Results of ODE implementation
More than 1000 working hours per year at the post office
In 2021, the legal department alone spent about a thousand hours at the post office, sending or receiving documents. This is the time the team could have spent on training and professional development. Since then, we started working on the idea of implementing an e-document workflow.
Then we attended the “Business without Paper” forum, where we discovered the possibilities of Vchasno. We were inspired by the successful cases of other companies.
Planning and quick decisions
Creating a project team with a clear plan and project status was an important step. This made it possible to see our performance, the process, and the things that needed to be changed or improved.
Testing
At the beginning, we tested several programs. Some of them would work well only for commerce and supply matters, but not for retail lease and other issues. Eventually, we found a comprehensive solution in Vchasno, which meets all our needs.
AXDRAFT, a system for drafting contracts, also proved to be a great help. And in this symbiosis of AXDRAFT and Vchasno, we initiated testing in some areas: the advertising sales department, transportation, and lease relationships.
Since the beginning of 2022, we have more than a thousand signed e-documents, which amounts to about a thousand saved man-hours and three saved trees.
After analyzing the results of the pilot project, we decided to implement it full-scale. And today, the team is working on a global project plan that will involve every team and department.
About our partners
70% of our suppliers use the Vchasno system. In the rental sector, the figure is lower – about 30% of counterparties.
In the carrier sector, about 50% of counterparties are connected to ODE. To reach them, we have developed special tools and even created a draft ODE promotion plan.
Types of digitalized documents and approval scenarios
In our business, all contracts are standardized. Previously, protocols of disagreements and amendments were carried out directly in the text of the contract, but now our legal department is focused to avoid bureaucratic barriers for managers.
We have transferred the approval system to CRM, where all processes are checked by lawyers, accountants, and security. We also removed lawyers from the scenario of approving those documents that can be approved by the manager himself.
This allowed us to significantly shorten the time spent by a lawyer. In some processes, even a lawyer is not necessarily involved.
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1Delivery contractsWe do not enter into long-term contracts with carriers, as there are cases when they may come to us only once. The contracts are concluded by our transportation manager, who negotiates with the carrier on the price, date of shipment and delivery of the cargo.
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2Contracts of the transportation departmentThe manager of the transportation department can independently define the route and conclude contracts without a lawyer. We periodically monitor the program to ensure that the contracts are free of any ambiguities and are legally correct. We do not touch the commercial part, and the accounting department receives data in a format they are comfortable with.
This allowed us to avoid expanding the legal department during the rapid growth of the company after Horizon Capital's investment, which is not directly proportional to the growth of the staff.
Suppliers' role in the process of negotiating and signing contracts
For example, lease managers have a checklist of items that need to be agreed upon with the lessor. Once agreed, the information is sent to lawyers to be included in the contract. The contract is transferred from the AXDRAFT to the Vchasno system and sent to the counterparty for signature.
If the counterparty receives the contract and has any comments or objections, they contact the manager. The manager negotiates again, quickly makes corrections, and the contract is sent to the counterparty for signature. There are very few such cases, so they do not affect the processes on a global scale.
Also, the advertising sales department of suppliers generates reports, statements of provided services, and invoices, which are generated in the AXDRAFT system and sent to the supplier to Vchasno for signature.
Passing a tax inspection in 30 minutes
We have had a successful experience of an audit regarding compliance with cash discipline at points of sale.
The controlling authorities requested supporting documents for some groups of goods. We keep records in electronic form. The internal movement between the warehouse and points of sale is also done electronically.
So, the inspection was over in 30 minutes. After that, the auditor issued a statement that he had no objections to us. With paper documents, this process would have taken weeks.
I believe that our State is moving towards the introduction of e-documents. This is seen in the Diia program, Pension Fund extracts, Covid certificates in electronic format, etc. Over time, e-documents will be a regular thing, just like cards used to be. It will also enable us to protect our environment and trees.
Request a demo of the Vchasno service
During the online meeting, you will learn how e-document workflow can simplify and speed up the exchange of documents in your company.
