Earth Day Reflections: How to Improve the Environment Around and Within Your Workplace with Streamlined Processing

By Sylvia Feldman, Corporate Writer, Optical Image Technology, Inc.

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In celebration of Earth Day, we often try to implement lifestyle changes that lessen our ecological footprint and our consumption of resources. For the adventurous among us, this might involve conversion from fossil fuels to biodiesel, implementing a geothermal system, or installing solar panels. For most of us, the day inspires thoughts of less grandiose and less ambitious activities— gardening, composting, using canvas shopping bags and cloth napkins, and switching to compact fluorescent bulbs.

Honoring Earth Day in the workplace is not nearly as straightforward. Environmental activism might involve energy star partnership, implementation of recycling bins, Fair Trade coffee purchases, or carpooling. However, if we think beyond the obvious measures, we can significantly impact the environment for the better merely by making our processes more efficient. This often means a reduction of paper, toner, and other consumables used in the workplace. The net result is a win-win situation for both our businesses and our planet.

The foundation: electronic document management

Electronic document management (EDM) is a fundamental component of paper reduction in the workplace. Unfortunately, many companies make the mistake of thinking that EDM consists solely of document imaging and electronic storage. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although simple electronic storage helps organizations to find information faster, it provides very few options for improving organizational efficiency. In most cases, it is little more than an electronic facsimile of a filing cabinet. While electronic storage may help you take steps to reduce wasted consumables in the office, there remains potential to do far more.

Like electronic storage, a true EDM system provides organizations with immediate access to their information. Both afford opportunities for businesses to recycle their paper and convert storage areas to something more useful. This is where the similarities end. The point at which simple electronic storage systems peak is a launching site for a robust EDM system. EDM has maximized efficiency in organizations across all industries, eliminating waste and helping the environment while saving time, money, and resources.

Eliminating waste: effective reports management slows the paper chase

One of the greatest savings offered by an EDM system is the ability to capture reports electronically. Whether your organization is a claims office sending reports to adjusters, a financial aid department, or a payroll office, you can eliminate printing reams of paper that are often subsequently discarded or destroyed by tapping into the power of COLD-ERM reports management software. Some companies report saving 90% or more in consumables per year by implementing an EDM system, paying for the implementation and dramatically increasing company profits in a very short time.

Robust reports management tools help people capture, locate, sort, and analyze information electronically, saving printing for the times that printed materials are truly needed. Prior to the recent implementation of an EDM system, one school district used to regularly—ten times per pay period—print out an entire ream of payroll reports. Reports had to be printed in their entirety, even if only one employee had missed a paycheck. After the reports were printed, they were either archived or shredded. The district addressed this waste by implementing an EDM system that had the ability to communicate with its student information system software. The need for wasteful printing was eliminated, saving paper, toner, and time. The district further saves resources by using the EDM system to store its school board minutes, and anticipates using the system to format and store student records (including permanent transcripts).

Effective email management: saving trees and more

To address stringent and changing compliance measures, organizations need effective methods to document important email correspondence. For some organizations, this is a manual process that involves first printing their email messages, then sending them to a batch to be scanned and indexed for future retrieval, wasting considerable materials during the information transfer. Companies whose EDM systems include robust email management tools, however, have the ability to import email messages directly into their respective storage reservoirs, significantly reducing wasted paper, toner, and delivery costs. Processing time is typically reduced from weeks to days, or days to hours, reducing staff stress while enabling better service. An added benefit is better accountability, as an email management tool can establish custody chains and audit trails – again, electronically, without wasting paper.

Companies can further improve their processing time from hours to minutes by incorporating digital workflow into their email management scheme. Whereas time is not necessarily an environmental resource, the paper, resources, and fossil fuels that are removed from the manual equation demonstrate that an efficient office can offer ecological contributions.

Reducing fossil fuels: the role of the World Wide Web

Consider the environmental impact that an EDM system with Internet capabilities has— particularly with regard to the consumption of fossil fuels. When remote customers, clients, and staff are able to submit information over the Internet, the need for paper is eliminated, the number of errors is significantly reduced, and the potential for creating unnecessary, multiple sets of paper due to misfiling or losing papers is eliminated. What is not so obvious is that the need to transport those materials to the organization requiring them is also eliminated. A robust workflow product has the ability to deliver electronic forms and other submissions to staff whenever and wherever it is required for processing. It also has the ability to analyze information and provide electronic reports, all without a single piece of paper and no risk of loss. Associated materials, whether they are parts of medical records, student applications, insurance claims, or other documentation, can be used to assemble electronic files and populate databases without the need for human intervention.

Protecting the environment with a paperless environment

By implementing an EDM system, an auto insurance company that serves drivers in twentyfour states was able to completely circumvent the need for paper-based processes. Although the insurance industry is typically paper-intensive, this company has operated in a paperless environment since its inception in 1999. Policy quotes and purchase are offered over the Web, eliminating much of the company’s paper costs and affirming its commitment to the environment. This insurer has instant access to policyholder information and—by eliminating the need to wade through piles of paper and files—is able to provide superior customer service. Workflow facilitates automation and electronic routing, which further enhances paperless productivity.

The big picture

When our homes and vehicles are more efficient, it can have a positive and renewing impact on the environment. By educating ourselves about available options and enacting simple, environmentally-friendly changes in our routines and purchasing decisions, we can significantly enhance our overall quality of life. As we have seen, it is possible to broaden our environmental impact by streamlining our business processes. By exploring the unlimited possibilities that a robust EDM system can offer to your business, you open yourself up to the potential to improve your productivity, gain a competitive edge, and improve the environment that extends well beyond that of your organization.

Big changes start with small changes. This April, consider making a resolution to look into ways you can help the environment before Earth Day arrives again in 2008. Together, each of us and our businesses can make a difference, helping to create a happier and cleaner work environment while helping the planet. Happy Earth Day!

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