A walk around Hazelvine’s smart offices in picturesque Bourne End will leave you with the strong impression of a property management company who take their impact on the environment very seriously.
In fact, as Tim Muir-Rolfe observes, “Our drive to make our company as green as possible was one of the prime considerations in the selection of a document management system supplier.” He continues, “Sustainability is more of a passion for us, and we have established our own ‘Hazelvine Green Standard’ which sets out initiatives and objectives for our business.”
Erstwhile consultant and document management specialist, and now Associate Director at Hazelvine, Tim continues, “For example, invoices were posted to the relevant office for approval and, in practice, this meant that the paperwork was being photocopied at least twice on its journey.”
It was a problem that could only get worse as new offices were opened throughout the south of the country. “Clearly we needed a document management system with workflow capabilities, so we identified six potential suppliers. Other important considerations were good service, user friendly software and good price/performance ratio. The ability to connect with our property management system was also vital.”
Hazelvine shortlisted and interviewed four of the bidders and selected Softology. “Ultimately,” remarks Tim, “it comes down to ticking boxes, and the feeling that you can develop a good working relationship with a supplier. Softology scored highest.”
The system is merging well into a busy office environment and Tim observes, “We’re scanning everything, and workflow for invoice approval will be in full operation very soon.”
The property management system tie-in means that they can view images of correspondence and property documentation whilst looking at a client screen or property record on their system. “Also,” says Tim, “being able to see invoices whilst viewing the supplier screen is a great time saver.
Tim has a strong vision for the future, with workflow being a key consideration. “When we are scanning and sending everything between offices electronically, we will be able to minimise photocopying and snail mail activities, and increase the efficiency of paper flow throughout the organisation.”
He continues, “Once we have property management and invoice documentation settled in, the next step has to be scanning all the mail and sending it internally to the correct recipients’ in-trays using Softology.”
“This means we can adhere to our green agenda and improve the responsiveness of the business across the board.”
It is important to Hazelvine that their customers are aware of their socially responsible business philosophy. “We notified all of our customers who had an email address that we were planning to send invoices electronically, and thankfully the majority of them have accepted that.”
Politicians might trumpet about responsible capitalism but talk is cheap. Actually doing something about it isn’t. As Tim concludes, “There is a cost associated with green credentials, but Hazelvine is proof that a company can take an ethical and environmentally responsible stance, and achieve consistently high performance.”
Choose Softology
"Good service, user friendly software and good price/performance ratio.
It comes down to ticking boxes, and the feeling that you can develop a good working relationship with a supplier. Softology scored highest.
A company can take an ethical and environmentally responsible stance, and achieve consistently high performance.
We can adhere to our green agenda and improve the responsiveness of the business across the board."
