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DocFinity Software and Financial Aid Expertise Offer Significant Cost Savings

Optical Image Technology, Inc. (OIT) and ProEducation Solutions, LLC, are partnering to offer software and services to help higher education institutions accelerate financial aid verifications. Government-mandated verification of data usually reveals multiple errors made by financial aid applicants due to the complexity of the forms. Faster verification means institutions can enroll students more quickly and cost effectively, boosting their enrollment and cash flow.

ProEducation Solutions has more than 300 practicing financial aid directors and senior staff from all over the United States participating in their consultant work pool. ProEd's highly qualified and experienced workers alleviate the burden on financial aid staff of verifying data on complex aid forms, confirming information and rectifying numerous data errors so students can get their aid awards and complete the enrollment process. By adding significant technological and staffing resources to an existing financial aid department, the average financial aid verification process is streamlined from six weeks to 24-48 hours.

OIT, makers of DocFinity document management, document imaging, and BPM/workflow software, works with colleges and universities throughout the United States. Software and services assist a wide range of business areas, including financial aid, student services, human resources, and other departmental and campus-wide deployments. Installations improve document security, enable faster processing and better service, facilitate regulatory compliance, and enable better use of human and financial resources. Financial aid clients typically report cutting their processing time by up to 80% by automating document capture and processing.

By making financial aid documents available electronically to their remote file review staff using DocFinity software, ProEducation Solutions now is able to offer first-rate phone and email support to student aid applicants on behalf of their college clients. Documents stored in DocFinity are instantly accessible to authorized staff so they can provide instantaneous and accurate answers, resulting in better service and higher satisfaction. As Dr. Paul Gilroy, President and CEO of ProEd says, "We not only answer the phone; we answer their questions."

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"OIT has the technology to accelerate turnaround time for our clients and enable first-rate service, and we have the extensive labor force to support it. Together, we enable highly efficient processing that lets higher education institutions enroll students faster, thereby increasing student satisfaction, while at the same time increasing cash flow and allowing the institution to be more competitive." Paul Gilroy,Ph.D., President and CEO, ProEducation Solutions

"Mounting regulations and the resulting growth in the amount of paperwork are making financial aid processing increasingly cumbersome, challenging, and time consuming. While both our software and the resources of ProEducation Solutions act individually to improve service, this is a good example of the sum being greater than its parts. Colleges, community colleges, and universities that are looking for ways to extend their human resources and be more efficient will benefit greatly from our combined services." Jim Thumma, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Optical Image Technology

"In just 2 years the number of financial aid students has doubled at Palm Beach State, and our fine working relationship with ProEd and OIT have enabled us to manage this growth. In May of 2009 we projected a 8-10 week backlog of Verifications for the ensuing Fall; within one week ProEd established a 2-day "turnaround time", and has maintained that performance level ever since! With ProEd we've managed the Verification process without adding staff or purchasing new hardware, and they've produced nearly all of the training materials for the consultants working on behalf of our students. We could not be more pleased!" - Dave Bodwell, Director of Financial Aid, Palm Beach State College

About Optical Image Technology, Inc.
Optical Image Technology's software makes information manageable and companies more profitable. Since 1986, OIT and its DocFinity suite of workflow and document imaging, document management, and BPM software have helped businesses to solve their document management and business processing challenges. OIT offers robust, flexible products to help businesses maximize efficiency, productivity, and profitability. www.docfinity.com

About ProEducation Solutions, LLC
ProEducation Solutions, LLC specializes in providing remote processing solutions for financial aid offices. We partner with our college clients to supplement their existing staff and systems. Started in 2001, ProEd has focused solely on providing the highest quality assistance to college & university financial aid offices. Our experienced team of higher education professionals provides subject matter expertise to our clients. We have consistently empowered our financial aid colleagues through the use of our highly acclaimed remote processing services. For more information, visit www.proed.org.

SOURCE: Optical Image Technology, Inc.