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BOTTOM LINE
Some of the results of a recent AIIM survey, which forms the basis of the 'Paper Wars' report, are truly impressive: for example, 60% of respondents say they have seen ROI on their paper-free projects within 12 months, and more than three-quarters had done so within 18 months. That sort of statistic is something that can really affect your bottom line in the short term. Managing paper costs a lot of money: there's the cost of buying the paper itself, printing costs, fax/copier equipment and supplies, distribution, postal costs, courier services, filing supplies and cabinets, storage space as well as staff time spent handling, managing and filing it all. These all add up.

Other findings were that 68% of respondents said that they thought that 'business-at-the-speed-of-paper' will be 'unacceptable in just a few years' time' and around half of businesses surveyed claimed that the biggest single productivity improvement they could introduce to their business would be to reduce or remove paper. However, despite these assertions, only one in five has a board-level endorsed policy to actually reduce paper and more than one in five (21%) organisations are actually increasing their paper consumption. So what is behind this disconnect between aims and reality and what can be done to address it?

PAPER, PAPER, EVERYWHERE
Ever since electronic communications were first created, people have been discussing the possibility of a paperless office, but it's probably safe to say that a completely paperless office is almost certainly not going to happen any time soon. The technology may exist, but a culture shift needs to happen and that takes time. However, that doesn't mean that you can't and shouldn't take small steps towards moving away from the traditional paper-based filing systems of filing cabinets, folders, shelves and microfiche systems, all of which require maintenance, equipment and considerable space.

In AIIM's 2014 research 'Paper Wars', more than half of respondents admitted printing personal paper copies to take to a meeting, or to add a signature. They also use printed copies for reading offline or out-of-the-office (50%), and particularly to review and mark-up drafts (45%). Respondents also said a lack of management initiatives (47%) and the (perceived) need for physical signatures, especially in legal documents, (44%) were the two main reasons why there was still so much paper in their business processes. Despite the alternatives - stylus input, automated verification, digitally encrypted signatures and web signatures - people still seem to crave the comfort of a physical 'wet ink' signature.

Perhaps unsurprisingly legal and finance departments were considered to be the most resistant to the introduction of paper-free working, followed by HR and general administration.

MOVING FORWARD
So rather than aiming for a completely paper-free workplace, perhaps we should just be aiming for a few paper-free processes one step at a time?

A good start would be to convert documents and other papers into digital form, preferably on entry into the office. The concept of scanning all inbound mail at point-of-entry and routing it around the business electronically is very attractive, especially if it can significantly reduce or even eliminate internal mail distribution. Our survey asked those who consider they have a digital mailroom scenario, what proportion of mail they scan (not including brochures, junk mail, etc.). 45% are scanning half or more of incoming mail, and 34% are scanning three-quarters. A significant 23% are scanning 90% or even 100%.

The concept of a digital mailroom does not rely on the use of large central mailroom scanners. Mail capture can be distributed across branch offices, and can be readily outsourced. Although the investment in scanners and capture servers for scan-on-entry systems can be considerable, most respondents saw a strong ROI, with 38% reporting payback in 12 months or less, and 60% within 18 months.

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