Studies have shown that the average office worker uses as much as 10,000 sheets of paper a year. Where does all that paper go? It’s thrown away, filed away, shuffled among co-workers, and shipped around in slow, costly, delivery processes.  So, going paperless has some real advantages, and here is just a few examples…

First, it eliminates hard dollar costs. Not just the cost of paper itself, but things like storage and mailing, and the cost of using valuable office space for filing cabinets.

Paperless information can be searched and retrieved much faster, without leaving your desk. Filing and retrieval is reduced from minutes to seconds - a real productivity gain.

Plus, it’s easier to share information. Not just because files are electronic; A paperless system supports collaboration tools like check-in/check-out, document version control, email archiving, and remote access.

Even more, in a regulated environment, a paperless document management system reduces risk because you can find documents immediately, control access, and record history.

You can also automate business processes. Electronic notifications, document workflow, and approval steps can be used to automate everything from invoice approvals in accounting, to employee evaluations in Human resources.

Finally, there are advantages for business continuity. Digital documents are more easily backed-up, and can be made available quickly in the event of a disaster.

Together with our partner Kodak, ColumbiaSoft discussed and demonstrated some paperless benefits recently in a webinar that highlighted Kodak’s Capture Pro scanning software together with the Document Locator document management system. If interested in going paperless, you’re welcome to check out a recording of the seminar to learn more.

Written by: Jim Kemp

“Going paperless” isn’t just good for the planet, there are practical business benefits as well. Sure, saving trees is a great added bonus. But, on April 22, we’re going to be discussing some business reasons for a paperless office in a webinar: Document Scanning: Best practices for a Paperless Approach using Document Management. All who are interested are welcome to join us.

Written by: Jim Kemp

From time to time, members of our team here at ColumbiaSoft are called on by various magazines and other media publications to contribute articles extending their knowledge of document management. For those in the construction industry in particular, you may be interested in the latest article by ColumbiaSoft product manager Scott Zieg who writes in Modern Contractor Solutions about the “Top 5 Document Management Solutions.” Scott says…

Remember when contractors focused on construction, not paperwork? Construction document management software can restore the balance.

You can read the entire article here: http://www.moderncontractorsolutions.com/articlesdetail.php?id_articles=504&id_artcatg=5

Written by: Jim Kemp

Proposal processes are complex. Whether they are done on an ad-hoc basis by a single person at a smaller company, or they are rigidly-managed by a proposal team at a large firm, the details of putting together a proposal project for RFPs, RFIs, or other submittals are a complicated mix of content, planning, and good old fashioned project management. To begin, there is the development of documents, schedules, and benchmarks by which the proposals will be measured. Then there is the actual launching of the proposal - making it public, which often involves an inordinate amount of notifications, distributions and question periods. Finally, the whole process turns back internal for a review and selection cycle, which itself can involve multiple people discussing, grading, scoring, and voting.

Document management systems help manage the proposal process by offering tools for collaboration, document version control, notifications and workflow, voting, and more. We plan to discuss the role of document management, and just how it can help, in a webinar coming up next Thursday. If proposal management is an area of interest to you, feel free to stop by our document management webinars page and register.

Written by: Jim Kemp

Whether it’s employee requests for benefits information; managers looking for past employee reviews; or the accounting department trying to find W-4 tax forms… it all comes through to HR. Human Resources professionals wear many hats, and one among them is that of controller of all records workforce-related.

Bet when looking at the entire picture of document management in HR, there is much more than just the management of employee records. There is also the automation of workforce processes; things like expense reports and time off-requests are good examples. Then there is the management of workforce resources like training manuals, employee handbooks, or company policies. And don’t forget the issue of security… all that regulated content must be controlled.

We’re going to look at document control the Human Resources department in a webinar later this week. If you are interested, feel free to join us.

Written by: Jim Kemp

In these uncertain economic times, most companies are faced with the challenge of how to maximize returns on tighter margins. It’s a do-more-with-less strategy that requires business operations be optimized now to meet current economic realities.

One area to consider for improving the bottom line is to look at how information is managed in the organization. This includes all the content, things like documents, invoices, etc.; all the actions, things like reviews, and approvals; and all the processes, these are the repeatable steps that drive the flow of information. Improving how information is managed, the content, actions, and processes, will improve efficiency, reduce risk, and lead to cost savings.

There is another upside to consider with this as well… and it’s a silver lining. With any change comes opportunity, and the right kind of change now can position an organization for even greater success long term.

There are least seven ways that improvements in how information is managed can have an impact on the bottom line in terms of efficiency, risk and cost savings. These were outlined in a document control webinar we held recently, and are also highlighted in an ePaper.

Number 1: Find information, Instantly
Number 2: Automate business processes
Number 3: Improve collaboration
Number 4: Capture a record of every change.
Number 5: Reduce the risk of email.
Number 6: Maintain compliance with regulations
Number 7: Eliminate paper storage costs and go Paperless.

Check out our document control webinar and request a copy of our Silver Lining ePaper to get more details on each.

Written by: Jim Kemp

In an age where as many as half of us spend two hours or more per day just looking for the information we need to do our jobs… anything that speeds our interaction with knowledge adds up to big gains in efficiency. Electronic document storage is one way to narrow the gap, in a big way. This is because documents stored electronically can be filed, searched and retrieved instantly.

We covered this topic in a webinar today on electronic document storage. 

In the recording, you’ll see that we touched on other areas of document storage as well. From accessibility to information for people outside the office who are traveling, working at home, or at satellite offices; to logging, and how when documents are accessed, changed, or approved, audit logs can capture a record of the activity; to even business continuity and how electronic document storage improves recovery planning.

Written by: Jim Kemp

Reducing paper usage is one way all of us can be more green. And this is true with builders and property owners too… who are especially interested in greener approaches in the construction of new buildings, factories, and infrastructure. With that in mind, ColumbiaSoft announced today that it has listed its Document Locator software which is used by architecture, engineering and construction firms for engineering document management in the Construction Specification Institute’s new GreenFormat.

To read on, check out our latest news covering the announcement: Document Locator Listed on Construction Specification Institute’s GreenFormat.

Written by: Jim Kemp

A standardized system for version control is a great way to improve collaboration, and increase accountability. There’s a new short video demo on the topic. To view it, click the “Watch Demo” button on our document version control page; or check out the video on the Document Locator YouTube channel.

Written by: Jim Kemp

It can’t be said any more succinctly than it was summed up by a Document Locator user at State Mutual Life & Health: “Hard drives are cheaper than warehouses.”

The storage of paper is a burdensome cost that, when you consider it, really brings no return or adds any value to a company. Office space consumed by filing cabinets or archive boxes could otherwise be used as productive work areas, and off-site storage fees could be better invested in areas of the business that return a real value.

As the economy forces everyone to tighten their belts and look for new ways to do more with less, document storage - the means of how you store and manage the multitude of paper and electronic files - should be a leading candidate among cost-saving considerations.

Consider this… an electronic document storage system not only frees up office space and eliminates warehouse fees, but it also improves productivity. Files that once took several minutes to locate in a filing cabinet, or days (and dollars) to retrieve from a storage location, are now instantly retrievable with the click of a digital search.

If you think improving document storage is for you, join us in a live Webinar next Wednesday called: Electronic Document Storage - Hard drives are cheaper than warehouses. We’ll explore all the cost and productivity benefits, and give you a tour of a very good electronic document storage alternative.

Written by: Jim Kemp