Companies that build big trucks or maintain fleets ferrying goods across the country are no strangers to piles of paperwork.
Repair and service orders, vendor invoices, packing slips—all these documents carry important information required to remain competitive and avoid unnecessary expenses. Many industries have transitioned from paper to digital versions and are using software to manage them, a trend that’s expected to continue for years to come.
While the heavy truck industry has a way to go in this area, savvy dealerships are turning to tools like document management and workflow automation to digitize traditionally paper-based, back-office processes.
The Far-Reaching Benefits of Automation
The benefits of this approach are clear:
- Invoice and service orders can be immediately found via electronic devices.
- Document administrative costs like physical storage and searching reduce.
- Vendor relationships improve thanks to fewer invoice errors and faster payments.
Heavy truck dealerships that already use a dealer management system in their day-to-day operations have an opportunity to optimize their form management and payment processing by adding a sophisticated automation and document management solution that can integrate with their DMS.
Automating just 5 key business forms can make your operations more efficient.
1. Repair Orders
Truck fleet managers are responsible for keeping their vehicles functional through maintenance and repair. After identifying any mechanical problem, a repair order is issued. While major dealerships and fleet operators often submit these forms electronically, many companies still rely on paper versions. These forms can multiply as the process moves through the many steps from the initial order to the finalized invoice.
An automation solution that includes robust, seamless document scanning and storage functionality can help shorten this process.
2. Service Orders
Also known as a work order, these forms are common with technology or equipment that need to be serviced regularly, like trucks. Unlike a repair order, which is generated when there’s an equipment malfunction, service orders are typically scheduled in advance around a preset schedule.
Digitizing service orders with a document management solution saves time by eliminating the paper trail and the chaos that comes with it.
3. Payment Request Forms
This is a check request form, used when payments need to be processed but the supplier hasn’t sent a traditional invoice. A payment request form is treated as an invoice and follows the AP process, adding a layer of security to these requests.
4. Purchase Orders
Businesses generate an untold number of purchase orders daily. AP teams are responsible for their approval, fulfillment, and timely payment to vendors.
Automating purchase orders can streamline a company’s procurement process, creating an audit trail from the moment it is issued through fulfillment. This speeds up the process of approvals and ordering.
5. Invoices
AP automation replaces traditional methods of managing invoices by removing error-prone data entry tasks like invoice routing and approval tracking from your team’s day-to-day operations. Automation ingests your invoices, routes them for approval, and gets them paid.
Drive Towards Efficiency
Optimizing operational workflows is essential in today’s challenging marketplace. The combination of the right DMS and a leading automation platform streamlines key document and payment processing tasks, resulting in lower costs and smoother operations.
DocuPhase offers a comprehensive suite of intelligent financial solutions that create visibility and efficiency for heavy truck dealers. If you’re ready to drive sustainable growth in your dealerships, book time with an expert today.
