Artyom Gvozdev: To the companies through an electronic document management system of Docsvision there go thousands of documents

Artyom Gvozdev: Concerning "non-standard" of the project would like to note the following: it is not so unusual, though shows quite ample opportunities of the Docsvision system on integration with other systems and setup under specific, highly specialized tasks. The solvable task nevertheless belongs to area of document flow, but not to area of accounting of goods for what the classical warehouse systems are used. Certainly, we could solve our problems and using them, but ease and flexibility of the platform, fast adaptation under our processes became an important selection term. Also to us temporary and cost project evaluation, and, of course, a final pecuniary benefit from use of a system at the solution of assigned tasks was very important, taking into account the cost of ownership and other factors. On the basis of all these criteria we also made the choice between different offers in the market.

Why we stopped on Docsvision? It was strategic decision – at the company exists, in addition to automation of process of accounting of warehouse documentation, the need to keep account and within other business processes, and we look also at perspectives of development of the project. The Docsvision system successfully coped with assigned tasks and proved as the reliable platform for solving of tasks of corporate document flow within big and medium-sized companies.

TAdviser: Tell, please, about what processes according to the results of implementation pass through EDMS now? What sections of a warehouse does it cover? Who is key users and what their number?

Artyom Gvozdev: I will answer one after another. A system automates processes, since process of shipment of goods: initially in a project framework we put all shipments which we make from our central warehouse in Vladimir and also from regional warehouses which are at us in Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk. After in the corporate accounting system (in our case it is SAP R/3) the material issue fact on any of deliveries is fixed, EDMS is connected. She receives the notification that delivery with certain attributes then passes into a background standby mode until receipt of primary documentation was created.

We print primary documentation from the corporate accounting system of SAP and we transfer to our clients and transport companies. An obligation of each carrier is return of copies of primary documentation with printing and a stamp of the consignee, i.e. our client. When it occurs, integration mechanisms between Abbyy and Docsvision turn on: recognition of the file, establishment of compliance between specific record in Docsvision electronic document management system, the subsequent separation, the application of the file and putting down of the corresponding marks about return of the document.

TAdviser: Why it was important to automate this section of warehouse process so carefully?

Artyom Gvozdev: Section of process is automated, really, small, but it is quite critical in terms of correctness of conducting document flow as it is difficult to control it in the manual mode owing to a number of circumstances. Here it is necessary to explain a little what divisions of the company work with the specified documents.

First, it is department of transport planning which is engaged in interaction with all suppliers of transport services, exposure of claims in case of disagreements, control of completeness and timeliness of return of primary documentation. The following command – the group of warehouse administration interested in the correct organization of warehouse processes and lack of any misunderstanding between employees of a warehouse and carriers. What sort of misunderstanding do mean? For example, non receipt of documents in time, or receiving in an incomplete set that complicates further work of a warehouse.

The third, and quite big group, - accounting which is obliged to pay all our expenses, including for transport, in compliance and on the basis of primary documents. Here accounts, reconciliation statements and other documents on specific transportations are attached to a document package which interest two previous groups.

Also there are employees who directly execute and support an archiving process of documents: operators of archive. They, are engaged in control, check of correctness of filling, completeness of return of documents and their correct archiving according to certain standards which were entered in advance, to system implementation. During the work on the project there was a wish to automate, first of all, their workflow and to minimize the handmade amount connected with file indexing, manual scanning, folding according to certain folders of storage and so on. This task for 100% was solved.

TAdviser: You mentioned the accounting system of SAP. It would be desirable to specify, this system and at the level of the European office is set? Or only locally in Russia?

Artyom Gvozdev: The Ferrero Russiya company works in group instance of SAP R/3. But in this case it was not important what scale of the accounting system is available in the company. Let's tell, the result of implementation of Docsvision hardly somehow would change, be it our local system.

TAdviser: It turns out, data come to the accounting system and further they are available also to the central office?

Artyom Gvozdev: Not absolutely so. Data arrive from the accounting system of SAP which knows about all facts of shipment and transportation. Further Docsvision provides process of control of return of documentation, but back he does not send data to the accounting system, i.e. it is an endpoint. If necessary, I think, it is possible to make and the return interface, but so far such task is not necessary.

TAdviser: Whether faced during implementation some difficulties? Whether some unique non-standard solutions were required? Tell, please, in more detail about integration into solutions of ABBYY.

