Item: Laserfiche
Rating: 8
Author: Kaci Duke

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Laserfiche within our company was first utlized to make our Accounts Payable department paperless with incoming invoices and the internal approval process between managers. We replicated our paper process into Laserfiche and it saved time and money. From there Laserfiche spun off into paperless documentation for some medical records utlizing QuickFields with a bar code process to automate the sorting. It also began to house secure documents for managers and human resources. Our next step was to invest and implement the Workflow Management module with Laserfiche to bring Laserfiche to its full potential since we now had employees on board using the software and being excited to use the product. We chose Laserfiche over other document management solutions because it is timeless with archiving documents and editing documents right out of Laserfiche. For example, a TIFF file would be created from a PDF file and could always be referenced; where if there was a PDF version 4 archived and the company was at PDF version 8, it would be highly possible the document would not be able to read because it was too old of an PDF version. However, as TIFF is an image and can be OCR'd, it could be read.

Pros and Cons

Streamline accounts payable to a paperless process to increase efficiency and productivity of manager approvals and paying creditors
Universal access of documents between office locations decreasing/eliminating inter office mail as files/folders have security access setup between departments and employees
Backup and version control of documents with the ability to read any old/out dated document
Automated process to sort, tag, and file documents

Quickfields sometimes became difficult when the OCR had difficulty reading the barcodes even after intense manipulations and changes to make the index sheet work; though when it worked which was most of the time, it was seamless
As I work in IT, it was easy for me to learn the product, however more simple documentation for end users without IT backgrounds.

Return on Investment

1 to 2 day lead time for processing bills (accounts payable) versus 1 to 2 weeks with a paper process
Instant access to records between multiple locations versus interoffice and taking a week or more with patient information

Alternatives Considered

We evaluated about four different document imaging solutions through vendors in the area (Marco, Imaging Path, Xerox, and Laserfiche). We choose Laserfiche because the software is made to extend beyond the years of different software going out of date. The repository can hold any document and creates an image for redunacy which has actually come in handy with documents we had problems reading because software was not availalbe. Another point, is that Laserfiche is being utlized by the government as the product is secure, robust, and simplifies digital document managment.

Likelihood to Recommend

Laserfiche is to be used as a paperless documentation repository with automated options and version control. As a company, I would take the lead and be confident in what your desires are and implement from the top down to have employees engage in the process. Inquire what modules are included in the current Laserfiche versions and what the costs are involved. Ask if your company needs all the modules or will only utilize some of them. Ask what improvements they have made from different versions and what they see in the future upgrades.

Users and Roles

100

Likelihood to Renew

We would renew as it is an excellent product. On the flip side, it is also benefical to be aware of other products on the market. We compare and contrast between Laserfiche and other software to make sure we are on the leading edge of resources for what works for our company. Laserfiche is held at a high standard.

Implementation Details / Implementation Partner

Professional services company

Support Rating

Good overall. Some inquires could not be resolved or they were pushed to the next release which made it difficult at times to figure out a work around, but it was great to know that they listen to their clients and are willing to enhance the product as requested.

Laserfiche Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed Immediate help available Support cares about my success	None

Bug Resolution

Exceptional Examples of Laserfiche Support

Yes as we used Laserfiche in a hosted environment. Our company would Remote Desktop from any location for employee profiles to setup and access different software. Laserfiche was included in that. During the setup the Laserfiche physical server was accessible but very sluggish. Their support helped us determine our network setup to open up different ports, be on an isolated domain, and diminish the issue with slow connectivity to process documents.

Usability

Again, is an excellent product but I always feel it is wise to be aware of what improvement can be made as customers give recommendations and engineers come up with new ideas. It is a plus that Laserfiche is forward thinking.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar	None

Easy Tasks

It is similar to using Windows Explorer
Templates are easy to setup and users can select drop downs to fill in pertinent information
Security is similar to Microsoft Active Directory(AD) with users and groups while also being able to be ingrated with AD

Difficult Tasks

Quickfields can be bothersome to initially set up
Training end users that are technology challenged

Laserfiche Review

Software Version

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Laserfiche