By a not‑so‑exhausted Accounting Admin
Last Monday started the way it always does: 37 unread emails, a few sticky notes from Friday’s “emergencies,” and a file folder labeled “Still Pending.” Another week of chasing down signatures, manually updating contract statuses, and reminding departments (again) that we’re missing purchase orders.
Except this time, something was different.
I had help.
Not a new intern. Not extra hours.
Just smart, invisible workflow automation.
The Bottleneck
If your business relies on purchase orders, approvals, and vendor contracts, you know how quickly files pile up. Half my week felt like babysitting documents: re‑keying data, ping‑ponging emails, and praying for a returned signature.
My Automation Fix
Enter DocuWare + Applied Innovation. When I first heard “intelligent document processing (IDP),” I expected another overhyped buzzword. Applied Innovation proved me wrong. Their DocuWare platform quietly replaced every clunky, repetitive task eating my week.
Where the Time Went
1. No More Manual Data Entry
Incoming contracts used to sit in my inbox. I’d copy‑paste details into Excel, flag for approvals, and hope someone answered by Thursday.
Now? DocuWare reads each document with AI‑powered data capture, pulls the vendor name, amount, and dates, then routes it to the right team, automatically.
Time saved: ~3 hours/week
Sanity preserved: immeasurable
2. Automatic Approvals (No More “Did You Get My Email?”)
Prior approvals moved one…person…at…a…time. If someone was out sick, the whole chain froze.
Now, contracts flow through a preset approval chain. If an approver stalls, the system escalates on its own.
Time saved: ~2 hours/week
Bonus: Our CFO noticed turnaround times dropped.
3. Instant Search—No More Digital Hide‑and‑Seek
“Can you send me that vendor contract from last March?” used to trigger a deep‑dive through nested folders. Today, I type the vendor’s name and DocuWare surfaces the latest, versioned copy in seconds.
Time saved: ~2 hours/week
Stress level: from keyboard‑smashing to keyboard‑cruising
4. Real‑Time Dashboards (a CFO’s Favorite Button)
Our CFO now checks a live dashboard to see which contracts are pending, signed, or overdue. My weekly report ritual? Gone.
Time saved: ~3 hours/week
CFO reaction: “Why didn’t we do this sooner?”
More Focus, Less Friction
When tedious work fades into the background, I can finally analyze vendor trends, improve workflows, and, yes, plan ahead instead of reacting.
Your team shouldn’t be bottlenecks. They should be the brains behind the business, solving problems and building relationships.
Start Small. Win Big.
We didn’t overhaul everything overnight. We picked one pain point, contracts, nailed it, then expanded.
Want a quick look first? Take the interactive two‑minute contract‑management tour
Ready to reclaim your 10 hours? Schedule a 15‑minute DocuWare demo and see how simple workflow automation can be.