Moving from Paper Woes to Efficient Workflows: Making the Most of Automated Document Processing

by Optical Image Technology

(Note: This article was originally published in the July 2007 edition of document eNotes)

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Businesses today are faced with mountains of information. Research suggests that the volume of data companies need to store and access will continue its dramatic increase. The desire for immediate service, the upsurge in remote workers, tighter regulations, and high-profile audits have collectively resulted in a greater need to access information at any time, from any location, in the manner in which we want to see it.

Organizations have always depended on having their mission-critical information secure, well organized, and accessible to those who need it. Today, it is equally important for information to be available to ensure quality control and service, as well as for audits and compliance. Effective digital storage and automated processing can end the paper chase. Together, they help a company achieve standards of quality and service that enable it to compete effectively and satisfy strict external regulations. Digital storage and automated document processing make the goals of organization, accessibility, accountability, and first-rate service more easily achieved; but several steps are critical in order to guarantee their effectiveness.

1. Effective capture: Get Everything You Need Into One Place

Automated document processing starts with effective capture. Data, images, and communications are contained in phone calls, emails, faxes, letters, photographs, and both structured and unstructured documents. Much of this data can be captured through intelligent scanning and barcode recognition software, then catalogued and prepared for storage or action. On-line forms eliminate the paper chase, preventing errors that occur from manual entry. The value of digitizing information is the ability to store and search for everything, regardless of its source, in a single centralized repository. This ensures information is not needlessly replicated, misfiled, or lost forever. It is a major step toward efficiency.

2. Data Integrity: Make Sure Your Valuable Information is Stored Properly

The purpose of storing information is to be able to access it when it is needed. Digital storage makes it available on demand, but it only has value if the data is clearly readable. Verifying that the information you captured is correct, complete, and clearly understandable is essential. Today’s systems can validate the majority of captured information automatically, indicating when there is uncertainty. This dramatically accelerates the validation process, making accurate information available quickly.

Whether data is scanned, has barcodes, or is created electronically, there is the additional danger of ineffective indexing. Data needs to be located easily by everyone who needs it. Interviewing end users who will need to access the data, understanding how they search for information, and defining a cohesive indexing plan is critical to ensure the indexing is consistent and complete. Without a candid and thorough evaluation that involves the users, the documents and data may be inaccessible or difficult to find, and might as well be locked in a safe.

3. Unwanted Silos: Avoid Disconnects in Information

Even companies that have set clearly defined procedures run the risk of creating isolated silos of information that mirror paper storage. Forward thinking mitigates this risk. Department heads should plan not only for the capture, storage, and indexing of departmental information in the way their departments need to use it; they also should understand how other departments can benefit from the same data. The value of digital storage is minimized unless an interdepartmental approach is part of the conversation and process automation is tapped. Coordinating interdepartmental dialogue is essential early in the automation process.

4. Process Discovery: Examine the Present with an Open Mind

Organizations that are serious about leveraging technology for maximum benefit to the enterprise are wise to invest in the time for thorough process discovery. Manual processes may have gaps or inconsistencies regarding how documents, situations, and exceptions are handled. Steps may exist that can be consolidated or eliminated. Without a thorough process discovery, the inefficiencies of manual processing are repeated through automation – faster, but equally ineffective.

Automating a business’s routine processes with rules-based digital workflow enables a company to handle documents, people, situations, and exceptions consistently. A candid evaluation from an independent third party or a vendor that offers services in business process analysis provides a helpful check against existing inefficiencies that may be challenging to recognize internally. A savvy project manager with a clear vision, or a vendor’s professional services analyst who understands the business need, can create a process model that will eradicate unnecessary steps. They can help you design a business model that emanates efficiency and achieves your goals.

5. Automated Workflow: Expedite the Routing of Information

One of the challenges of paper processing is the number of people who handle documents and the corresponding risk for misfiling, misplacement, and loss as the papers get pushed through a routine process. Information gets waylaid on desks, employee turnover results in slowdowns and missing documents, and miscommunications occur. A well-conceived workflow process sets rules in place that address every situation and exception that a business faces. It can route materials forward based on employee workload, circular distribution, and can send materials through a pre-established hierarchy of approvals if a person is on vacation or not available. Materials no longer need to wait – the system is ready to respond, and is able to keep documents and processes moving forward.

6. Communicating the Vision: Understanding Future Needs

History teaches us that what serves us well today does not necessarily do so in the future; yet anyone who invests in a solution does not want to risk owning something that is “here today, gone tomorrow.” Technology advances quickly, and when a company invests in a document processing solution, it wants to be served well for a long time. Having a vision for where your organization should be in five or ten years, and choosing a solution that can grow with you, is a vital part of the equation. Equally critical is the importance of choosing vendors who will listen to your challenges and needs and will continue to ensure your success in the long term.

A good vendor should be as invested in your longterm success as you are. Good listening skills, the willingness to discuss options, and the prompt response to all inquiries are signs that your vendors take your investment seriously. Even if the technology is strong, if you are not receiving good indications from your vendors, shop elsewhere.

Efficient Automated Document Processing: The Future is Bright

Automating a business’s processes requires careful planning, but the payoffs are great. Better service, lower costs, and greater productivity and accountability are just a few. Capture, validate, communicate, evaluate, automate, and plan with an eye to the future...you’ll be sure to succeed.

For more information about indexing, workflow, and process automation, see the following articles: Five Tips for Effective Indexing Across Your Enterprise: What your document management vendor should be telling you (February, 2007); All Aboard the Workflow Express: Customer Service Takes the Fast Track (Document, January, 2007); and Facing Fear to Implement the Right Software for Your Organization (Document, March 2006). For information about Optical Image Technology’s workflow and document management software and services, visit our website at www.docfinity.com, call 814-238-0038, or contact us at info@docfinity.com.

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