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Faizan
Since 1975 when BusinessWeek Magazine predicted that the office would be entirely paperless by the mid-1990s, debate has raged over how to the save the environment and reduce paper usage. And let's face it; we humans have had an incredibly long relationship with paper. These days, people are a bit more realistic about the paperless idea and discussion has shifted to benefits beyond the environmental. There are always going to be situations where people prefer paper such as for legal documents, the simple portability of paper or the tactile feel of the stuff. After all, we are creatures of habit and you can touch, hold and feel close to paper, which are qualities that digital information clearly lacks.
So what's an organization to do? Reality is that environmental considerations are not the primary driver in the decision-making process. And besides, even if you could eliminate the paper generated inside your organization, what do you do about paper that comes in from the outside world?
The practical answer for most organizations will be a hybrid or paper-lite approach. This approach addresses the prime factors of a document management process which include:
Secure anytime, anywhere storage and retrieval of documents
The ability to view documents on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets
An end to misfiling and lengthy searches for paper documents
Improved customer service and satisfaction with files and documents available at your fingertips rather than searching through file cabinets and boxes
The ability to restrict access to private documents and an audit trail to know who has accessed documents and made modifications
Secure transmission of documents by email
Facilitates a formal document retention and destruction policy
Compliance with privacy regulations such as HIPPA
If you go down the above list and identify with just one point, you should seriously look at the potential to begin your move to a document management system. The investment required is very reasonable today. In fact, the investment in a well designed system will likely pay for itself within a month or two.
There are many products and solutions available today that range from reasonable monthly software as a service with minimal start-up costs to complex, five-figure application software that can require incredible amounts of time and investment to maintain. Working with an experienced partner will help you avoid many of the pitfalls and avoid excessive costs. The effort to do this will be well rewarded by improved productivity, less risk and happier customers and employees. And you'll still save your fair share of trees along the way.
So what's an organization to do? Reality is that environmental considerations are not the primary driver in the decision-making process. And besides, even if you could eliminate the paper generated inside your organization, what do you do about paper that comes in from the outside world?
The practical answer for most organizations will be a hybrid or paper-lite approach. This approach addresses the prime factors of a document management process which include:
Secure anytime, anywhere storage and retrieval of documents
The ability to view documents on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets
An end to misfiling and lengthy searches for paper documents
Improved customer service and satisfaction with files and documents available at your fingertips rather than searching through file cabinets and boxes
The ability to restrict access to private documents and an audit trail to know who has accessed documents and made modifications
Secure transmission of documents by email
Facilitates a formal document retention and destruction policy
Compliance with privacy regulations such as HIPPA
If you go down the above list and identify with just one point, you should seriously look at the potential to begin your move to a document management system. The investment required is very reasonable today. In fact, the investment in a well designed system will likely pay for itself within a month or two.
There are many products and solutions available today that range from reasonable monthly software as a service with minimal start-up costs to complex, five-figure application software that can require incredible amounts of time and investment to maintain. Working with an experienced partner will help you avoid many of the pitfalls and avoid excessive costs. The effort to do this will be well rewarded by improved productivity, less risk and happier customers and employees. And you'll still save your fair share of trees along the way.
Posted in: business
