Southend Borough Council has invested in a new electronic document management (EDM) system that could save £1 million.
The EDM system, which involves scanning paperwork into a database for storage, will mean that all staff will be able to access documents electronically.
This provides an opportunity to save paper, time and administration costs.
The EDM will be tested out in the departments notorious for paperwork; planning, adult social care, and revenues and benefits.
If this pilot phase is successful, the Council aims to begin implementing the system across the organisation in December, to be completed in April 2011.
Martin Hone, head of Finance and Resources at the Council, said:
“As an organisation, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is determined to reduce costs, increase efficiency and deliver an improved service to citizens.
“We initiated a transformation programme in January 2009 and Civica’s EDM and workflow technology will greatly improve administrative processes, allowing us to provide citizens with a faster service while cutting back paperwork and enhancing flexible working options for our staff.”
Val Earle of Civica, the company implementing the new system, said:
“The council will harness workflow processes to prompt, guide and enforce the correct filing of records compliant with national and international standards.
“Civica’s technology will aid Southend-on-Sea in capturing and retrieving records and documents within a corporate file plan, which also includes the flexibility to adapt it to individual needs.”
