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For many start-up companies, the biggest setback remains the cost of paper since paperwork is very important in the any organization. There is however, increasing focus on reducing the paper load in most offices with an ultimate aim of going paperless. The controversy however is on the actual target which can either be paperless or less paper. A paperless office involves deploying a complete technological changeover to a company while paper-less simply implies using phases to reduce the amount of paper being used. It is crucial therefore for concerned people to actually get a few pointers as to properly planning out their solution. Most business people will want to start by eliminating their congested file rooms and turning a new leaf with document management systems. The problem here is that there is no easy way to make the file room disappear in a snap. For one, an attempt to back-scan all files may weigh heavily on the company in terms of cost and manpower and may all the same be impossible. It is highly recommended that the business tones down its anticipation and gets to formulate an achievable strategy. For a large file rooms to turn digital, it may require time and that is why a 'slow death' approach is favorable where new records are entered digitally and the old ones converted progressively. Another scenario that may be tricky is in document scanning where people have options of either up-front or deferred scanning. The former is straightforward scanning of projects as they arrive and the changes made to it are updated directly. With deferred scanning however there may be difficulty updating records when the changes regarding a particular project are added separately leading to a disconnect in the digital process. Another crucial fact that should be highly upheld is the matter of protecting privacy and at the same time making documents available to clients. For most document management systems there has to be seamless integration of security and sharing of relevant information with clients. This can be a big challenge and that is why the trend is towards avoiding third party web storage, external devices and separate e-mailing of sensitive documents. This is also advocated for by legislation on privacy and outlines why these systems should look into portals for easier client access of documents. These portals also make it easy for the company to share information by selecting files that are within the application. For any company considering moving toward a paperless office, it may be highly unrealistic considering that every firm will in some way generate paper. The changeover to less paper also poses a significant hurdle to any firm but it is mostly simple practice. This is evidenced by the numerous benefits that can be reaped once the initial hurdle of phasing out old file rooms is overcome. More so, this is a benefit for both the client in terms of transparency and efficiency and the company through reduced costs and improved production. Implementing a document management system may thus be an essential part of transforming into an office with less paper. Author is Steve Breault, CEO of Vircosoft. For more information on
Document Management Software contact Steve at http://www.vircosoft.com
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