Saving Money with Workflow Management Systems
One of benefits of workflow solutions is reducing dependence on paper-based systems. In 2001, Gartner discovered that a single paper form can cost an organisation anywhere between $30 and $165 to process and enter.
The paperless office is still a fantasy to many organizations, but once systems are streamlined and workflow solutions are in place, paper wastage is dramatically reduced. Less paper wastage means more money, higher profits and less impact on the environment.
Today, people are printing more than ever before despite the widespread use of e-mail and electronic information. The average employee uses 10,000 sheets of paper a year, of which 17% are waste.
It’s not only about a simple reduction in the use of paper. A workflow system also improves efficiency across all areas of the organization. A typical employee can spend up to 500 hours reviewing and routing forms and emails and another 150 hours each year, looking for incorrectly filed documents.
For every form generated in an organization, the following occurs:
- 19 copies are made
- 1 out of 20 are lost
- 150 hours per year are spent looking for incorrectly filed documents
- 25 hours are spent recreating documents
Workflow systems integrate departments into one efficient software solution, combining all areas of the business. The integration of paper into the digital workflow, if done properly, will produce a complete information solution combining both paper-based and digital-based documents.
These document workflow solutions will ultimately:
- Increase operational efficiency
- Increase employee productivity
- Improve compliance
- Ensure business continuity
While workflow systems are beneficial to organisations, their employees and customers alike, it is vital that the workflow solution chosen is implemented correctly by an experienced workflow expert - with the minimum amount of downtime. Be wary of organisations providing workflow solutions that plan a complete overhaul of your systems at once, across all departments. A sudden, company-wide change that attempts too much too soon, will fail to deliver any savings or improved processes.
The higher the savings expected, the greater the change to the organisations. Too much change all at once over all departments is not ideal. Rather, find a workflow solutions company that can implement improvement processes one at a time and can deliver these solutions quickly. Undertaking one area at a time is the most beneficial, and has a higher success rate, than trying to solve all workflow problems at once. Implementing workflow solutions by following a stepped process, allows for speedier delivery of systems, far less downtime and faster results for the organisation.
After using workflow solutions, businesses notice the following benefits:
- Faster, online access to information
- Greater visibility of where things are at
- Greater collaboration on projects
- People can complete tasks at the same time rather than waiting for someone to pass them a piece of paper
- Consistent and accurate audit trails for Auditors
- Increased operational efficiency
- Ability to identify bottlenecks
- Streamlining and automating of business processes
- Reduced delays by intelligent routing of forms to the right person at the right time
- Fewer paper storage needs
- Fewer “lost” forms with signatures on them
References:
Feldman, Duhl, Marobella & Crawford. 2005. The hidden costs of information work.
www.scribd.com/doc/6138369/Whitepaper-IDC-Hidden-Costs-0405. Retrieved May 2009.
McCool, C. 2008. How to reduce printing costs. www.scribd.com/doc/6061343/Green-Print-Technologies-White-Paper-September-2008. Retrieved May 2009.
Omtool. 2007. Waste and the paper chase. www.omtool.com/products/paperChaseWhitepaper.pdf. Retrieved May 2009.
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