Digitalization of protocols and processing of incoming invoices in the OWIS system: Bingo Group
About the client
Bingo is the largest retail chain in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with headquarters in Tuzla and an extensive network of retail stores and distribution centers. The scale of the business implies an intensive flow of documents — from general correspondence with suppliers, partners and institutions, to thousands of incoming invoices per month that must be precisely processed, recorded and posted.
Problem
Bingo was already using an electronic protocol, but the existing solution only covered certain segments of correspondence and did not keep up with the growth of the organization. The processes for processing incoming invoices were not integrated with the protocol into a complete whole. The key challenges the client faced were:
Limited scope of the existing protocol: The previous solution only covered certain types of correspondence, leaving part of the document flow outside of a single digital record.
Separate records of incoming and outgoing mail: Incoming and outgoing correspondence were kept in separate books, without interconnection, which made it difficult to track complete communication sequences.
High monthly volume of incoming invoices: Between 5,000 and 6,000 incoming invoices pass through the organization per month, which made the liquidation and posting process demanding in terms of time, coordination and control.
Disjointed protocol and processing of incoming invoices: The client's ERP system enabled posting, but there was no closed flow that would connect invoice receipt, internal processing, settlement at the point of cost, and final posting into a single entity.
Limited visibility of processing status: Without a centralized platform, it was not possible to determine in real time where a specific document was located and how much time was spent in individual stages of the process.
Solution
Step 1: Analysis and definition of scope
In agreement with the client, the OWIS team defined two parallel flows of separate complexity: one for general mail, which includes all incoming and outgoing correspondence, and the second, much more demanding, for processing incoming invoices.
Step 2: Implementation of the general mail process
A single protocol was established for general mail, which combines incoming and outgoing correspondence in the same system. Separate records were replaced by a centralized platform in which employees have full insight into the organization's communication flows, with defined rules for filing, distribution and archiving. Additionally, a mechanism for mass import of incoming and outgoing mail was developed through Automation Flow, which significantly speeds up the processing of large quantities of documents compared to individual filing. Thus, general mail, in addition to centralization, received a scalable component adapted to the client's operational volume.
Step 3: Implementing the Inbound Invoice Process
The Inbound Invoice Process is designed in accordance with the client’s operational reality — since most invoices still arrive in physical form, the flow begins with a scan on the protocol. Further steps include:
Distribution to processors at the point of expense: After entry, the invoice is forwarded through OWIS to the responsible users in the organizational unit to which the expense relates.
Liquidation or forwarding to accounting: Processors liquidate the invoice directly in OWIS or forward it to accounting for final liquidation, in accordance with internal rules and authorization level.
Integration with ERP system via Automation Flow (AF): Upon completion of internal processing, the invoice is automatically forwarded to the client’s ERP system for posting through AF — an integration tool available from the Falcon version of OWIS.
Feedback in OWIS: After validation and posting in ERP, the status is returned to OWIS, thus completing the case from the moment of receipt to the confirmation of the posting.
Step 4: AF as a platform for further development of the client
One of the more significant outcomes of the project was created on the client side. Recognizing the possibilities that Automation Flow opens up, the Bing IT team independently developed a solution for processing invoices arriving via e-mail, including cases with multiple invoices in one PDF document. calls a dedicated AF endpoint, based on which OWIS automatically creates cases and sends them to the internal processing flow. In this way, AF is also used as the basis for automations that the client independently develops on the existing system.
Technology and Tools
The following OWIS system modules were used to implement the solution:
Workflow Designer: Modeling parallel flows for general mail and incoming invoices, with specific distribution, settlement and approval rules.
Forms Designer: Customized forms for correspondence entry and invoice data entry, linked to the client's organizational structure and cost centers.
Automation Flow (AF): An integration layer introduced with the Falcon version of OWIS, which enables two-way communication with the client's ERP system, as well as open endpoints used by the client's IT team for its own processing scenarios.
Reports module: Reports for monitoring volume, status and processing time — an essential tool for an organization that processes several thousand invoices per month through the system.
Results
The implementation brought concrete improvements in working with documents and invoices:
Uniform electronic protocol records: Incoming and outgoing correspondence are kept in the same system, without separate books and with full insight into communication flows.
Complete flow of processing incoming invoices: From receipt on the protocol, through settlement at the cost center, to posting in ERP and return confirmation — every step is visible, traceable and recorded in a single system.
Scalability at real volume: The process was designed and validated for 5,000–6,000 incoming invoices per month, with distribution rules that direct processing to authorized users at the appropriate cost centers.
Better visibility and control: The client has real-time information about the location of each item and the retention time in individual stages, which contributes to the identification of bottlenecks and resource optimization.
Customer-driven extensions: Bing's IT team independently extends the system using AF endpoints, reducing the time from idea to production solution for new processing scenarios.