COVID-19 undoubtedly accelerated the adoption of digital technology by companies across sectors and industries. Remote working and the resultant need for collaborative tools for geographically dispersed teams were the focus in 2020. 2021 brings in a new era in which organizations must consolidate their product or service offerings, staff requirements, and office spaces. They must review their existing technology infrastructure to prepare for the new normal—the hybrid work model. In this hybrid work culture, a certain percentage of employees will continue to work remotely. Teams will have to work collaboratively even if they are not in the same physical location.
Why is digital transformation essential for me now in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Digital transformation is the process of improving business processes through the effective adoption of technology. It is no longer a buzzword for the future or a nice-to-have initiative for organizations. The pandemic has pushed us to a point where business continuity now depends on our ability to digitize business processes.
Digital initiatives deliver a transformed customer experience and facilitate business growth—but let's also focus on what happens within the organization. When your workforce is scattered and must overcome the challenges of remote working, technology is the key to engage remote workers and enable effective collaboration and productivity.
Eventually, this leads your organization to gain a competitive advantage and differentiate your services in the marketplace, creating value for the stakeholders. A digital transformation strategy positions your organization to thrive in a future where technology is the key economic driver.
With the current crisis showing no signs of ebbing, it is essential for IT teams in organizations to accelerate their efforts to support scalable work-from-home models and maintain productivity.
Digitized data is the key that unlocks transformation!
Digital transformation initiatives rely on analyzing business information and using the data for achieving insights. We measure the success of transformative initiatives by the business and process insights revealed by the data. These insights allow stakeholders to review and re-prioritize the digitization initiatives and make strategic realignments if recourse is needed. Data insights provide enhanced and real-time reporting, which helps improve process workflows for higher efficiencies.
Go paperless: Benefits of document scanning
Organizations must ensure that they capture information from physical documents continuously and consistently. One way to achieve this is to scan physical documents on an ongoing basis and integrate digital records into day-to-day operations. Legacy process improvements are necessary for digital transformation and to support the current requirements for remote working.
MES offers a Scan to Zero service that scans a set amount of paper documents per month. Scanning in small batches avoids any business downtime or disruption. It is a continuous background activity and keeps paper out of the office! The scanned documents then reside in a Document Management System (DMS) or on a Cloud server. The original paper records are kept in long-term storage till their retention date and sent for shredding on expiration.
Let's look at some key benefits of converting paper records to digital:
#1 Reclaim expensive office space
Renting or buying office space in a business district is expensive and accounts for one of the main cost heads for the organization. In the last year, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing most employees to work from home, organizations reviewed their office space requirements. Downsizing offices to save on real estate is now a common trend. Digitization supports downsizing—converting paper records to digital ones means less document storage space is required.
#2 Mitigate risk
Securing information from natural disasters or restoring them after a calamity is a daunting task for most organizations. Document digitization gives them an affordable and convenient way to back up their paper files using cloud storage. Digitization enables organizations to prepare an effective disaster recovery program that mitigates the risk of data loss.
#3 Corporate security
The cost of penalties and damages due to unauthorized access to sensitive information and data breaches is exceptionally high. Digitization and electronic document management systems restrict unauthorized access to files by applying rules-based security logic and prevent unintentional data loss or intended misuse.
#4 Improve collaboration
As hybrid workplaces become the post-pandemic norm, we will continue to see high demand for technologies that enable team collaboration. Employees must be able to access files securely from anywhere on any device. Physical files and documents are nearly impossible to share and transfer in remote working scenarios. Digital files residing in a robust DMS allow all team members to instantly access any files they need and collaborate in real-time.
Competing in today's highly dynamic market is a challenge. Organizations want to stay agile and flexible to meet the changing demands of customers and empower their employees to maintain productivity even as they work remotely. Going paperless and adopting tools for digital collaboration is the only option.
Talk to MES for your document digitization needs. Our document scanning and document management services are your first step toward digital transformation. Contact us for a free quote and for more details about how we can help your business go paperless.