Bonadio Goes Paperless and Saves 30-mins a Day per Employee

Challenge

In 2005, the firm’s goal was to go paperless which would eliminate costly off-site storage of physical documents, free up on-site storage space and ultimately make file retrieval much easier. TMD also saw that businesses were moving to paperless solutions and it was important to them to be ahead of that trend.

Solution

“iChannel document management met our need to go paperless and gave us powerful search tools that allowed us to find the files and client information that we needed instantly. In iChannel, it’s very quick and easy to search for files with a name, a date, a word, etc. We no longer need to look up the client number. Overall, this is a big timesaver for all of our staff.” -Paula Deckman, CPA, Principal, Bonadio Group.

Results

• Saved money by eliminating the need for off-site storage rental
• Created more office space once on-site paper files were reduced substantially
• Reduced staff frustration
• Increased workplace flexibility and staff retention

Specific Areas of Benefit

Reduced Frustration: “With iChannel, staff spend much less time looking for files. Before we were paperless, files could be anywhere in the office, misfiled or taken home. Now files are saved in the client file area in iChannel where they are easily retrievable and shareable.” -Paula Deckman, CPA, Principal, Bonadio Group.

Reduced Costs: Prior to using iChannel, TMD had paper files both in the office and in off-site storage. The files on-site were taking up prime office space and off-site storage rental was costly. Scanning and saving those files using iChannel eliminated the need for both.

Improved Staff Retention: iChannel is a tool that makes it easier for employees to do a great job serving their customers. “Using iChannel to store all of our documents, client files and contacts gives everyone more flexibility. As needed, staff can work from wherever they are. There are no more unnecessary delays when clients request a copy or have questions. iChannel has helped improve our staff retention rate due to better organization, greater efficiency and less time spent tracking down physical files, which all leads to better overall satisfaction.” -Paula Deckman, CPA, Principal, Bonadio Group.

Saves 20-30 Minutes Per Day Per Employee: With iChannel, it takes only seconds to locate a client file or document vs. physically retrieving a file, document, etc. “At times, lots of man hours were spent locating and pulling out boxes to find files from prior years. Attempting to retrieve files was challenging and time consuming.” – Denise Voss, Administrative Assistant, Bonadio Group.

Adoption by Staff: The ability to quickly and easily find any document that they need won the staff over quickly.
“iChannel is very easy to use. Our staff uses it daily, has no trouble locating files and we never get any complaints. We use iChannel for so many things including: filing tax-related documents, client correspondence, sharing technical guides, templates, HR, storing top level firm information, copies of invoices, accounts receivable records and more.” – Denise Voss, Administrative Assistant, Bonadio Group.

Support: When asked how iChannel support has worked for the firm, they reported that they are “100% satisfied with support,” according to Paula Deckman, CPA, Principal, Bonadio Group.

Advice for firms planning to implement iChannel: “New staff needs training to get them up to speed quickly. I encourage new clients to take advantage of all the training offered and to be sure staff does the same. Training will help you get the most out of your investment. I also recommend spending more time planning and assigning a dedicated team to develop a better understanding of how you want iChannel to work once you start using it. This will help ensure that it is set up in a way that facilitates that.” – Denise Voss, Administrative Assistant, Bonadio Group.

About Bonadio Group

Testone, Marshall & Discenza, CPAS (TMD), part of The Bonadio Group since 2015, has served individuals and businesses throughout Central New York and developed specialty practice groups focused on government, non-profits, manufacturing, dealerships and the construction industry since 1975. They also offer financial, technology and bookkeeping consulting services to help clients reach their personal and professional goals.

Prior to merging with the Bonadio Group, TMD had a long history of being recognized for its outstanding business practices, commitment to community and employment practices. They have received awards and honors from the Small Business Administration; Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, Best Accounting Firms to Work For, Success by 6 and the United Way.