"Digital transformation is a fundamental reality for businesses today." - Warren Buffet
The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live and conduct business. As a result, companies must adopt digital transformation to bring speed and agility in business, increase efficiency, improve productivity, and enhance customer experience.
According to the latest McKinsey survey, only 11% of respondents believe their current business models will be economically viable through 2023, while 64% say their companies need to build new digital businesses to help them get there.
Transformation is not easy—but organizations that postpone their digital transformation risk becoming obsolete in today's rapidly evolving technological landscape. Business processes, methods of communication and collaboration, and turnaround times which we considered good a few years ago, are now outdated. Businesses must achieve a level of digital maturity to provide customer-centric products and services that give them a distinct competitive edge.
Companies that adopt transformative technology and ramp up their digital capabilities will win the race.
Digitize to transform!
Much like a caterpillar metamorphoses into a butterfly, step-by-step digitization is the first phase of your journey toward digital transformation!
The term digital transformation has a wide variety of uses and implications:
According to Gartner, "Digital transformation can refer to anything from IT modernization (for example, cloud computing), to digital optimization, to the invention of new digital business models."
Gartner's definition goes on to explain that the term also refers to modest initiatives such as putting services online or legacy modernization. Thus, the term is more like digitization than digital business transformation.
Going digital—step by step
Companies with a purely physical presence (popularly known as brick and mortar businesses) are now creating an online presence and leveraging technologies to stay relevant and gear up for the future.
At the first stages of digitization, you must convert information from paper-based formats to digital format.
For example:
- Scan all paper documents into digital file formats (JPG, PNG, PDF)
- Convert paper forms into digital data capture forms or online forms
- Capture handwritten notes via advanced OCR
- Convert typed or handwritten reports into digital data for analysis
Digitizing data and documents lays the foundation for digital transformation. It saves physical storage space. Data is usually stored on the cloud so that employees can access it easily from smart devices, at any time, and from anywhere.
Next, you must convert manual, paper-based processes and workflows to digital. This stage involves capturing data directly in digital format, scanning all paper documents at source and moving toward a paperless culture. Processes become automated and software-driven as opposed to person-dependent.
Automation eliminates routine, mundane tasks, time-consuming paperwork and decreases the chances of errors and delays. Moreover, it improves existing business processes, provides greater visibility and accuracy, increases productivity and efficiency.
Transitioning from legacy paper-intensive processes and adopting new technology is the need of the hour.
Document Scanning: First step to digitization
Digitizing documents enables them to be stored electronically for quick retrieval, easy tracking, and access from any computer or mobile device.
MES offers confidential and cost-effective document scanning services to convert your paper-based documents to digital formats.
Our secure and customized scanning services offer many benefits to organizations on a digital transformation journey:
- Preserve critical business data
- Instant access to digital data in real-time to enable remote collaboration
- Real-time, affordable electronic backup of documents
- Eliminate the need for expensive physical storage space
- Ensure business continuity or recovery during disasters or unexpected calamities
Document management and its significance for digital transformation
A Document Management System or DMS provides a structure to how you file, store, retrieve and secure all your critical documents. It also streamlines and digitizes document workflows and automatically routes documents to relevant authorized users for faster processing. A DMS, particularly a cloud-based one, offers many benefits:
- Speeds up workflows by routing documents automatically to appropriate personnel and enabling one-click approvals
- Improves visibility of documents, their statuses, and approval processes across the enterprise
- Version control enables remote employees to work collaboratively on the same documents while maintaining track of changes, revisions, redrafts and allowing reverts to original versions.
- Rule-based security restricts access to authorized personnel only.
In paper-based workflows, the approval process is person-dependent and time-consuming and can lead to bottlenecks and delays. In addition, sometimes it is difficult to track whether the document is misplaced or is pending approval on someone's desk!
A DMS connects processes, making operations faster. It helps executives and stakeholders make smarter, data-driven decisions.
By embracing digital transformation technologies, companies bring agility and flexibility into traditional functions like accounts, HR, and administration.
MES: Your digital transformation partner
"How you gather, manage, use information will determine whether you win or lose." - Bill Gates
At MES, we believe that information is power. And we work to bring the power of your information to your fingertips—making the right information available at the right time in the right digital format to ensure your business success. Prioritizing investments in digitization initiatives will fuel future growth.
MES is a preferred document scanning and document management solutions provider with over 40 years of experience.
We have a proven track record of successful digitization projects for companies across various industries and sectors, including Manufacturing, Financial Services, Health Care, Education, Government, Library & Archives, and more.
Remember, there is no alternative to digital transformation
Gear up for digital transformation now!
Reach out to MES. Our robust scanning services, document management solutions, project management expertise, and outsourced business processing services enable document-intensive businesses to adopt a paperless culture effortlessly—and with complete peace of mind.
Get a free quote for your digital business transformation journey today!