Updating Business Processes with Etrieve
Prior to Etrieve, key processes were manual, and data was hard copy. By utilizing electronic forms, Surry transferred the responsibilities for form completion from administrative assistants back to the individual initiating the form. Approval process timelines have decreased, as forms can no longer be misplaced or sit on someone’s desk awaiting approval. “The electronic approval of our forms has increased our efficiencies,” said Martin.
While outlining the various processes that have been improved through their utilization of Etrieve, Dr. Holder discussed the meaningful benefits being experienced around Surry’s travel authorization and reimbursement forms. These paper forms traditionally involve a laborious approval process involving multiple touch points for authorization and somewhat cumbersome reconciliation.
Electronic forms and automated workflows have made it easier to combine related documents, bypass time delays associated with interoffice mail and ensure efficiency throughout the entire authorization process. Everything is much less complicated for all involved.
For leave requests, employees previously had to submit their request and wait days as it went from their immediate supervisor through interoffice mail to the appropriate vice president and back to the employee. With Etrieve’s electronic forms and automated workflows, this process can take less than 30 minutes while allowing real-time updates of where the request is in its workflow.
For faculty at Surry, embracing Etrieve was a natural and eagerly anticipated transition from the paper-heavy processes that used to consume so much of their time. Dr. Holder said that Surry employees really needed things online and easy to find, and were impressed with the results following their implementation of Etrieve. In many cases, she felt that employees didn’t even need much training to get started!
Martin offered this example of how Etrieve saves his office time, “We have to submit documentation to the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) for reimbursement of our construction projects. Before Etrieve, this was a very manual process that would take several hours to complete. The documentation would have to be retrieved from filing cabinets, scanned and then filed again. With the implementation of Etrieve, documentation could be searched for and retrieved electronically and then submitted to NCCCS for reimbursement.”
“Submitting documentation for reimbursement of our construction projects can be done in minutes now, instead of hours. Plus, there’s no risk of misfiling the information.”
