Five Outdated Business Processes We Keep Doing “Just Because”

Do you ever find yourself answering the question of “why are we doing it this way?” with “Because we’ve always done it this way.”? You’re certainly not alone. Think about restrictive dress codes, or archaic policies, or even the vendors you work with. Outdated business processes tend to increase their shelf life in organizations “just because.” What about the answer, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”? However, if you analyze the impact of an outdated business process on your bottom line, your ability to compete and service your customers, and the time it’s steals from your employees...it IS broken, and it needs to be supplanted by a better way.

Document management technology has been adopted as the better way by businesses in every industry worldwide. Here are just a few ways that automating processes and eliminating paper-based management is providing a different answer than “just because.”

Manual AP

If your AP department is still processing invoices manually, then human error is very much still a costly risk to your business. A simple mistake like a decimal point here, or misplaced data there, can have significant financial impacts on your business as a whole. Beyond that, it costs more than money - it costs time. It’s no fault of the employees in that position; it’s just the way they’ve always done it. However, an electronic or automated payables process would provide them with a better way. These solutions speed up approvals and exceptions resolution, which helps AP departments avoid late penalties, stalled invoices, and inaccurate accruals, ultimately resulting in less risk, and easier accounting audits.

Controlling information

If you look around your office space, are there desks or offices that are consistently weighed down by paper documents and files? Those are the employees who feel the need to “hoard” or control information in the form of paper documents and records. The problem with this process is that it inhibits information sharing, knowledge transfer, and collaboration. This is considered an outdated approach to controlling information. What happens when these individuals are on vacation, and another employee needs to access essential documents? Work all but grinds to a halt. It’s also dangerous for business owners NOT to know (or have immediate access to) critical business information and insights. It is vital that you have control over your business information to improve workflow, customer service, and cash flows in a controlled digital environment.

Paper-intensive HR

Human resources, by its very nature, can be incredibly reliant on keeping and distributing paper records and documents. At least, that’s how it’s always been done. However, we know that “just because” can be harmful to productivity, efficiency, and business growth. Centralized document management will effectively alleviate your HR teams from laborious paperwork so that they can focus on core business processes. Staff information, sick leave and holiday records, overtime logging, and expenses are just a few of the many HR procedures that can be centralized and automated. Imagine the time they could get back by capturing, sorting and distributing applications and resumes automatically? Fragmented or disorganized employee information takes time to gather and coordinate, and that’s when mistakes happen.

Rethink the “just because” processes in your own business. How are they impacting your ability to improve, retain and grow talent and ultimately, compete in the market?