Artyom Gvozdev: A large amount of difficulties, difficulties and obstacles when implementing the project can be avoided one easy way: prior to the beginning of the project it is good to think of the purposes and project tasks then carefully to select service provider – integrator which will implement and finish the solution under a specific objective. Experience of system integration, setup not only the Docsvision system (because the Docsvision setup is the smallest complexity here, and the volume of completions of a system is minimum), but also other adjacent products was valuable to us, when choosing such supplier. As a result, we coped with problems of integration of products quickly enough, during several iterations of testing.

In our Docsvision project it appeared between "a hammer and an anvil": the problem of a sitsema consists in collecting of the ave. of information from the different systems and correct processing of the arriving data and exceptions.

Solution integration with products of ABBYY became more difficult task, but it were difficulties not technical, but more connected with the fact that the assigned task for ABBYY was non-standard. The complexity was in setup of correctness of processing of the entering documentation and its broadcasting in an electronic form: here it was necessary to work, first, to organize certain regulations according to which it is possible to deliver correctly technical specifications to developers on recognition and identification of documents, to register the mechanism of study of exceptions. If the company once successfully solves such difficulties, it creates a good template for the organization of any process of document flow in the company.

TAdviser: Did you mention that work on the Docsvision setup was not the most difficult moment, and here what features of the Docsvision system seem to you the most important?

Artyom Gvozdev: A factor, critical for us, is the convenience of data view to the user: setup and parametrization of representations which would allow it to trace information on receipt of documents, on their accounting in an active mode. The following important item – notifications on errors. What is convenient in Docsvision, so this presence of the built-in scheduler of tasks who can start according to a certain schedule in advance configured business processes which are performing work in the background and not demanding manual intervention from the user. As a result all this gives the chance to create positive experience of users with a system, to provide them the working tool which is not requiring any additional actions connected with system processing.

TAdviser: At the beginning of the interview you mentioned perspectives on automation of other business processes. Whether you are going to develop the project further, perhaps, having added some additional functionality?

Artyom Gvozdev: At us there is a lot of plans. Now a system is brought into trial operation. The first results of implementation already are, and they are positive. But further requirements of development of a system are already revealed. In the company the high level is set: 98% of documents which arrive on a warehouse in processing of this system should pass a full stroke automatically, without manual user intervention. As soon as we reach this level, there will be a need to automate process of sending claims to suppliers of transport services.

TAdviser: Do you speak about quite big information streams in the company, and you could not estimate volumes of flows of documents how many they pass through a system?

Artyom Gvozdev: Since launch of a system and at the moment (i.e. approximately in 3 months) about 6000 cards of documents are already placed in a system, i.e. 6000 facts of transportation are recorded. As the Ferrero company has a product portfolio, inclined to react to seasonality, further we expect only increase in this indicator. In the following half a year, I think, the amount of information exchange in a system will increase many times.

TAdviser: Still early precisely to estimate economic effect, but, maybe, there are already primary estimations?

Artyom Gvozdev: Indirect benefits are obvious already now: this high-quality improvement of process of communications between departments (three mentioned departments), their work is transferred to "the electronic plane" - links, the facts, documents that helps with work. Plus to everything, is glad to note that the satisfaction with the system of end users – employees of archive – is very high. The handmade volume, need of constant control, check/recheck of results decreased.

TAdviser: How many branches participate in this process in Russia?

Artyom Gvozdev: Implementation of accounting of document flow is organized on the centralized model. There is one point – a warehouse in Vladimir – it collects primary documentation and its processing, but with requirement of connection of new branches I do not see a problem to scale this solution. It is possible to support the structure of the organization both centralized, and decentralized.

TAdviser: Today in the Russian market improvement of the legislation in respect of legally significant document flow slowly begins, there are forms of commodity-transport delivery notes in electronic form, a number of the reporting is provided in electronic form. Whether you thought of transition entirely to e-document flow?

Artyom Gvozdev: Good question. Being the manager of applications, I am engaged in him too. Of course, the legislation at the moment provides more freedom for the organization of document flow, but it is necessary to analyze also reaction of business: as all occurs in practice. Now, as far as I know, there is a big care concerning transition to electronic forms of document flow: the few companies are ready to refuse printed forms completely.

Full translation of document flow in an electronic form, in my representation, is a perspective of three-five years when large suppliers and clients are able to establish by a clear and convenient method cooperation on exchange of this documentation.