Location: Blackmore Vale and Shaftesbury, Dorset, United Kingdom
Industry: Dairy and Food Processing and Manufacturing
Website: www.bvdairy.co.uk
Founded in 1958 as a family farm in England’s West Country, BV Dairy is now a thriving modern business. Each year, the company purchases 35 million liters of milk from dairy farms within a 25-mile radius of their production facility in Shaftesbury, Dorset and turns them into dairy products for food distribution and manufacturing firms. BV Dairy’s range includes their award-winning Dorset clotted cream, as well as yogurts, buttermilk, soft cheese, and mascarpone.
Church Agency, Inc. was founded in 1950 by J. Donald Church and provides a variety of insurance services – auto, home, business, health, and life – in Ohio.
Church Agency uses Applied Systems TAM (The Agency Manager) software to manage their business. DocStar is integrated with TAM to provide a seamless flow of information on clients.
“We scan between 360 to 420 pages per day using DocStar, including all client policies, endorsements, claims, etc,” said Cindy Crew, corporate treasurer for Church Agency. They employ “back end scanning” using barcode sheets to batch file documents. Scanned documents are filed automatically according to the information read from the barcode sheet.
DocStar’s TAM Integration Module provides integration with TAM, making filing more convenient and allowing instant viewing of imaged documents without complicated switching between applications. “From within TAM we can access all scanned documents,” Crew said. “If we need to e-mail or fax documents we can print from TAM or send directly from DocStar.”
Scanned documents are archived using two-tier storage for secure backup. DocStar automatically time and date stamps (AuthentiDate) every document, and creates an unparalleled audit trail to ensure that document revisions are tracked and verified.
“DocStar gives us the power to add and retrieve more documents to and from the system. It increases our accuracy, efficiency, and traceability. Furthermore, this solution has plenty of flexibility that lets us tune and tweak workflows as our business processes change and grow. Most of all, the introduction of DocStar has allowed us to streamline processes and save time—notably in terms of invoice approval and delivery note processing—because it brings all of the relevant information and documentation together in one place.”
-Mark Damen, ERP Systems Manager | BV Dairy
“We were starting to run out of storage space,” Crew said. “Instead of buying more filing cabinets, we decided to look into imaging to eliminate the paper. We were also concerned with the new privacy laws.
“We wanted an imaging solution that integrated with TAM so we could easily access the filed documents from our desk and within the customer’s TAM file.”
“With DocStar, the CSRs (customer service representatives) no longer have to go to the file cabinet to look for documents – it’s right at their fingertips,” Crew said. “This saves us valuable time and improves our customer service. The faxing, printing and e-mail capability are also time savers. If a bank, or anyone else, calls requesting a copy of a document, we can bring it up quickly and fax or e-mail it immediately.
E-mailing applications directly from DocStar also saves postage, paper, and time. Church Agency also receives faxes through DocStar. This saves money on paper and toner supplies.
Security concerns are addressed by scanning files under a security class that only the producer and CSR have access to. DocStar also reduces the confusion inherent in tracking paper document revisions. “When an application is scanned for the permanent file, we know exactly what was on the application at the time it was sent,” Crew said. “AuthentiDate is used to verify the date so if anything on the application was changed later, we can verify the dated copy of the original application. This eliminates costly and time-consuming errors.”
Cindy Crew was particularly impressed with DocStar support and training. “The DocStar people are wonderful,” Crew said. “They answered all our questions, trained us, and are still available any time we have a question or problem.
When they first installed DocStar, Church Agency started scanning from the current day’s processing forward. They have started working on scanning permanent files and will eventually scan their employee records and accounting files.
