The Paperless Office: Is it Just a Dream?
Paperless Office Statistics
People love their paper. It’s just a plain old fact. Throughout recent history, many visionaries in the business world have predicted the demise of paper as a medium for doing business. In fact, the government has even stepped in, “requiring” industries (healthcare) to be paperless, with looming deadlines approaching. But, we continue to use paper. In fact, some of the statistics are shocking:
- 47% of organizations have only made 5% progress towards a paperless goal.
- 18% have not started any initiatives.
- 19% of organizations have increased their paper usage.
(An AIIM Study)
So why are so many organizations stagnant in their move towards the paperless office? Below are some key reasons:
- No Idea Where to Start – for most organizations, paper is so pervasive throughout their business processes, they just cant imagine a key starting point for any paperless initiative.
- “That’s How We Have Always Done It” – the mindset that “if it is not broken, why fix it?” can be a challenge, especially with admin staff that have been around for a while. Paper is just the way it is done.
- Technology is Scary – taking the leap can be seen as a huge risk for managers, and many of the paperless initiatives fail due to poor planning, project mismanagement, or biting off too big a piece for a starting point.
Through experience, we have found that the key to successfully starting the Paperless Journey, it to start small, and grow. The technology works, it has been proven, but it is really the people and process that need to adapt to the digital workflow. In our next post, we will cover how to overcome organization objections, and create an environment for success.