Schools deal with gazillion of paper files. Surprisingly, students’ essays and other homework tasks are not the main part of school paper storage. What is? Bills, inspections, permission slips, HR documents. Here’s the list of top 5 school documentation flows that can be automated.
- Bills and receipts
Schools receive and pay the bills, and they also need to store them. Electricity, gas, heating and cooling systems, and water are sometimes split into several utility bills. Once paid, the bills are stored to be retrieved in case of inspections. Storing bills and receipts takes space and much time sorting out and searching for the required bill.
- Invoices
Another part of the paper forms is taken by invoices. Schools receive invoices for the services they require, for example, when they need maintenance or service from a third party, such as food delivery. All the paid invoices are stored separately from the bills listed above, and they also require accurate storage. Just imagine the amount of paper needed to print the invoices. Additionally, hard copies of invoices can get damaged or lost while mobile invoices are securely protected and can be accessed by an authorized person 24/7.
- Inspections and Inventories
Schools have to perform a regular inspection of just about everything: fire hydrant inspections, safety inspections, food inspections, classroom inventories and more. Certainly, a piece of paper is required for these activities. Automating paper inspections and inventories is the way to a paperless future and the ability to process inspections and inventories faster, which results in accelerated decision making.
- Permissions slips
Can students forge permission slips? Can parents forget to provide one? Can a teacher lose it? The answer to all is Yes. With the advent of mobile technologies, it takes just a second to take a photo of a handwritten permission slip and share it with the teacher. Exclude paper permission slips to make sure it is 100% accurate and will never get lost.
- HR documents
Employment contracts, sick leaves, vendor contracts, vacations, payments and many other documents can replace paper in favor of mobile forms and apps. Digital signatures have been used by many organizations all over the world, which helps not only accelerate the documentation flow but also cut down the paper chase. No need to drive to the HR office specifically to sign a form when there is a mobile app allowing you to do so. Another benefit is the availability during the audit.
Fortunately, these can be automated with the DocuMate Scanner app from Snappii. By scanning, taking a photo or uploading a document, schools save hours of work, ditch paperwork for good and help the environment. The app uses AI to understand what’s there in the photo or scanned document, so typing just a few letters will show the document you are looking for. The app is available for free download from the Apple App Store here.
After all, school is supposed to set an example. Starting from such a thing as document management will eventually bring fruitful results: accelerate workflow, improve productivity, focus on real work instead of paperwork. Mobile technologies are already here, let’s integrate them into the school system.