The Digital Office
Whether you are a small business office or a large Fortune 500 company we all aspire to achieve the perfect digital office environment. Since we are now forced to do more with less, it is critical that all of our office processes are as efficient as possible. No one wants to make work redundant, so having a digital office work flow is the best way to make basic tasks simple.
How do we achieve the perfect digital office? You might think that the answer should vary based on the size business that you are running. Not true! The basic components are always the same, it’s just the quantity or capacity that will vary based on business size. Albeit, there will always be specialized equipment or software that could be specific to your industry, let’s take a look at the things that won’t change from business to business.
A quality Copier/MFP
This has become one of the most integral pieces to any office environment. Besides the document output aspect of these devices, they have become one of the sole sources of scanning electronic files. In fact, statistics are beginning to show that the actual scan volumes on MFP’s are beginning to exceed copy/print volumes.
Document Management System
STOP scanning documents to a shared folder! This method of document management worked well for a while and since most document management systems were pricey it served its purpose. Over the past few years there have been some great small business systems developed that are very economical. The key to document management is not storing the documents; it is finding and/or retrieving the documents easily once they are stored.
eFax
I know, I know, no one really uses fax machines that much anymore. However there are a few industries (healthcare) that still rely on the technology. Rather than buying a fax machine or even a fax attachment for your copier, consider using an eFax service. Many times with this arrangement you won’t even need a telephone line. eFax is a DATA over IP standard that allows for fax receipt directly to your inbox. More importantly, you can also receive directly into your document management system and save the step of manual filing.
These three items will get you well on your way to obtaining the digital office. There will always be additional pieces to the puzzle to add as your needs increase, but these will take you a long way down the digital road. It’s important to find a company that can not only sell and support these items, but also a partner that can grow with you as needed. Purchase a solution that is flexible; make sure it can be upgraded without having to undo what is already done.
Go luck and happy office = productive office.
