University of Salford
June 15th, 2020Client: University of Salford
Industry: Education
Objectives: Digitise live HR files and to implement a HR document management system
Challenges: Removal of documents in 24 hours to prevent disruption
Solution: Files scanned to high-quality with OCR processing applied and deployment of Halogen software for document management
Every day, the University of Salford’s HR department deals with thousands of documents. Retrieving information from hundreds of live HR files was time-consuming for the department. The documents were stored away in a bulky racking filing system which meant staff were spending time unnecessarily searching when required. Pearl Scan was enlisted to deliver a digital document management solution that was user-friendly centrally accessible and cost-effective.
The University of Salford based in Manchester has a student population of over 20,000. It operates across four different schools: The School of Arts and Media; The School of Science, Engineering and the Environment; The school of Health and Society; and Salford Business School. Established in 1850, today the university leads the way in several areas including health, energy and media with a unique faculty based at MediaCityUK.
Creating an Efficient Document Management System
HR departments are crucial when it comes to operations across businesses and institutions. For a large university with almost 3,000 employees’ processes need to be streamlined and efficient in order to deal with its different functions. From the recruitment of new staff to a wide number of IT-based administrative duties, the HR department at the University of Salford deals with many documents as a result. As such, the department was facing several issues concerning efficiency around document management, calling for a new digital system. Employees felt they were wasting considerable chunks of time manually searching for documents and space was being taken up in the working space itself by the bulky racking system.
As a result of identifying these issues, Pearl Scan was enlisted to digitise the 2,500 live HR records and implement an efficient document management solution.
Pearl Scan’s Bespoke Digital Document Management Solution
Using our knowledge and expertise, we were able to deliver a bespoke solution to fulfil what our client required. With several steps to put into place, we were responsible for the full delivery of the project including physical logistics and the deployment of our bespoke document management software, Halogen.
Our first challenge was to ensure that the live HR files were collected within a 24-hour timeframe, this was to prevent disruption in the department. In a single day, our collection and delivery professionals arrived on-site to remove the files from the cabinets they were stored in. A careful inventory was carried out to best organise the files and pack them systematically into boxes for loading onto our van. They were then brought to our dedicated scanning bureau for processing as the next step.
After the job had been booked in at the Pearl Scan bureau via the internal system, the files needed to be prepared for scanning. The binding was removed from each individual document using specialist equipment as to not cause any damage. The technicians assigned to this project were also required to identify ID photos including copies of passports and driving licenses, and scan using an enhanced scanning profile in greyscale. This technical detail was extremely important as a black and white option would have compromised the facial identity on these documents.
After each document was scanned, we applied OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing, by doing this they had been converted to fully text-searchable files. This meant that staff members could easily search for the information that they needed digitally in a matter of seconds from the comfort of their desks.
Implementing Halogen for Further Efficiency
The HR department at the University of Salford’s main objective was to improve its document management processes. As part of this project delivery, we deployed our popular Halogen document management software. Each team member in the department would be able to access the software to search for files quickly and efficiently using Index Searches as well as OCR text-search facility.
We delivered on-site training to each staff member in the department to make sure they could use the software in its full capacity. Halogen training equipped the department with the knowledge and skills to upload future digital documents as an ongoing process when needed. Halogen fulfilled the client’s objective of eliminating manual document processes and sees the department benefit from a centrally accessible document management solution.
A Modernised HR Department for Both Students and Staff
Team members working in the HR department at the University of Salford no longer spend unnecessary time searching for HR files. With simplified and modernised digital processes, the document repository implemented by Pearl Scan has fulfilled the client’s objectives.
Time is no longer wasted as documents can be searched for and retrieved using Halogen. The intuitively designed Halogen system allows HR team to securely log in to retrieve the information that they require in a matter of seconds. In addition to achieving cost-saving and performance objectives, additional space has been created in the office environment thanks to our digital solution delivery.
“We’ve simplified our document storage and retrieval processes which were time-consuming. Pearl Scan handled the entire project with care from start to finish and delivered an impressive digital document management solution. OCR processed documents allow us to easily retrieve digital files and we benefit from improved efficiency all-round.”