For more than a decade we've been hearing talk of the 'paperless office'. Unfortunately
for our environment, this has not transpired beyond mere words as the amount of
paper consumption hasn't diminished in all this time despite the fact that information
distribution has increased spectacularly without a corresponding increase in paper
usage.
The main reason is the growing adoption of the 'electronic document', which, combined
with the Internet, has provided us with more and improved documents that are at
our immediate disposal.
Each day, hundreds of electronic documents and printouts move around us, dexterously
transporting information sent by our vendors, service providers, banking institutions,
etc. Undoubtedly, the reason is clear: documents are the dynamic interconnection
of businesses.
Not to be overlooked are the technological improvements in printing systems. These
new technologies permit rapid production of high-quality documents at ever-reducing
costs.
The result is information is swirling all around us and we often find ourselves
to be passive actors in a frenzied world in which everyone is attempting to send
us their information as efficiently as possible, in order to make the most positive
impression on us.
As in other areas of technology, this does not mean that we have come to the end
of an era. In the coming years, the office of the future will be closely linked
to an even greater evolution in information distribution processes and, consequently,
to an increasing volume of electronic documents.
Our business environment is not isolated from this process. The market offers a
great variety of products and equipment related to document production, distribution,
presentation and management. Making good use of this hardware, combined with good
software, will help to improve our internal business processes and, at the same
time, to enhance company-client communication.
The office of the future will be using multi-functional machines. These machines
allow office workers to print, copy, capture images and send and receive by fax
all kinds of documents. The quality/price/performance ratio of these machines is
excellent and, in reality, there are more than enough reasons for any organization
or enterprise to already have at least one.
In the automated office, pre-printed paper consumption will drop significantly as
electronic documents are used, documents which can be printed on-demand, avoiding
the need for storage, distribution and the risk of paper-based documents becoming
obsolete.
Additionally, these 'automated' enterprises have long discovered the advantages
of immediate document distribution and have implemented new processes which permit
online document generation for visualization via the Web and high-quality remote
printing without overloading communication lines.
When new technologies are incorporated in business processes, they will allow companies
to manage the entire document cycle, from the document design to its manually being
filled out for ‘data capture' or its automated completion for data distribution.
The cycle continues with the distribution of the physical (printed) or electronic
document. An electronic image may be created during the completion or generation
process, or when signed by the final client (for delivery notes, for example). The
electronic document image may then be stored for future consultations. Different
document formats are possible to satisfy any need or to meet specific legal requirements.
It is easy to understand the advantages of having high-quality documents at your
immediate disposal, either for immediate use or for future consideration. If an
original invoice or delivery note gets misplaced or is lost, it will not cause stoppage
or delay of administrative processes since an image of the original document can
be easily obtained.
Besides the advantages already pointed out, automated business processes will also
afford important time and cost savings. It's this area that will most motivate enterprises
and organizations, if they're not motivated yet, to change and optimize their document
processes.
In the office of the future, we can expect continued advancement in standards that
facilitate interconnection of document systems and enable more integration with
ERP and CRM systems. The document is the basic form of communication between a business
and its clients. Therefore, its evolution will always be connected with the advancement
of technology that supports business processes.
Everything indicates that this spiral will continue, and that it will make the differences
between organizations that systemize their documents and those that don't even greater.
Another important reason to give serious consideration to documentation challenges
is that large international consulting companies, like Gartner Group, provide among
their offerings, one specific for lending advice to companies dealing with these
types of projects.
As with all ventures, this one is not exempt from risks. One of the most common
errors is the acquisition of incompatible equipment or equipment that presents difficulties
in integration with existing systems. Purchasing by inexpert personnel or without
proper advice, looking for slight reductions in up-front costs, often leads to painful
errors which the company usually must assume in large hidden costs. The software
and inevitable consulting service that must be contracted are no less important,
considering that a properly designed and integrated project will produce, without
a doubt, great satisfaction for its users and the people in charge of its support
and management.
Finally, it is important to keep in mind that it is not necessary to go outside
of our borders to find these products and consulting services, given that in Spain
we already have qualified products and consulting services, including a document
software developer that is successfully competitive in Spain as well as in Europe
and America.