Goodwill Increases Productivity by Going Paperless with Plustek Scanners

March 29, 2011 - PRLog -- Located in the heart of Astoria, Queens, NY, Goodwill Industries of Greater NY and Northern NJ, Inc.® offers workforce development services, youth and community programs and retail and business opportunities to diverse populations across the region. In 2009, Goodwill Industries of Greater NY and Northern NJ helped more than 164,000 people search and train for careers in industries such as banking, IT and health care, to name a few — and get the supporting services they needed to be successful, such as English language training, additional education, or access to transportation and child care.  More than 13,000 people obtained meaningful employment in 2009 through their participation in Goodwill programs. The investment to support this initiative was $28 million in government grants and fees for employment services. These people were placed in competitive employment and went on to earn $274 million in their first year of work and paid $54 million in taxes. The savings in public assistance to taxpayers was $107 million. That is a ROI of $407 million in salaries and wages - a meaningful contribution to their communities as productive, tax-paying citizens.

To keep the organization functioning at its highest potential, Goodwill uses over 100 Plustek SmartOffice PS282 scanners at sites scattered over the New York metro area, by job coaches, counselors, assistants and even the receptionists.  The receptionist scans the clients Goodwill issued ID cards when they arrive at the facility; the counselors scan any paperwork that the client has that proves they worked, attended training or applied for jobs over the previous week; and assistants scan forms that the clients fill out as part of their job coaching and counseling.  It is estimated that the scanning volume of the Goodwill New York metro offices is nearly 1,000 pages a day on some devices – keeping the organization efficient and streamlined.

“We are very happy with the performance of the scanners, and will be buying more in 2011,” said Andre Bromes, Chief Information Officer for Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey.  “So far, we have not had any scanner failures and the ROI on the scanners is beyond our expectations.”

Bromes says the combination of the price-point and functionality of Plustek’s PS282 increased efficiencies contributed (among other things) to the rapid ROI on their Welfare to Work project – just 45 days!  A higher priced scanner would have limited these Goodwill facilities from scanning all of their paperwork at their desks.  Each counselor needs their own scanner, which helps them to scan client documents without having to leave their desk area and leave the conversation with the people they are working with – which increases the number of clients each counselor can see a day thereby increasing efficiencies.

An ideal solution for small businesses, the Plustek SmartOffice PS282 is a compact, high-speed desktop scanning solution that effortlessly converts paper into digital files. Despite its small size, the PS282 offers industry standard TWAIN and Windows® WIA drivers you can be assured of compatibility with virtually any imaging software. The convenient, programmable DocAction Single-Touch function button permits users to pre-set nine customized functions for different scanning jobs. Users can create searchable PDFs, scan to e-mail, OCR, or file documents by simply pressing a button. The SmartOffice PS282 is bundled with a powerful suite of software applications and includes advanced features such as blank page deletion, color dropout for forms, auto-crop and de-skew to enhance image quality, increase OCR accuracy and reduce rescans.

The SmartOffice PS282 and the SmartOffice series from Plustek can be purchased from authorized resellers, DMRs, VARs, and distributors including NewWave Technologies, Ingram Micro and D&H. For more information call (714) 670-7713, e-mail infousa@plustek.com or visit www.plustek.com/usa.

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About Plustek
Respected as one of the world's leading image solution providers, Plustek manufactures and delivers high-quality scanners and other imaging products to buyers worldwide, reaching millions of consumers. In business since 1986, Plustek began as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for many large companies, creating an innovative array of products including: scanners, IP cameras, NVRs, servers and imaging-related devices. Through a combination of design innovation and strict attention to usability and manufacturing quality, Plustek has grown to become one of the largest image solution providers in the world.