• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Housing Technology logo

Housing Technology

Housing | IT | Telecoms | Business | Ecology

  • Free Subscription
  • Search Archive
  • Home
  • Research
  • Magazine
  • Events
  • Recruitment
  • Blog
  • On Demand
  • Contact
Home / Magazine Articles / Harvest Housing reaps the benefit of faster payments

Harvest Housing reaps the benefit of faster payments

Harvest Housing Group, which owns and manages 18,000 properties across the North West of England, has automated its accounts payable operations using a Formscan system to make it easier and more efficient when dealing with supplier invoices.

Previously, many supplier invoices were sent to one of Harvest’s 20 offices rather than the finance department, which meant that the office would have to forward the invoice to the finance department before it could be registered centrally. Tracey Neale, financial transactions team leader, Harvest Housing Group, said, “Our previous process of sending paper copies of invoices from office to office for approval was costly, time-consuming and inefficient, plus there was the chance of an invoice going missing.”

Neale added, “We were aware of the scope for introducing a more systematic and automated approach to accounts payable. We searched for a technology-led solution that would streamline the process as far as possible, while satisfying HMRC’s documentation requirements. The right solution would help us save money, time and office space as well as giving us new levels of financial control and compliance.”

As a document solutions supplier with a strong pedigree in accounts payable, Formscan was chosen by Harvest Housing. Formscan recommended a mix of hardware and software to equip Harvest’s finance department with a best-of-breed account payable solution; Formscan implemented invoice capture software from AnyDoc combined with matching, workflow and approval software from Basware.

Harvest’s suppliers were asked to send their invoices direct to the finance department rather than Harvest’s local offices. When invoices arrive, they are scanned and all key data, such as supplier name, invoice number and date, is automatically captured by the AnyDoc software into Harvest’s secure online repository. The data is checked by the accounts payable team and then routed electronically to the relevant reviewer in the local office who confirms the details of the invoice. Tracey Neale said, “As soon as the reviewer is happy with the details, they send it to the authorised approver. They can be located in any office or even at home as the system is accessible securely from anywhere via the internet. An alert is sent by email, and with a few clicks they can access the invoice data and give the finance department approval for payment.”

Digitising the accounts payable process has removed the need for manual data entry, improved cashflow control and the auditing of payments transactions, and reduced Harvest’s physical storage requirements.

Commenting on the costs of the implementation, Simon Stammers, sales and marketing director, Formscan, said, “Rather than just give Harvest Housing an upfront cost for the implementation of its new system, we have been using an innovative costing model instead. We calculate the total cost to Harvest Housing based on the number of invoices they process per year, and using this costing model, Harvest will get a return on investment in less than two years.”

See More On:

  • Vendor: Formscan
  • Housing Association: Harvest Housing
  • Topic: Finance Management
  • Publication Date: 006 - November 2008
  • Type: News

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent Articles

  • Free cyber-defence tools from NCSC
  • Learning from history
  • Grand Union Housing gets connected with Aico HomeLink
  • The silences in the system: Predicting and preventing damp and mould
  • Looking back and to the future: Cyberthreats in social housing
  • Hyde signs repairs contract with Totalmobile
  • Fuelling high performance automation
  • Morgan Sindall’s Carbon Zero decarbonisation tool
  • An ethical approach to arrears
  • Housing and the ever-evolving workplace
  • Supporting residents with home safety risks
  • Less innovation & more service design at RHP
  • Ateb Group outsources IT help desks to Central Networks
  • Capital Letters partners with Evo Digital to tackle homelessness
  • Calico appoints M247 for digital transformation
  • 24/7 care requires 24/7 technology
  • Govtech trends for 2023
  • Are you ready for business process automation?
  • Lincoln council moves to the cloud with Civica
  • Why do IT business improvement projects fail?
  • Flagship and Ebrik launch augmented reality app
  • Following the golden thread
  • Setting the standard for carbon-monoxide protection
  • The business case for data
  • Digital twins – When, not if…
  • Using data to build communities
  • The cyber-security jigsaw’s missing piece – Managed detection & response
  • Cyber-security challenges in housing
  • Digitalising retrofits with SHDF & HomeLink
  • Tips for improving care and support

Footer

Housing Technology
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Contact
  • Free Subscription
  • Book an event
  • Blog
  • Search All Articles
  • Research
  • Update Your Subscription
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome to the housing Technology – Trusted Information For Business Professionals in HOusing

Housing Technology is the leading technology information service for the UK housing sector and local governments. We have always believed in the fundamental importance of how the UK’s social housing providers use technology to improve their tenants’ lives.

Subscribe to Housing Technology to gain market-leading research, unsurpassed peer networking opportunities and a greater understanding of your role to transform your business.

Copyright © The Intelligent Business Company 2022 | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
Housing Technology is published by the The Intelligent Business Company. A company with limited liability. Registered in England No. 4958057 | Vat Registion No. 833 0069 55.

Registered Business Address: Hoppingwood Farm, Robin Hood Way, London, SW20 0AB | Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8336 2293

htc23 pop banner