A recent trend I am seeing with our customers is the desire to enhance their business infrastructure to support having employees work remote.  This arrangement benefits businesses in a number of ways including helping employee morale, allows for business continuity when weather strikes, saves space on real estate, and allows for increased productivity from their staff.

Creating an environment permitting employees to work remotely requires providing online access to critical information and documents.  At minimum, employers will need to enable remote access to their network environment and online computer systems.  However for most companies who are not paperless, acquiring information contained in filing cabinets and binders is simply not possible for remote employees.  A similar challenge is the capability of routing paper documents received in the mail to remote workers in a timely manner.

Document management systems with support for digitally scanning paper documents provide real-time access to information to your remote employees.  It is not uncommon for me to help companies create processes that involve scanning common mail items including applications, claims, and change of business forms and then assigning those items for processing (via workflow) to resources that work remotely.  I also work with companies to back-scan legacy documents from countless rows of filing cabinets, freeing up square footage and providing for online retrieval and manageable disaster recovery processes.

By implementing a paperless process, your organization will gain efficiencies, increase employee morale, free up office space resources, and provide for business continuity should disaster strike.

I read somewhere recently that the Environmental Paper Network (an organization with a “treatise that is meant to unify the efforts of environmental organizations in advancing environmental and social responsibility within the paper production and consumption cycle”) has calculated that if businesses were to cut their paper usage by 10%, it would reduce by 1.6 million tons the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States… an equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road.

There’s a lot of interesting facts about paper and paper consumption to chew on. For example, did you know that according to the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory the average office worker in the US uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year? That’s the equivalent of as much as a tree per worker person!

And, a bunch of sources, including the U.S. Department of Labor, say that one billion (yes, that is ‘billion’ with a ‘B’)… one billion photocopies are made EACH DAY!

A hopeful sign is that, by all appearances, the tide is starting to turn. Just ask the post office who’s seeing their first class mail volume drop so precipitously as people and business transition to electronic billing. Yes, once an ideal only considered in light of its impact on the environment… thinking paperlessly with tools like electronic document management has now become a stylish issue among the money-saving set too.

While the technology that drives document management marches forward (Windows 7, SQL Server, .NET), the business objectives of the clients are essentially unchanged.  Clients greatly need solutions for scanning paper documents, applying index information, routing documents through workflow processes, maintaining document retention policies, collaborating around documents, providing for disaster recovery, and easily searching for documents.

Whether companies are large or small, the sheer amount of documents and data that companies must store and manage outpaces their capabilities using paper filing systems or shared file servers.  With a modern document management system installed, users index documents as they are saved.  This in conjunction with power database tools provides the users with the capability to instantly retrieve or aggregate documents.  As an example, Document Locator is commonly deployed in an Accounts Payable process where documents are indexed with Company Name, Invoice Date, Check Number, and Amount.  By incorporating these index tags with document management, employees could easily retrieve all of the documents and approval notes for invoices received in the last 3 months that exceeded $20K via a web browser working from home.

In the economic downturn companies are struggling to maintain their business output while searching for ways to reduce costs.  Sadly this leads to layoffs and increased burden on those remaining in the organization.  While the natural tendency is to pull back spending, strategic investment in software that increase productivity can help maximize the resources you have remaining to drive your core business.

Part 5 – A Viable Solution

Realizing the benefits of effectively organizing and indexing documents is only the tip of the iceberg when you consider the possibilities provided by a fully-featured document management system.  I have witnessed how companies have successfully refocused their employees from performing unproductive roles like constantly searching lost documents into roles that directly derive revenue for the organization.

Here are a few ways that document management helps your organization:

• Workflow – Eliminates manually routing documents for approval and physical signature.  Through automated workflow solutions documents are automatically routed to individuals for approval and digital signatures.  This includes an electronic audit trail and provides remote users easy access to approve documents.

• eDiscovery – The threat of litigation against companies and the associated subpoena of documents is a nightmare scenario for many companies.  If your company employs document management policies and tools for document indexing, records retention management, and document distribution, inquires for information can be handled quickly and efficiently.

• Document Scanning – By digitally scanning and archiving paper documents in your organization you gain great efficiencies searching on documents while providing a simple means of business continuity through disaster recovery.

• Version Control – When creating documents using a version control system, the author can record snapshots of their document at any point in the document lifecycle. This permits the author to lock in a version of the document for historical purposes that can be referenced later in the development cycle.

• Subscriptions – Receive automatic email messages notifying you when documents are modified or added into the system. 

ColumbiaSoft Document Locator is one such system with a proven track record of helping companies organize their documents.  ColumbiaSoft Document Locator provides a document management system that is integrated directly into Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Office.  The ingenious design creates a user interface that appears in Windows like a shared map drive and appears in Microsoft Office applications as its own ribbon in the toolbar.  By embedding document management functionality directly into the applications that are used everyday, employees can seamlessly transition to using powerful document management functionality without significant investment in training and changing their regular work routines.

Part 4 – Productivity with Document Management

Document management systems are designed to provide organizations with the tools necessary to capture and leverage their electronic content.  Modern document management systems will at minimum incorporate traditional indexing and searching functionality.  More advanced document management systems include integration with Microsoft Windows 7, workflow routing, digital signatures, records retention policies, event subscriptions, compliance audit logs, scanning interfaces, email archive features and more.

Historically companies have invested very little effort in managing their corporate documents.  Many companies throw away countless resource hours annually searching for documents, or they have given up finding documents altogether and simply reproduce work because of their inability to quickly locate business critical documents.

