Arco Information
Optimising Document Digitalisation

Across the enterprise arena, digitalisation has empowered accounting and budgeting teams to view their information in an all-new light. From billing automation and procurement to legal signings and contract management, computational products have changed the way firms engage with customers. As information across digital channels continues to create a buzz in the business world, the elimination of paper-based operations takes the spotlight, paving the way for a much needed digital renaissance. One among the pioneers riding this wave of digitalisation is Arco Information.

The digital paperflow company archives multiple input domains for clients in a legal and compliant manner, all the while adhering to regulatory standards such as GDPR. Arco Information delivers solutions that enhance a client’s communication processes and facilitates the unhindered flow of bills electronically. The digital paperflow provider has worked on approval workflows for many types of business documents and is backed by a workforce that has accumulated two decades of experience and expertise in the enterprise setting.

In an interview with CIO Applications Europe, Paul Van Coillie, CEO and founder at Arco Information, shares his thoughts on the challenges faced by firms while deploying e-invoicing solutions. He touches upon the optimal methodology through which such business hindrances can be managed and mitigated using Arco’s E-invoicing Management Systems and Services.

What are some of the challenges currently prevailing in the deployment of E-invoicing solutions?

As firms continue to move away from paper-backed processes and embrace more modern digital frameworks, one department that finds it particularly hard to adapt to these changes is accounting. Professionals in this sector have utilised simple reasoning and legacy systems for all processes ranging from billing to contract management for too long, rendering them sceptical about changing their ways of operation.

Another challenge for the finance officers is finding a suitable format/template for outbound bills that need to be sent to customers during e-invoicing processes. This problem magnifies while convincing suppliers to provide standard forms for invoices.

How can prospective clients utilise Arco’s solutions to identify and mitigate these problems?

We work with every type of customer, irrespective of the size of their organisation. By doing so, we can create a massive network of shared information that our users can leverage to understand all the necessary procedures required to run electronic communication systems efficiently.

We have a cloud-based systems approach, and our platform can handle inbound and outbound billing processes with various connectors such as Doccle, POM, PEPPOL, Coda and more. On premise solutions are also a possibility.

Before the implementation of a solution, we send a business consultant to offer our potential clients a demonstration of our applications. The educative session can be held at a customer’s office or ours in Mechelen. Our consultants are well-versed in guiding end-users through the entire process and can deliver the necessary resource materials in three languages; Dutch, English and French. This formulated approach allows us to fully support a client throughout the digital journey and give them a complete idea and layout of Arco Information’s prowess across the digital documentation sector. Besides, we offer 24/7 support to our clients from our helpdesk in Belgium.

Could you share a customer success story to substantiate the myriad of benefits your clients receive from deploying Arco’s solutions?

The City of Antwerp had decided to improve the automated billing experience for its citizens. It was searching for a solution that would facilitate mutual communication between both parties over the air rather than a printed letter delivered through post. The council members and authorities, after much deliberation, chose Arco Information as the ideal technology partner for their digital documentation woes. Given the initial successful collaboration, Antwerp has been using Arco software for over ten years to process its incoming and outgoing invoices.

For incoming invoices, the city administration has put in place an onsite solution that analyses and manages the paper and PDF invoices, optimising it for mail and e-invoice formats. Once the files are in the right order, the sorted incoming invoices are routed to the Arco workflow software, which in turn delivers the electronic documents to the SAP backend systems. For outgoing invoices, the City of Antwerp uses the Arco Digital Delivery platform, and recipients can specify the channel, through which they would want to receive the invoice from the City of Antwerp. There are several digital channels available including PDF with optional XML formats provisioned through email, print, PEPPOL and many more.

We have many solutions at Arco, we believe in partnerships with our clients and their providers; it is in our DNA to work together.

What does the foreseeable future hold for Arco Information?

From day one, our Capture as a Service (CaaS) platform gives clients digital documentation that is fully automated. We always discuss the solution we can create with the prospective client to see how our contribution can help them in the best way possible and make their work-life better through digitalisation. The aim at Arco is to create business workflows that ensure a well-balanced work ethic for our clients while sufficing their digital requirements.