These articles from Computerworld confirm that the paperless office is still a long way from happening. No matter how sophisticated your filing system, use The Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System to keep your office organized and have the ability to find anything in seconds!
Paper prevails over electronic documents
by Mitch Betts
March 9, 2010 — Computerworld
Office employees are loath to give up the vast amount of paper stored in their filing cabinets, much to the chagrin of companies that sell scanners and electronic document management systems.
A recent survey by AIIM, an industry association representing vendors of such products, found that 62% of important documents are still archived in paper form. Even when documents are sent off to be scanned for archiving, 25% are photocopied beforehand “just in case,” the survey found.
“We are at last in a situation where *electronic archiving of records* (see excerpt below) is efficient, effective and can save huge amounts of space, and yet most office staff seem to be hanging on to paper in the mistaken view that there is some legal reason to do so,” said AIIM President John Mancini, in a statement.
“Despite the fact that the legal admissibility of scanned paper documents has been established for nearly 20 years and is nailed down in legislation and standards around the world, there is still this suspicion among users that they may need to produce the original paper copy at some stage,” Mancini said.
The survey also found that many documents are “born digital,” then printed out to be signed and later scanned into document systems.
*Paper cuts: Renewed efforts in the move toward the paperless office*
by Robert L. Mitchell
May 29, 2006 – Computerworld
Paper has been around in one form or another for 5,000 years. Paper money has been the preferred medium of exchange for business transactions for about 1,000 years. For the past 30 years, organizations have been trying — with limited success — to eliminate paper from business processes.
Businesses have made strides in reducing paper flows…but in some areas, however, the use of paper is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Many people still have a cultural preference for paper-based output. For example, Sonora Quest Laboratories in Tempe, Ariz., is automating its medical test lab processes, but at the end of the day, health care providers still want a printout.
“A lot of doctors still want a hard copy. [They] like to show it to the patient,” says CIO Bob Dowd.
People like to have paper copies of documents that represent the final outputs of transactions, says Richard Harper, senior researcher, socio-digital systems at Microsoft Research. “Paper can act as the physical embodiment of a transaction,” such as an insurance policy, he explains.
Even that could eventually change. More than 40% of the workforce was born after 1975 and has always used computers, says Dunn. “They’ve learned to absorb and retain information from screen displays … and they look at paper as redundant,” she says.
Compliance by Hard Copy
Other documents, such as contracts, must be retained on paper for legal or regulatory compliance reasons. “As much as we’ve gone electronic in our core business, we still have contracts, trust agreements, etc., that are required to establish a relationship with the bank,” says Thum. Such documents are scanned, but electronic versions are complementary.
“I would be surprised to see actual, legally binding documents maintained in purely electronic form,” says Ernie Harris, product manager at Raymond James Financial Inc. in St. Petersburg, Fla. The financial services firm uses imaging technology for inbound documents and faxes, but the desire to eliminate paper-based transactions with customers is tempered by regulatory requirements and a cultural preference for signed forms. The company processes hundreds of thousands of paper-based requests to open, update or change customers’ accounts each month.
That paper adds up quickly. A new client who is retired typically opens at least six accounts and signs 20 to 30 pieces of paper, says Harris. Currently, 50% of the company’s transaction requests come in by mail or fax.
Raymond James aims to address that by creating dynamic documents that consist of a common form and modules that can be integrated based on a customer’s needs. “You only have to sign one contract. Now we’re talking about signing one, two or maybe three pieces of paper [instead of 30],” Harris says.
Even though many businesses are storing documents digitally, many originals must still be stored for compliance or legal reasons.
Will there always be paper in your office? Do you think we will ever get to a ‘paperless office environment?’ Comment and let us know your thoughts on paperless office or not.
Read Paper prevails over electronic documents by Mitch Betts full article here.
Read Paper cuts: Renewed efforts in the move toward the paperless office by Robert L. Mitchell full article here.
Tags: document management software, paperless
