Newman Women’s Shelter
Newman Women’s Shelter Uses M-Files to Streamline Their Office, Freeing Up Staff Resources to Better Serve the Community
Highlights
- Finding Information quickly
- Customizable workflows for approval processes
- A truly paperless office
- Enhanced regulatory compliance
Use Case
Digitalization
Compliance Management
Project Information Management
Remote Work
Industry
Family and Domestic Violence
Support Services
Country
Australia
Company Introduction
Established in 1999, Newman Women’s Shelter is a not-for-profit organization which assists women and children who are experiencing Family and Domestic Violence. The organization has grown from a basic women’s shelter providing emergency accommodation in Newman to assisting with domestic violence support, such as securing long term accommodation and financial support locally and in surrounding communities.
Newman Women’s Shelter also assists clients with accessing health care, counseling, transport, family wellness and accessing domestic violence and parental education. They also provide referrals to assist with underlying problems experienced by their clients.
Newman Women’s Shelter provides financial and material assistance to people in financial crisis. Clients can access emergency relief to help them through a ‘one-off’ episode, whilst for others emergency relief becomes part of a comprehensive solution to dealing with ongoing financial disadvantage. The aim of emergency relief is to assist family and domestic violence victims experiencing financial crisis in a way that maintains dignity and encourages self-reliance.
Claudia is the Financial Officer and Executive Personal Assistant to the CEO as well as being an M-Files champion within the organization. Claudia has been with Newman Women’s Shelter for over 20 years and completes all tasks relating to supporting other staff to focus on clients’ needs.
Key Challenges Before M-Files
Newman Women’s Shelter had a large volume of information to organize which was always challenging. As a not-for-profit organization, Newman Women’s Shelter are subject to regular regulatory compliance audits, which prior to M-Files were inefficient and time-consuming processes. Newman Women’s Shelter previously used Windows Explorer to run the organization which required staff to know who filed what, where and when. As Claudia recalled, “The approval system was very clunky … it involved printing a document, signing it then scanning and emailing it to the next person.”
As some staff work remotely, a further challenge was keeping track of emails and compliance with business processes.
Claudia set out to find a solution for the ad hoc filing system as well as automation of processes so that staff resources could be redirected back into the community. The solution had to be cost effective, easy to use and secure, as client privacy is of utmost importance at Newman Women’s Shelter.
The M-Files Solution
M-Files has helped Newman Women’s Shelter to store and file a large volume of information quickly and easily, creating efficiency for all staff. It has also been invaluable for regulatory audit purposes, with requires information to be retrieved quickly and accurately. M-Files has been invaluable for the organization’s financial management and corporate governance.
Claudia was impressed by the reduction in paper usage brought about by M-Files: “I think if you want to go paperless, M-Files is a great tool.” She also emphasized that M-Files has vastly improved and streamlined corporate governance at Newman Women’s Shelter: “For anybody that’s in a position to authorize documents, it provides that audit trail and gives peace of mind that that there is record … Everything is related in the M-Files database – documents, phone numbers and status of projects.”
“For anybody that’s in a position to authorize documents, it provides that audit trail and gives peace of mind that that there is record … Everything is related in the M-Files database – documents, phone numbers and status of projects.”
Claudia, Financial Officer
The Results
“M-Files has provided a one stop shop to collect our information and to create relationships between different objects.” M-Files has allowed Newman Women’s Shelter to go paperless while improving the quality of their record keeping and approval processes. M-Files has greatly assisted with ensuring staff follow due process when completing important records by automating compliance with organizational and government policies.
The Benefits
- Workflows and approvals are completed the correct way, every time, ensuring compliance and efficiency.
- The ability to file emails as they are sent, so information does not get lost.
- Has sped up regulatory audit processes, with information easily accessible.
- The ability to store and find documents quickly.
- Approval processes and permissions ensure streamlined operations and that sensitive information is kept secure.
- Reporting and audit trails are integrated into M-Files for enhanced accountability.
Partner
Innovative Content Management
Innovative Content Management is a consulting firm specializing in products and services that enhance workplace productivity. We specialize in tailored solutions for efficient digital document and content management.
Our mission is to make organizations across a wide variety of sectors more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. We are passionate about making real, positive differences to individuals and their organizations.
By leveraging the M-Files platform, we help organizations achieve a true paperless operating environment. We enhance knowledge workers’ lives by helping achieve greater productivity and an enhanced work-life balance.
We have a proud history of working collaboratively with our clients to optimize their M-Files solution. Over the past 23 years we have successfully implemented hundreds of document management software solutions. We also pride ourselves on supporting our clients through comprehensive post-implementation customization and training services.
Why M-Files?
M-Files is the leading platform for knowledge work automation. With the M-Files platform, knowledge workers can find information faster, work smarter, and achieve more. M-Files features an innovative metadata-driven architecture, embedded workflow engine, and advanced artificial intelligence. This enables customers to eliminate information chaos, improve process efficiency, and automate security and compliance.