Go Green with Document Management

Zero-in on Paperless Productivity | 5 minute read

Many companies generate hundreds of thousands, in some cases millions of documents. While some of these documents may be born digital and stay digital for their lifetime, the fact is that many get printed out onto paper at some point in their lives.  While we advocate for digital documents and paperless offices, sometimes a hard copy makes more sense. For instance, I find that sometimes a large, complicated document is just easier to read and make notes on in its printed form.   Most of the time it’s easier to share a printed document when sharing information with a large group of people in a meeting. 

How Efficient is Your Company? Take this Test

Most managers and business owners want their companies to run smoothly and efficiently.  Many even set up processes and procedures to aid efficiency.  But, despite the desire for efficiency, and the processes and procedures designed to aid efficiency, the sad truth is that companies across the globe lose millions every year to inefficient practices. How can this be?

5 Tips for Going Paperless

The History of the “Paperless” Concept

As long ago as 1975, the paperless concept was being discussed.  In fact, in June, 1975, Newsweek Magazine published an article called “The Office of the Future.”   It was touted as an “in-depth analysis of how word processing will reshape the corporate office.”   In the article, Vincent E. Giuliano of Arthur D. Little, Inc. was quoted as saying that “1990, most record-handling will be electronic."

Fast forward to present day, and what do our offices today look like?  Is most of our record-handling electronic?  And can there really be a completely paperless office?  Or is the truth of “paperless” somewhere between row upon row of paper-crammed file cabinets and the sleek concept of the paperless “office of the future?” 

Video:  How to Get Rid of Paper in Your Business

Paperless Solutions for Government Agencies

State and local governments are rife with paper -- from records to processes, paper dominates the landscape.  This paper-based system often leads to government agencies being demeaned as inefficient bureaucracies. It doesn't have to be this way.  In fact, some argue that the bureaucratic structure of government constitutes the most efficient and rational way in which one can organize the human activity and that systematic processes that are necessary to a civilized society. What mucks it up is paper!  Maybe it's time to look at a paperless office.

Many employees in state and local government, spend as much as six hours a day managing paper. With this much time dedicated to printing, filing and searching for information, mission-critical tasks often fall by the wayside.  And government bureaucracy is blamed!

Why Companies Resist Going Paperless

Despite endless articles about the benefits of paperless offices and regardless of ROI proof shown in charts and diagrams, many businesses resist the move to paperless processes.  Often the resistance starts the top -- many business owners are used to seeing paper on their employees' desks. To them, the paper stacks from faxes, invoices, memos and other documents are tangible proof that work is being done. 

Because business owners are removed from the daily tasks their employees dom they usually underestimate how much time it takes to read, handle, file, copy or scan, send or retrieve paper documents.  In truth, the stacks of paper are less a symbol of work being done and more a symbol of inefficiency and an inflated cost of doing business.

Is Your Business Ready for Digital Transformation?

It seems that everywhere I turn, I hear the phrase “digital transformation.”  This seems to be the latest catch-phrase in strategic trends for business, having supplanted "paperless office" in popularity.   It’s important to note that digital transformation is not one technology, nor is it a one-time update or tweak to your current systems and processes.  Digital transformation is a sweeping customer-centric trend that promises to transform the way businesses do business.

Why Businesses Must Transform or Perish

Forrester summed it up this way in a recent report:  “Customers’ power in the marketplace continues to ramp up, so…business leaders need to transform digital customer experiences…The ability to align products, operations, and business models to what we call a “customer-obsessed operating model” will determine firms’ ultimate success. To digitally transform both experiences and operations… professionals (need to) apply technology to these facets of the business, ensuring that they are customer-led and insights driven.”