The reality for many organizations is that uncontrolled information – and especially paper -- still has a stranglehold on day-to-day activities. Many tasks requiring review and approval still require physical interactions with paper-based information. There is clearly room and opportunity for business organizations to maximize their information use and value as well as lower operating costs by removing paper from their business processes.
Information capture is the first step in being paper-free, whether it is digitizing paper using scanners, or capturing digitally created information immediately and maintaining it in digital form.
Consider the following eleven data points from AIIM research pointing to the challenges associated with managing unstructured information:
- 65% of organizations say they are still “signing” on paper.
- Paper is still with us despite everything - only 43% of organizations say paper is decreasing in their organizations.
- The human factor is still the primary reason for paper use for handling, reading, and note taking (47%), along with lack of a management plan to move away from paper (47%).
- 39% of organizations say they lack understanding and awareness when it comes to paper-free options.
- 66% of organizations report rising numbers of digital inbound documents.
- 38% of organizations say that they now receive more digital invoices than those in paper form.
- When it comes to converting key business processes, Accounts Payables (AP) is the top priority for 30% of organizations.
- 36% of organizations say they have a combination of paper and digital content in the same workflows.
- 43% of organizations say the removal of paper from processes should be a constant objective.
- Key benefits identified in gaining control of uncontrolled information are faster customer response (50%) and higher productivity (42%).
- 45% of organizations report payback of their information capture investments in less than six months.