One hundred years – and 500 boxes – of paper records, now digitised

Family Service Toronto (FST) was so busy taking care of people, it neglected its own paper problems. Since 1914, FST has connected distressed Torontonians with counselling, community development, advocacy and public education. FST’s services and clients grew over a century, and so did its paper records. Finally, it turned to us for help.

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FST administrative staff used to do a lot of manual data entry and validations, which were very time-consuming and prone to human error. As massive volumes of documents kept growing, FST realised it was running out of office space and needed a huge purge.

Through FST’s strategic partnership with Xerox Canada, we helped digitise their paper-based records system, including 500 Bankers Boxes of files. We also installed and managed a fleet of Xerox ConnectKey technology-enabled devices, and automated applications that help drive a number of key, daily business processes.

Highlights of the results

With the new Xerox Enterprise Content Management solution in place, FST expects a 20% ROI on digitisation of documents across multiple departments, as well as a reduction of audit times, and an increase in office space. Check out these other highlights:

• Gained compliance with legislative requirements for records retention.
• Digitised about 500 Bankers Boxes of paper records for easy access and efficient retrieval.
• Designed file architecture and metadata structure based on user needs. Staff now use multifunction printers and desktop scanners to scan and integrate documents into a Xerox DocuShare storage system, which is integrated with client databases, allowing for a single point of access.
• Automated paper processes specifically for FST’s popular Passport programme. Previously, Passport invoices and receipts came by faxes and e-mails, which were printed, processed, scanned and shredded.
• Reduced invoice processing time for the Passport programme by 60%, improved accuracy, removed duplicate data entry, and turned cumulative manual submission into a single, automated workflow.
• New invoice submission portal incorporates a voice and text notification system that confirms client payments.

Vani Visva, FST’s director of finance and business technology, sums up the project’s positive results, saying: “Overall, our client experience and capacity improved immensely.”

Find out what a similar Xerox solution could do for your business.