Avon’s procedure for approving and paying invoices was labor intensive and lacked automation. Their manual approval process often resulted in delays in receiving invoices, wasted time tracking down paper-based invoices and inefficiency in trying to decipher handwritten approval signatures. Domestic accounts payable functions, centralized in Avon’s Rye, New York location, housed over 30 staff members who performed a variety of functions related to invoice processing, data entry, payment and vendor support. Recognizing that the front-end processes were not up to industry best practice standards, Avon sought out improved technology to better streamline their process. What they found was Archive Systems and its advancing technology solutions.

"We knew that efficiencies and more functionality could be gained through deploying the right technology, the only question for us was which technology" explained Avon’s Financial Shared Services Center Senior Manager.

After conducting a comprehensive technology investigation and evaluation, Avon selected ASPEN 360 for web-based image hosting and workflow management. Archive Systems’ roll-out of a fully customized workflow initiative enables Avon to maintain tighter control of the approval and payable process while providing significant time and cost savings.

Today, Avon directs its vendors to remit all invoices to a central post office box location, which is received by Archive Systems. Each day, Archive’s staff preps, scans and indexes all invoices capturing key data elements such as the Avon point of contact, vendor name, invoice number, invoice date, dollar amount and purchase order number. ASPEN 360 routinely issues an automated e-mail notification to each approver informing that person that there is an invoice in the system awaiting review. The point of contact then has several action options including approval, routing to another approver, declining or pending for later approval. Approved invoices are then routed to either a higher approval level or to Accounts Payable where a final review is performed. Through constant data transfer, the electronic invoice moves seamlessly through Avon’s internal approval system. All invoice data is then imported into Avon’s payable software database and payments are scheduled accordingly.

Avon was able to reduce its processing staff by implementing ASPEN 360. The Web-based imaging and workflow components provide Avon with comprehensive reporting and management tools that will enable Avon to maintain tighter control over the entire payable process from invoice receipt and approver responsiveness through processor productivity and payment. Additionally, Avon’s vendors are now provided with secure Web-based access to their specific invoices and payment data on-line, reducing the need to provide phone-based vendor support.

According to Avon, "Archive Systems has enabled us to work on business initiative transformations that will bring us closer to our goal of becoming a world class Shared Services Center."

By image enabling Avon’s accounts payable documents, ASPEN 360 facilitates real-time customer service. Additionally, Avon’s vendors have immediate and secure Web-based access to retrieve and review invoice status, reducing the need to provide phone-based vendor support. By Migrating to ASPEN 360 service Avon realized immediate and ongoing cost savings through staff reduction, time savings and operational expense reduction.

"Other providers of document management services just could not provide the workflow solution we were looking for," said Rob DeVincent, Senior Manager in Avon's Shared Services Center. "Archive Systems was able to implement their hosted solution immediately which provided the additional functionality we needed to operate more effectively and efficiently."