Polaris Chooses IntelliChief for Office Automation

March 5, 2013 Alex Woodie

Polaris Industries, the $3.2 billion maker of snowmobiles, has selected IntelliChief‘s eponymous software to help it streamline back-office business processes and eliminate paper. The initial IntelliChief implementation will target accounts payable (AP) processes, and will hook into Polaris’ IBM i-based Infor ERP XA application.

IntelliChief is a Windows-based suite of software designed to help IBM i shops transition to electronic documents, or “paperless process management,” as IntelliChief calls it. In its basic configurations, the software provides a simple repository for storing and accessing e-documents. More advanced implementations involve the roll-out of sophisticated scanning and data capture solutions, direct integration with IBM i-based ERP applications and screens, and an automated workflow system.

Polaris’ initial implementation of IntelliChief will be in AP, which is currently a paper-heavy process for the Medina, Minnesota, company. Paper-based invoices and receivers will be captured and stored digitally in IntelliChief, allowing subsequent processes, such as approvals, three-way matching, and exception handling to be done via software.

Polaris employees will be able to access documents stored in IntelliChief directly from their Infor XA screens, which will speed up the current matching and approval processes. The company is also utilizing the workflow component of IntelliChief, allowing everything up to the point of cutting MICR checks to be done more quickly.

IntelliChief says that, because its software serves as a single repository for all AP-related documents–including POs, invoices, receivers and MICR checks–it will make any future inquiries into transactions easier. The capability to pull up documents stored in IntelliChief directly from XA screens also adds to the ease-of-use factor, the company says.

Polaris expects the roll-out to eliminate paper, reduce duplicate payments, and decrease the amount of manual work required to run its AP process. The company says that its return on investment for IntelliChief (which typically starts at about $50,000) is less than 12 months.