When you work in hands-on jobs like some in the building and construction industry, you may not need to spend much time in the office. In fact your time is better spent where you’re needed, and often that’s on job sites, supervising workers and managing projects.
However, building and construction is a compliance-driven, paperwork-heavy industry. Your teams can’t get onto job sites without the right induction paperwork, you can’t get projects underway without sign off, and you can’t even order materials without signing a purchase order. Every decision needs to be documented for project management, compliance and legal regulations.
This can pose a challenge when it comes to invoice processing, safety & compliance management and managing administrative paperwork on time or when it’s urgent. Leaving the job site during the day or detouring to the office simply to complete administrative tasks can become frustrating and time wasting for staff who are otherwise required onsite .
However, by digitising these processes, not only can you avoid the need to continually travel back to the office to get that paperwork done, but can also save time, money, and resources.
By making paper processes digital, managing workflow, keeping records and accessing information is easier for all staff, no matter whether they’re in the office or on site. Document management, like compliance forms, job sheets, tool safety checklists, delivery dockets or invoices , can be managed, viewed and accessed on a mobile device or tablet.
This kind of administrative mobility also means that submitting, approving, and actioning invoices and other important documents can be done easily and in a timely manner.
Three areas where administrative mobility improves company processes:
- Less time on paperwork, more time onsite
Using a digital mobile solution means that you can approve invoices remotely, no matter where you are. With Sign on Glass technology, your signature is added to the invoice, and can be stored electronically to meet compliance requirements.
For other onsite documents like site inductions, safety checks, and certifications, you can save significant amounts of paper and time by replacing the handwritten, paper versions with eForms. eForms allows you to automatically pre-filled key information and links to smart workflows to save you time and effort. Using eForms means you can get to work onsite sooner, and avoid tedious manual tasks like trying to decipher handwriting, re-keying information and save significant amounts of valuable time
- Increased information accuracy and reliability
When processes, documents and forms are managed via a content management system, and processed in real time, staff in the office can see and access this information straight away, and vice versa.
This can be important when giving an update on projects, or answering questions about deliveries, progress or payments.
It also reduces the risk of errors, lost paperwork, double-handling and having duplicate files in the system. Importantly, it dramatically reduces the risk of miscommunication or forgotten information.
- Streamlined business processes and improved efficiency
Administrative mobility can effectively improve processing times for leads, invoice payments and cash flow optimisation.
When all data and information is stored in the same place, and can be accessed on-premises or remotely by employees, it means that everyone can be immediately across project progress rather than relying on phone calls to confirm details. Phone calls, meetings or emails can be an inefficient way to share information, creating lost time and lost money for your company.
Approval processes for invoices are streamlined with automation and can be processed using a mobile digital solution, which also helps ensure payments are made on time, reducing the risk of double payments, late payments and penalty fees. With digital worflows in place, including reminders and audit trails, the entire history or status of any process can be tracked.
Another benefit of going digital is the reduced need for printed paperwork and physical storage. This will save your company money on paper, printers, and ink, not to mention storage space, and keep all your documents in one place, making them easy to find.
The construction industry has traditionally clung to manual, paper-based processes. It’s the third-last industry in Australia to embrace digital technologies and innovations, with most data processing still done manually.[1]
Digitising administrative processes provides your organisation with an opportunity to stand out from the crowd in terms of business performance and profits because, ultimately saving your company money, boosting efficiency, and giving back time in the day with better administration management. This means that you can take on more jobs and get them done faster, so your margins are bigger and your reputation and relationships are improved..
To find out more about how to digitalise your administrative processes and provide your company with a mobile solution, contact FUJIFILM Upstream today.
[1] Back to basics, 2019, Construction Industry Facts (Updated 2019), https://backtobasics.edu.au/2019/03/construction-industry-facts/