Document Management | How to Save Time

Introducing Quality Foods Southland and their Document Management System

Quality Foods Southland, fondly known as QFS. With its origins dating back to the early 1900s as a small bakery and café founded by Annie C Miller, QFS has evolved into New Zealand's leading manufacturer of butter-based bakery products and sauces. Their impressive range of products has earned them the distinction of being the largest exporter of butter pastry in the country.

However, despite their success in the industry, QFS faced significant challenges a few years ago when their systems and processes were struggling to keep up with the demands of their growing business. But rather than let these obstacles defeat them, QFS took a proactive approach and began to re-evaluate and revamp their operations.

Document Management and Approvals headache!

Their document management and approval systems were entirely manual, leading to a vast amount of paperwork and complicated filing systems that had to be maintained for each product version. This process could become even more challenging when dealing with multiple iterations. Additionally, their approval process was quite tedious, as QFS had eight distinct approval processes, each requiring signatures from three different signatories at every stage. This resulted in a significant amount of paperwork, storage requirements, and time wastage, not to mention the high risk of making errors.

Aiming for Change

The QFS team was eager to make several improvements to their systems. Their top priorities were document storage and security. They aimed to simplify their complex document folder structure and effectively manage all file changes. Moreover, they sought to replace their time-consuming manual approval process with an online version that would include change notifications, tracked changes, and approval process stage indicators. Their ultimate goal was to make the entire process more manageable, consistent, and streamlined.

Empowering QFS with Microsoft

After consulting with an IT Alliance Member, the QFS team opted to implement a solution using several Microsoft products, including SharePoint, Power Automate, and Power Apps, all of which were available through Microsoft 365.

With SharePoint, the team was able to create an online document management system that offered version control, search features, and intuitive navigation, making it easier to find and use documents. It even had a check-in and check-out function that allowed users to track changes and ensure that everyone was up to date on any given project.

Power Automate proved invaluable in automating QFS's business processes and approvals. The team was able to customize notifications and automate data entry, saving a significant amount of time while increasing the accuracy of the approval process.

Finally, Power Apps helped QFS collect and display information about where everything was in the process, allowing for more effective project management. Together, these tools made the entire process more manageable, consistent, and streamlined, and helped QFS achieve its goal of simplifying its document management and approval systems.

The End Result

Thanks to Microsoft 365 and its additional products, QFS was able to create a sophisticated and user-friendly web-based system. One of the most significant benefits of the new system is that everything is in one place. It stores all documents, manages document check-in/out, maintains all version history, and records document changes, ensuring seamless access to everything users need.

With this system, users can check out a document, make any necessary changes, and complete the document approval process from start to finish. The system includes notifications to stakeholders, updates progress, and maintains document control lists throughout the process. Once approved, the system automatically generates a PDF version and stores it in a duplicate SharePoint suite that can only be accessed by "view only" staff.

The result is a more efficient business process that reduces risk and eliminates potential errors. It may sound too good to be true, but QFS has successfully implemented this solution and is now reaping the benefits of a streamlined document management and approval process.

If you're interested in implementing Microsoft products like these in your business, you can reach out to your local IT Alliance Partner for a free consultation. They can help you assess your needs and find the right solutions to streamline your processes, increase efficiency, and reduce risk. With the right tools and expertise, you can transform the way you do business and achieve greater success in the modern digital landscape..Document Management | Click here for the CT Business Solutions Contact Page

Back...