Until Paper Is Extinct Scanning Solutions Are Important

Until Paper Is Extinct Scanning Solutions Are Important

I came across the above statement while reading the assorted Blogs that I subscribe to. This Blog entry brought back memories of the early days document management.

Some years ago I worked with analog document capture in the halcyon days information management. We all felt that analog document archiving was the precursor to the coming of the paperless office. He we are now some 25 years later and it seems that we are still in search of the paperless office. I decided to surf my way through the paperless office and share what I found with you:

From Small Business Trends - Entrepreneurs: Remember the Promise of the Paperless Office?

“When computers first started hitting every desktop, “experts” predicted we’d all be using paperless offices by the end of the 20th century. Welcome to the 21st century, with paper more ubiquitous than ever.”

From ArticleSnatch.com  - Moving To A Paperless Office

“How long have we been hearing that the "paperless office" is just around the corner? That the latest digital office device or business-card-scanning program is the final ingredient for the long-awaited, enviro-friendly office? The battle cries for the paperless office began with the advent of personal computers that were actually affordable and productive enough to buy for the average business owner. That means we are entering the fourth decade of this movement, and are still a long way from the goal.”

From EfficientCEO.com - The Truth About The Paperless Office

“I remember being told as a kid that the year 2010 would bring about the flying car, teleportation devices and the paperless office. While I didn’t expect flying cars and teleportation devices to truly be here by now, I did actually think our world could be paperless. The term paperless was first introduced in a 1975 Newsweek article called “The Office Of The Future” (published June 30, 1975) which touted the concept of a fully automated office without paper. So why hasn’t it happened? The truth is, it has started but hasn’t been fully realized yet.”

The consensus, the promised land of the paperless office is still slightly out of reach. However, I take a contrarian view to the statements above. While it may be true that a totally 100% paper free company is hard to find, there are companies that are leading the charge to go paperless. My company, Data Reduction Systems,  has been involved with a number of initiatives that have indeed helped departments within various companies go 100% paperless.

In conclusion, paperless won’t just happen, it will take careful planning and execution to make this your reality. Good partners document management partners, like DRS, are crucial to helping you make the move to paperless. Why not give me a call today to discuss how DRS can help you meet your paperless goals.

Thanks for reading.

Marc

Data Reduction Systems
Vice President, Business Development marcc@drscorp.com
Office - 908.687.5636
Expanding the potential. Fulfilling the promise.

A Tale of Two Ideas - Under One Roof vs. Custom(er) Service

We have all gotten used to "Big-Box" (BB) shopping; buying everything we need from one store. In theory this is a great idea. I park my car once and I now have access to apples, an Apple as well tires for my car. Two of the vaunted promises of BB shopping are convenience as well as low prices. I'm sure that like me you have discovered that low prices come in package sizes and products that are not always what I was looking for. Truth be told, how many of us need a 5lb can of tuna fish.

These stores assume that you know exactly what you are doing and therefore need little help. This works well if you know how to install a toilet or hook up a complex home stereo system. Recently, I have begun a revolution of sorts, shopping at local specialty retailers when given the chance. Sure I might pay a few extra dollars for what I need but the trade off in savings yields other benefits. I can get exemplary service and the chance to purchase what I need, not a variation of what I need. Customer service will always trump marginal savings. In the long, the smaller local retailer will offer you support beyond your original purchase which in turn will trump the initial savings you might have realized at the BB retailer.

The same analogy outlined above exists in the business world as well. Companies will sometimes look at BB vendors and assume because everything is offered under one roof that they will get the best service, products and costs from this vendor. Then comes the tradeoff, poor customer service, products that are not the right fit and in the long run, higher operational costs. It seems to me that even big companies can at time be better served by smaller specialty companies - like DRS. We pride ourselves on offering solutions that fit our customers’ requirements; we do not sell solutions that require change by our customers’. Not only do we sell what our customers need, more times than not we are selling these solutions for less money than our BB competitors.  To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson –a little revolution now and then is a good thing. Join the DRS revolution and evaluate all alternatives before taking the BB plunge, you won’t regret it!

Thanks for reading. 

Marc

Data Reduction Systems
Vice President, Business Development marcc@drscorp.com
Office - 908.687.5636
Expanding the potential. Fulfilling the promise.