Posted by Renato Leon | 23 September 2009, 9:54 am
According to the Environmental Media Association, U.S. businesses use about 21 million tons of paper per year.* In a move to not only reap ‘Green' benefits by using less paper, toner and energy, but to also give its clients added convenience and security, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service((R)) today announced the initial roll-out of its nationwide electronic document signature and storage (ESS) program.
The first major ESS initiative of its kind within the tax preparation field, this initiative will bring significant benefits to Jackson Hewitt clients, including: easy access to tax return information at any time through a secure, online area of the company's Web site; the use of less paper during a tax return preparation session; and added security to safeguard against identity theft. This new initiative will be available to clients at participating Jackson Hewitt Tax Service locations during this initial roll-out period this coming tax season, and is supported by Integra Business Systems, a software development company with 21-years experience in the banking, financial services, real estate and other industries.
"The Jackson Hewitt technology team is committed to developing systems that improve our business processes and provide both our clients and our network with the greatest possible value," said Danamichele Brennen, chief technology officer at Jackson Hewitt's Technology Center in Sarasota. "The initial roll-out of electronic signature and storage, through participating locations nationwide, is exciting for us, given the wide range of benefits it will provide our clients, including immediate access to their tax preparation information and paperwork, so if they need to consult their tax records to complete a financial aid form, a mortgage application or another important document, they can easily do so from the comfort of home. Although we are hopeful that most clients will see value in secure online access and storage, clients can opt to receive hard copies in the office, if they desire."
Recognizing the threat that natural disasters and other occurrences, such as theft, can jeopardize physical records, Jackson Hewitt sought a solution to help reduce paper-based documents housed in office and in clients' homes. By leveraging the electronic signature and storage system, Jackson Hewitt will now begin to reduce the number of pages printed during a typical tax preparation session by more than 50 percent, helping clients to leave their tax preparation session with fewer documents to handle and the knowledge that they have easy online access to their tax documents, at their convenience.