- Business Consultants East Maitland
By Andre Klein
Much has been discussed in recent years about the paperless office, however this situation is still complex for most multinational companies and has become a veritable utopia for smaller companies.
Although organizations are already realizing the benefits of adopting a zero paper policy, very few have implemented any form of document software solution to progressively reduce its paper consumption.
So what is wrong with the implementation process? Why have we spent years talking about the same subject when its development has been minimal? Answering this last question is simple. The paperless office is the promised land. Those who reach that point, will establish more efficient internal processes, they will increase productivity and substantially reduce costs. These three aspects have become fundamental for a company nowadays.
So what is the problem? The low user confidence in electronic material, the tight budgets managed by IT departments and the lack of time to tackle a project like this can be found at the root of such low implementation.
However, if we go a little further and look at the companies that have started initiatives like this we realize that something else fails, this can be perceived because implementation deadlines are not met and because the reluctance of staff in these companies is, at times, insurmountable. The consequence of these challenges is none other than the complete failure of the project resulting in a very negative image associated with this type of process making it unattractive for entrepreneurs.
How do we avoid this?
The result of the implementation of more sustainable consumption policies in an organization need not be negative if they establish a set of guidelines to ensure the correct implementation pace.
The experts in document software advise, among other things, to set deadlines. By establishing a ‘D’ day, employees will be aware of the changes some time before they experience it in their daily routines. Thereby reducing their reluctance and ensuring that the project does not become an endless process.
Perhaps one of the main factors that an IT manager should consider when leading a zero paper project within a company is digitilization, especially if the organization in question has stored large volumes of documents. For the process to be as productive as possible, it would be interesting to conduct a detailed classification of the documents that have to continue to be stored on paper because of legal requirements and to get rid of documents that are obsolete. This way we only digitalize what is strictly necessary.
As we discussed previously, workers are key for a project like this to work. In their hands lies the possible success or failure of this process. Therefore it is essential to make them participate in the process and provide them with all the necessary training. If you also include a technology expert in each department we will be able to transmit the process among those most resistant to change.
However, it should be noted that all these steps will mean nothing if you as an entrepreneur doesn’t preach by example. If managers and leaders of different business areas don’t stop using paper to carry out their internal communications or for example deliver payrolls to their workers, all your efforts will be in vain.
This particularly affects the accounting department, which needs to be involved and show their commitment to the project through the implementation of electronic billing systems. Thus, we emphasize the previous point while optimizing our billing processes and increase the productivity of our staff.
Finally, experts make two more recommendations: Firstly, select a specialist document software supplier that will reduce the possibility of errors occurring during the process. Secondly, share the success with the staff, this implies being more transparent and letting them know of the positive economic and environmental results that have been achieved by applying eco-responsible measures.
About the Author: Andre Klein: You can find more Document Technologies related information on the
Document Technologies News
web site See also DocPath’s
Software for Print Control Management
Source:
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