital invoice processing system for future documents.

Other benefits of invoice scanning

While providing you with extra security for your important information, invoice scanning also offers a wide range of other benefits in the form of;

• Cost savings
• Time savings
• Space savings
• Improved efficiency
• Better workflow
• Boosted office morale
• Instant file access and retrieval
• Improved green credentials

Pearl scan can help

Here at Pearl Scan, we offer invoice scanning and invoice data capture services for companies across the UK wishing to secure their documents for the future. We adapt our service to the needs of our clients providing them with a tailor made solution for their invoice management. To eliminate your worries about data security, we operate from a secure scanning bureau and offer high level encryption services for your scanned files. Your files will also be OCR processed to make them easy to retrieve as and when you need them through simple text searches.

For more information about how you can secure your documents using Pearl Scan's invoice scanning service, get in touch today and receive a free, no obligation quote for your scanning project.