Interserve Project Services Ltd., provider of services in the design, construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure, and a division of Interserve Plc, has invested in an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Solution from The Content Group with the primary objective of automating its existing manual, paper-based business processes. The effective management of its business content will enable Interserve to reduce the time and cost associated with managing the business, while ensuring compliance with financial and construction-specific legislative requirements.
By deploying business process management and document management software as part of its overall ECM solution, The Content Group is enabling Interserve to transform its 137 existing operational processes - ranging from the approval and payment of invoices, to the allocation of jobs to sub-contractors and quality control procedures enabling the organisation to react faster, improve the presentation and distribution of documents within the extended organisation and fundamentally achieve greater efficiency across its entire operation.
Ian Renhard, Divisional Director of Interserve Project Services, comments, The solution provided by The Content Group will significantly reduce the number of manual processes we currently carry out internally, allowing staff to use their time more effectively in other areas. Our working practices will become more efficient and in turn it means value will be added back into the business.
The ECM Solution comprises leading business process automation solution, Verity LiquidOffice, which The Content Group is implementing to map and automate Interserves business processes, as well as a document management solution from Invu. It was a critical requirement of the new solution and solutions provider, that the technology could be adapted to fit Interserves existing processes, rather than vice-versa.
Renhard explains, We were keen to avoid re-engineering business processes that, though manual, worked for us. It was paramount that the solution was flexible enough to be compatible with our existing systems, not something that was going to change the way we run the organisation. A process of consultation within the business established that Process Automation was the driver that the business needed to move forward.
He continues, In Verity LiquidOffice, The Content Group presented us with the best all-round business process management solution that would enable us to achieve the efficiency we were looking for, in a way that complemented our business. In addition, they were able to recommend an additional means for us to increase savings further by implementing a Document Management solution that eliminates the manual storage of these documents from our business.
While Veritys LiquidOffice business process management solution will enable Interserve to fully automate its existing processes - transforming weeks-long processes into ones that take a few days at most the Document Management solution from Invu will ensure that the company is in-keeping with legislative requirements such as health and safety standards and financial compliance. The overall ECM Solution will ensure that all of Interserves outputs, such as invoices and expense claims, will be archived digitally. Not only will this leave an infallible audit trail and control risk management within the business, but it will also improve the document discovery process by intelligently storing the input.
Commenting on the relationship with The Content Group, Renhard adds, There was already an established relationship with The Content Group so we had a good working knowledge of the company and the team; we knew that they understood not only our specific business requirements, but also had extensive knowledge of the nuances of the construction industry. This gave us confidence that we would be delivered an ECM solution that fits our requirements today, but would also be scalable to incorporate any future needs we might have.
He concludes, The construction industry is often perceived as lagging behind in the adoption of new technologies. However, we see Enterprise Content Management as underpinning the way in which our business will develop and achieve the efficiencies we need to attain moving forward.
With a turnover in excess of 1.2 billion and employing over 11,000 people worldwide, Interserve focuses on creating, operating and maintaining amenities and infrastructure. Spanning both the private and public sectors, Interserve provides services across the whole life of many types of buildings and infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, offices, industrial plant, bridges, waterworks and roads. It is a leader in the PFI market and works through long-term relationships with clients to deliver continuous improvements in their operations.
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