By not implementing corporate document policies and tools, document storage chaos evolves with users storing documents on their private network shares (or local computers), using their own naming standards, version identifiers, and folder structure design.  This results in information that is indefinitely siloed; useful only to the original author because of the storage conventions used, lack of records management policies applied, and the inability to include index information to facilitate searching. The problem is compounded when email archiving is brought into play.

Part 5 – up next, A Viable Solution

Part 3 – Managing the Output

The increase in performance in Windows 7 matched with new computer hardware provides unprecedented power to the end user.  At no point in history have ordinary users been empowered with the tools to produce the quantity and quality data that Windows 7 and Microsoft Office provides.  It’s commonplace for modern computers to be used for document publishing, digital photography, internet research, email communications, electronic scanning, graphical design and more.

The benefits of working digitally are compelling for so many reasons (environmental benefits, disaster recover, 24×7 access, security, and office space requirements), yet it comes at a cost.  As users increasingly leverage computers to generate electronic output, there is an equal increase in their requirements for properly storing and managing the content.

The problem of managing electronic content is forcing many companies to ask “how can we continue to amass endless quantities of data and keep that data fresh and relevant to our staff?”  The answer for many is Document Management.

Part 4 – up next, Productivity with Document Management

Electronic document management systems are not unlike other enterprise software applications in that they can sometimes face hurdles when first gaining acceptance. Best to tackle this challenge quick.

One of the practical recommendations we advise customers when rolling out document management is to communicate the “what’s in it for me” message.

First, listen and ask people what they would like out of a document management system.

Next, be prepared and ready to answer the “What’s in it for me?” question, even when it’s not asked. Here’s one way to tackle it: Explain why the company is adopting document management. Let people know the benefits and how they translate to the company’s success and how that translates to the success of employees. Take caution to avoid the “because the decision was made” approach.

The best approach is to have a dialogue; phrase the benefits in terms of advantages to the individual and describe how it will help get the job done. 

Always be enthusiastic and make sure to explore, define, and communicate the value of change to individuals.

Part 2 – Examining the Hype

Windows Vista’s lack-luster commercial adoption coupled with a relentless onslaught of clever marketing by arch rival Apple compelled Microsoft to get Windows 7 right.

The invention of Microsoft Windows came about to provide users access to applications and configuration options that were once only available from the command prompt. With the popular Windows 3.1, gone were the cryptic green screens common with DOS, replaced with a colorful point-and-click operating system that everyone could easily understand.  That was 1992 – user’s expectations have increased considerably since then.

Today’s PC consumers demand user-centric operating systems that are engaging, graphical, multitasking, mobile, and fast.  For the best ideas of what to incorporate into Windows 7, Microsoft enlisted their most creative and knowledgeable resources – their customers.  They learned that users perceive computers as much more than computational and word processing tools.  Modern computing plays a role in every aspect of our lives including work, entertainment, scheduling, education and more.  Users of Windows 7 agree that Microsoft was successful in listening to their customers and incorporating popular enhancements into the new operating system. 

The following is a small sampling of what you can look forward to in Windows 7:
- Quicker access to programs and files using the Taskbar Pin feature and Jump lists.
- Better access to application dialogs with intelligent resizing tools
- Built-in Windows Search service for faster searching
- Easier file sharing for home users
- Windows Media Center improvements for videos, music, and internet TV
- Enhanced video editing capabilities
- Intuitive tools for connecting to wireless networks
- Accelerated startup and resume processes
- Support for touch screen monitors
- Increased plug and play technology for hardware devices

Part 3 – up next, Managing the Output.

The release of the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system will positively transform how employees interact with and utilize technology in their organization.  To learn more about Windows 7 and its impact on business, I invite you to read through our multi-part blog outlining the future of business computing.   

Part 1

Corporate Adoption

Technology workers across America are certainly curious about Microsoft Windows 7.  Not since the release of Windows XP nine years ago has there been a similar buzz of excitement around a computer operating system and the potential for upgrading an organization’s fleet of computers.  

The excitement around Windows 7 is intensified by the upgrade boycott many organizations employed during the “Vista years” preferring the familiarity and comfort of Microsoft Windows XP.  The hesitation around upgrading operating systems also impacted companies’ technology buying cycles.  This relegated many employees to working with aging computers.

As Windows 7 progresses through early adopters towards Service Pack 1, companies will start in earnest to make the conversion to Windows 7.  Many will opt for purchasing new computer systems for the first time in years.  Workstations purchased to support Windows 7 will be a significant upgrade for users.  The newest line of computers include Intel’s new i7 processor with 64-bit support, increased memory, incredibly clear graphics, gigabit network cards and more.  Upgrading to Windows 7 on new computers will increase productivity with the added bonus of increasing morale.

Part 2 – up next, Examining the Hype.

There are about as many ways to calculate ROI on a document management system as there are ways to use the software in various aspects of daily business. But for Shannon Puaokalani at Pacific Northwest Collections, the cost-justification turned out to be a simple equation.

“Before using Document Locator, each person in the department spent approximately two hours a day dealing with issues related to paper files… pulling paperwork, typing, copying, refilling. That works out to about $2,000 a month in associated costs to the company and its employees that we can now save,” said Shannon recently when talking about collections document management.

The collections company began using Document Locator for paperless management of electronic and paper files about three years ago, for simple tasks at first – like in the collections department scanning documents from clients. But once they started, Shannon said it was “like a light bulb went on.” Now, Document Locator is used in key areas of the company’s legal, sales and bookkeeping departments as well.

You can read the complete story in the Pacific Northwest Collections case study.