By Scott H. Cytron, ABC
Chuck Kingston is solution manager of Accounts Payable for Perceptive Software, Inc., in Shawnee, Kansas. Perceptive provides enterprise document management, workflow and imaging software primarily through is flagship product, ImageNow 6.2. Applicability to the accounting profession resides with the company’s solutions for accounts payable and related tasks.
Scott Cytron: Tell me about your background.
Chuck Kingston: I have more than 30 years of experience in IT, including eight years as a programmer, 15+ years in various senior-level IT management positions, and most recently, six years in software development with Perceptive. Over the years, I have designed, developed and/or managed financial accounting applications across diverse industry segments. These include insurance, manufacturing, retail, professional sports, software consulting and software manufacturing.
SC: What do you do for Perceptive?
CK: I lead the software development cycle for solutions and functionality related to Accounts Payable and Procurement.
SC: There are many document management programs in the marketplace. Please tell me a few ways ImageNow is different than other programs.
CK: An easy question to answer; there are many ways we are different than our competitors:
Integration: Our patented integration toolset, “LearnMode,” enables us to implement ImageNow with virtually any host application without making any changes to the host application code.
Sales and Support: These are both done internally. We sell directly to our customers. There are no resellers and no middlemen, and we provide support directly to our customers without outsourcing this function.
Configurable Technology: ImageNow is a configurable solution and can be installed without any customizations. However, it can be customized, if needed.
Open Architecture: The product works on virtually any platform or combination of platforms.
Multiple Implementation Options: ImageNow is offered in the traditional customer installation approach, as well as managed, hosted and SaaS.
Flexible Implementation: ImageNow can be installed as a departmentalized solution or implemented as an enterprise-level solution.
Rapid Implementation: Because ImageNow is a configurable technology, we can install it within weeks, not months.
SC: Focusing on the accounting community, why should accountants and CPAs look to ImageNow as a document management solution for their firms and their firms’ clients?
CK: ImageNow has many “out of the box” solutions that support Accounts Payable and Procurement operations. For example, customers can introduce Invoice Automation at their own pace, starting with the transition from paper to paperless and keying invoices from the image. Or, they can use eForms for invoice data entry in which buyers key their own GL entries. ImageNow also enables two- and three-way matching on purchase order-based invoices, and users can employ advanced OCR to automatically handle invoice data entry.
While the ROI story for Accounts Payable is strong, ImageNow can be easily extended to other departments in the operation with minimal investment. This increases the return on investment for anyone implementing ImageNow.
SC: I know Perceptive was named one of the “Best Places to Work” by the Kansas City Business Journal for the last four years. Why do you think the company resonates so strongly with its employees?
CK: Our employees like working here because they're encouraged to contribute their talents and initiative in many ways, and are supported by a fundamental philosophy of teamwork.
Unlike some companies, Perceptive Software knows that giving employees room to breathe gives us a competitive edge. We foster a sense of camaraderie, not just "working relationships" that end at 5 p.m. Employees and their families enjoy organized company events throughout the year, such as college football games and family picnics. Our corporate headquarters in Shawnee features state-of-the-art architecture and facilities with modern and fun elements that make for a more balanced and productive workday. Our building gives employees a sense of pride when customers and friends visit and are “wowed” by the facility.