Case Study

 

'Patterson Ford had a storage problem and an even bigger is issue finding copy invoices, which were often mis-filed'

The Client’s Problem

Patterson Ford founded in 1911, is one of the largest Ford Dealers in the North East of England with a turnover of over £180 million.

 

A lack of storage space, the inability to view reports on screen and the time taken for retrieval of printed documents were the primary reasons for Patterson Ford to look for an archiving solution.

 

Patterson Ford uses a Dealer Management System (DMS) to undertake many of their business processes. This system produces well over 120 daily reports that are critical to the business. Storage of these reports was an ever increasing problem.

 

Being a large group with multiple sites, copy invoices often took several days to arrive at the Head Office for filing. These were frequently mis-filed creating difficulties when they had to be retrieved. All invoices were microfilmed for future reference.

Our Solution

CMS Software introduced the TextStor Archiving & Retrieval Software to minimise the amount of paper generation at Patterson Ford and to improve response time for invoice queries.

 

TextStor captures all DMS reports at the end of the business day, thus eliminating the need to print them. Invoices are stored on HM Customs & Excise approved media, removing the need to store paper invoices for seven years.

 

Cost savings were evident from the onset and the third part invoice was soon dispensed with. There was no longer a requirement for the microfilming process.

 

TextStor is used by managers and by administrative staff in all areas of the business. The accounts team use TextStor for producing copy invoices, extracting data from reports to spreadsheets. TextStor is also useful in analysing historical data that is no longer held in the DMS.

 

TextStor is a user friendly and easily deployable software solution that can be customised to most organisational needs.

 

According to the Group Accountant, ‘The benefits to any dealership accountant are immeasurable’

Business Benefits

Reduced paper and printing costs No need to microfilm invoices and reports Readily available information to users Fast retrieval of documents Fast response to customer queries by e-fax & e-mail

More efficient auditing Accurate document filing Release of valuable office space Improved efficiency and productivity

“TextStor is an invaluable business tool – we can’t live without it.”

Peter Roberts, Group Accountant Patterson Ford

 

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