Just a reminder, that World Paper Free Day is November 4th! That means it's just around the corner!
Until then, here are eight paper-free nuggets to get the juices flowing from our latest research, Paper-Free Progress: Measuring Outcomes.
Paper in the Office-only 17% of respondents work in what could be described as a paper-free office. 31% admit their office is piled high with paper documents and paper processes. 40% still use paper for filing “important stuff," and 56% are wed to signatures on paper for contracts and order forms.
20% report that their consumption of paper is increasing, but for 49% it is decreasing, including 11% where it is decreasing rapidly. This 2015 net of 29% compares with 23% net in 2014 and 3% net in 2011.
55% report that paper flowing through their processes is decreasing, including 12% rapidly decreasing. With 20% increasing, this net of 35% compares with 21% in 2014 and 21% in 2011.
The number of organizations actively looking at every process for paper elimination has grown from 9% in 2014 to 16% in 2015, including just 3% who feel they have reached the limit. 36% feel they are making good progress, with just 7% sticking with paper processes – down from 11% in 2014.
Lack of management initiatives is given equal weight to staff preferences (49%) as the reason there is still so much paper around. 39% feel there is a general lack of understanding of paper-free options.
41% are using OCR in some form. 23% are capturing process data, including 9% using intelligent/adaptive workflows. 16% are not using OCR, but workflow flat images, and 18% scan primarily for archive.
The biggest driver for scanning and data capture is improved searchability and sharability (53%). Higher productivity, reduced storage space, and faster response are all key drivers. 27% have an environmental policy to reduce paper usage.
40% of organizations report that more than half of their invoices are now delivered electronically - but 35% agree that most get printed anyway. 31% agree that most of the paper documents they retain are only there for the signatures and that most of the documents they scan are unchanged from printer to scanner.