Workflow: Using Doc360 - Front-End Scanning

One possible scenario for front-end scanning requires the scanning technician to sort the files by department, and then route them accordingly. This workflow requires little knowledge on the part of the scanning technician with regard to a specific document's routing, nor to the business transactions relevant to a document.

Another scenario finds the technician more familiar with agency processes; They might group like documents together and forward those documents to a particular employee for further review.

In either case, the use of Hot Folders and the Get Documents tool is the most automated option for your agency. The technician saves each scanned item to the appropriate employee-assigned Hot Folder. Then, through use of the Document 360 Get Documents feature, each Hot Folder's assigned recipient can easily import the files.

When you import documents using Get Documents, the document files are deleted from the Hot Folder locations. The Hot Folders are empty after the import process. The files are now saved either to the AMS360 database or to a designated shared folder location; for storage options, see DocSetup > System Configuration section of this topic.

As a CSR or department manager, you can even set an automatic launch checkpoint for Get Documents, to check for documents throughout the day.

All employees who access shared folders on a network must have access to read and write to the same folder location. In the front-end scanning workflow, each network Hot Folder must be accessible to both the scanning technician saving files to the folder location, and to the employee(s) responsible for importing the files from the folder.

You must have security access to Doc360 Setup in order to set up Hot Folders.

Follow these steps to set up Hot Folders for use in the document distribution process:

1. Open the Doc360 Setup form.
2. Expand the Employee Assignments section to view the grid. Select the employee name for whom you would like to assign a Hot Folder location.
3. To assign Hot Folders by department, select the name of the department head or manager.
4. Click Edit to open the data entry fields.
5. Click Browse next to the Hot Folder Location field. A window opens, allowing you to browse to a shared folder you want to assign to this employee.
6. Select the folder you want to assign as the employee's Hot Folder.
7. You can also make a New Folder, and give it a unique name - e.g., "Claims" (for agencies routing by department) or "Mary Lou Smith" (for agencies routing by individual employee).
8. When you are finished, click OK.
9. Click Update to add the data to the grid.
10. When you are finished working in the Doc360 Setup form, click Save & Close.

Now that the Hot Folder is assigned, the scanning technician saves to this folder all the scanned items to be routed to the department head or employee. The employee assigned to this Hot Folder imports the files into the system through use of the Get Documents form.

If your agency uses Hot Folder as part of its front-end scanning workflow, then the Get Documents feature is your primary means to import electronic files into AMS360.

Get Documents pulls files from an employee or department designated Hot Folder into that employee or department head's Home Center.

The following file extensions cannot be imported into the system: .bas, .bat, .cab, .cmd, .com, .cpl, .dll, .exe, .js, .jse, .lnk, .lnk2, .msi, .msp, .mst, .ocx, .pif, .reg, .scr, .sct, .sql, .vb, .vbe, .vbs, .wsc, .wsf, .wsh.

You can enable Get Documents to automatically check for files in your Hot Folder. However, you can disable the automatic check if you prefer to import documents at will. See the Get Documents topic for more information about setting up an automatic file check, at which point the system launches the Get Documents form for you.

To launch the form and import documents, follow these steps:

1. Open the form in either of these ways:

• From the Home Center's My Documents view, click Get Documents.
• On the 360 Toolbox menu, click DocManagement > Get Documents.

2. You will see in the grid the employee names for whom you are authorized to import documents. Click Select next to the names of those employees for whom you want to import documents.
   
   For information about authorizing a user to import documents for another employee, see the Out of Office topic.

3. Click Import Now.
   
   When you import documents using Get Documents, the document files are deleted from the Hot Folder locations. The Hot Folders are empty after the import process. The files are now saved either to the AMS360 database or to a designated shared folder location; for storage options, see the Doc360 Setup topic.

An agency workflow may not require the level of automation provided by Hot Folders and Get Documents, as described in the Using Hot Folders to Distribute Documents section of this topic.

In such a case, a scanning technician uses the Document Distribution form to route scanned items to the appropriate AMS360 Home Centers, from a directory location on the agency network. Additionally, the technician may optionally set up a "Center Hotspot," which launches the Document Distribution form with one click.

The Doc360 Center Hotspot is located at the bottom of each center.

When enabled for a specific employee in Doc360 Setup, the Doc360 Center Hotspot automatically launches the Document Distribution form when the logged-in employee drags and hovers a document file over the Hotspot. This is a timesaving feature for routing documents in the front-end scanning workflow.

Follow these steps to set up the Doc360 banner as a hotspot for an employee:

1. Open the Doc360 Setup form.
2. Expand the Employee Assignments section to view the grid. Select the employee name for whom you would like to assign a Doc360 Center Hotspot.
3. Click Edit to open the data entry fields.
4. In the Default Hotspot Definition section, select Enable Doc360 Center Hotspot for Frontend Scanning (Distribution Form).
5. Click Update to add the data to the grid.
6. Repeat steps 2 - 5 until you have enabled the Doc360 Hotspot for each employee with routing responsibilities.
7. Click Save & Close.

When the designated employee(s) next log onto the system and access a center, the Doc360 Center Hotspot launches the proper form.

The scanning technician enters scanned items in the Document Distribution form, and assigns them to a specific agency employee. The employee then sees the files on their Home Center, under the My Documents view.

Depending on your agency's needs, the assigned recipient could be an individual CSR, or a department manager with extended routing responsibilities.

One possible scenario for front-end scanning requires the scanning technician to sort the files by department, and then route them accordingly to the department managers. This workflow requires little knowledge on the part of the scanning technician with regard to a specific document's routing, nor to the business transactions relevant to a document.

Another scenario finds the technician more familiar with agency processes; he or she groups like documents together and assigns those documents to a particular employee for further review.

To route documents using the Document Distribution hotspot, follow these steps:

1. Once you have scanned the document, save the electronic file in your agency-specified directory location, and keep the folder open.
2. In any AMS360 center, click the Doc360 banner. If you have enabled it as a hotspot, then the Document Distribution form opens. (If you have not enabled the hotspot, see the Setting Up the Doc360 Banner Hotspot section of this topic.) With the Document Distribution form open, select the document file in the open folder in your directory and drag the file onto the Document Distribution form. When you release the mouse button, the file appears as a row in the grid.
   
   Alternately, you can drag a document file from its directory location and hover it over the Doc360 banner hotspot; as the form launches, it automatically enters the document in the grid.

3. To route the document to an agency employee, select his or her name from the Assign To list. You can also enter information relevant to the pending business transaction, if necessary. This information is not used to process or file the document; however, it may be useful as resource information for the Assigned To employee.
4. Click Edit to open data entry fields for a specific document in the grid. You can optionally enter index information at this time. Index information can also be entered later by the employee responsible for the related business transaction.
5. Enter a meaningful File Name that identifies the document in the system.
6. Enter a Security Class for the document. The default selection is determined in Doc360 Setup.
7. Be aware that for any classification other than Unrestricted, the recipient of the document must have proper Security Group authorization in order to process the document. See Workflow: Set Up Doc360 Security for more information.
8. Click Update to enter data in the grid.
9. Click OK. The form remains open for the next batch of files to be distributed.
10. When you are finished using Document Distribution, click Close to close the form.

When the recipient next refreshes their Home Center, the new files appear in the My Documents view.

To clear an unprocessed document from your Home Center My Documents view, you must process it by taking one of these actions:

• Re-assign it to another employee.
• Attach the file to an activity, note, or vendor invoice.
• Delete the file from the system.