AWM Invoice Bar Coding

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

Advances in technology have made what was a long and tedious process yesterday into one that is amazingly fast and accurate today. One such example is the task of processing payments. Before bar coding was implemented by Agriculture, Weights and Measures, payment processing staff would have to look at each invoice for the customer or account number, enter that into the computer, and then find the appropriate permit or registration and then the correct electronic invoice in the system to match to the payment. In response, San Diego County implemented it's AWM Invoice Bar Coding program to increase efficiency and reliability. Now clerks simply scan a bar code on the payment slip (part of the invoice that was sent to the customer) that contains all of the information needed to instantly pull up the payment screen on the computer. This process reduced data entry errors, eliminated extraneous computer screens to navigate through, and reduced the amount of time spent per invoice by 50%. Staff time saved can now be spent on value-added activities that require a human touch, such as customer service, business process re-engineering and innovation.