In order to remain competitive in the digital age, it is crucial for businesses to adopt digitization. As per the latest IDG Digital Business Study, the majority of organizations have either already implemented or are planning to adopt digital-first strategies. This trend is particularly prominent among enterprises, with 96% having already adopted or planning to adopt digital-first strategies, and 86% among SMBs. Additionally, Gartner has reported that 65% of IT executives have expedited their digital transformation initiatives over the last year. To achieve complete digitization, businesses plan to spend an average of $16.5 million on digital initiatives, with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, and cloud computing.
However, merely implementing a digital-first strategy is not enough. It must be followed through with action to enable a business to become a digital leader and exceed customer expectations. Delaying execution will only place a business in a position where it must play catch up for several years.
Transitioning into a digital business can save enterprises a significant amount of time and money by automating manual tasks, reducing errors, and allowing business to occur anywhere, anytime, through mobile devices. Every moment a business postpones the shift, the more time and money is being wasted on manual tasks.
Key elements for successful digitization
Initiating digitization in a business can often begin with document scanning, which sets the foundation for digital transformation. To ensure success in this endeavor, four key components should be considered:
- Document storage: Decide where to store scanned documents, whether it be on the network or in the cloud. Mobile access is important to consider as it enables the benefits of digitization to be realized from anywhere. Collaboration with the IT department is crucial to determine any security concerns or modifications needed based on the type of information to be stored.
- Access policy: Create a policy for controlling access based on the role and need of employees, as not all documents need to be accessed by every employee. Such policies can be designed to track document access and aid in determining the source of internal theft or breaches.
- Scanning workflow: Design a scanning process that suits the employees and meets their needs. Evaluate the existing workflow and make necessary revisions to include the new process. Identify opportunities for optimization based on digitization and have multiple employees test the new workflow before making further adjustments.
- Support: Assign a support person to assist in troubleshooting issues and enhancing employee productivity. Providing a brief FAQ can reduce the number of questions and issues. Track support calls to facilitate process and training improvement.
1.Create a document management plan.
Develop a formal plan for digitizing documents, utilizing the four components of a digitization strategy to establish an organizational foundation. Appoint a team of employees and leaders from all affected departments, and seek approval from management before proceeding.
2.Conduct a document audit.
Resist the urge to hastily begin scanning documents without adequate preparation. Start by conducting a comprehensive inventory of all paper and digital documents used for internal and external purposes. Create a cloud-based inventory that provides a list of all documents, their location, and purpose.
3.Provide training on the new workflow and technology.
Introducing new technology can be daunting and negatively impact productivity if employees are uncertain how to use it. Assess your employees’ familiarity with document management systems and scanners. Develop a brief training session that covers the new document scanning process. As scheduling a face-to-face meeting may be difficult, consider creating a short video that employees can watch at their convenience, and provide sample materials for practice.
4.Implement the plan.
Select a suitable launch date for the new workflow, taking into account the time required to ensure a smooth transition. It is advisable to choose a time when there is a low volume of customer issues or other work tasks.
5.Assess the process.
After a few weeks of implementing the new process, meet with the employees involved to evaluate its effectiveness. Address any concerns or suggestions for improvement and update the document management policy accordingly. Be sure to communicate the changes to all team members working on the project.
6.Digitize additional document types.
Once the first phase is successfully implemented, add a new document type to the scanning project. Utilize the process outlined in the previous rollouts to quickly transition all documents to digital and incorporate document management into the standard workflow. Modify the process as necessary to maximize productivity gains for specific document types or processes.
Starting the exploration and implementation of this new strategy now will set your organization on the path to digital transformation. Delaying the process means falling further behind competitors each day. By digitizing documents through scanning, your enterprise can realize significant cost and time savings that can be scaled throughout the business.
CityBlue Technologies is a leading provider of document scanning and digitization services, offering a range of solutions to help enterprises transition to digital-first strategies. With the majority of businesses either already implementing or planning to adopt digital-first strategies, it is important to ensure that your enterprise is keeping up as well. By digitizing documents, businesses can automate manual tasks, reduce errors, and allow business to occur anywhere, anytime, through mobile devices.
Delaying the process means falling further behind competitors each day, so start exploring and implementing digitization solutions today with CityBlue Technologies.
