do more with less - less space, less time,less effort, less paper, less ink, etc. Someexamples:1. Capturing a document as a PDF andstoring it in a searchable d<strong>at</strong>abase allowsfor convenient, efficient retrieval th<strong>at</strong>transl<strong>at</strong>es into good customer service andless time wasted by your employees.2. Using electronic documents cre<strong>at</strong>esan archive autom<strong>at</strong>ically of critical businessdocuments. No one ever needs to ‘gothrough all those papers’ to try to figureout wh<strong>at</strong> to keep. You can decide wh<strong>at</strong>to keep and organize them as you go insteadof trying to figure it out after thefact, which would be a daunting job andan unnecessary expense to incur.3. Cre<strong>at</strong>ing documents electronicallyand sharing documents electronically reducesdocument transfer time, and customerwait time. Now you have accur<strong>at</strong>einform<strong>at</strong>ion quickly and it’s available inseconds instead of hours or days.4. How silly <strong>is</strong> it to cre<strong>at</strong>e documents onpaper, shuffle them from person-to-person,r<strong>is</strong>k them getting m<strong>is</strong>placed, makethem digital, print them, change them, domore shuffling and re-digitize them?Maybe everything you need <strong>is</strong> alreadyright in your office! So let’s begin. Generallythe best way to start a new project<strong>is</strong> to ensure th<strong>at</strong> resources are alloc<strong>at</strong>edto the project. Th<strong>is</strong> could be hardware,software, staff and/or time. You probablyalready have everything you needif you have th<strong>at</strong> scanner we talked aboutearlier. Before you begin, you’ll want tohave a plan - do not aimlessly start scanningfile cabinets full of papers without aplan. You need to think about it, d<strong>is</strong>cusswith your staff, and agree on a plan anda timetable. Th<strong>is</strong> approach will minimized<strong>is</strong>ruption to the organiz<strong>at</strong>ion. Once theplan <strong>is</strong> in place, you can begin the process,one document <strong>at</strong> a time.One of the key elements of your planshould to involve your staff in the process.Start by having a meeting with yourstaff. Ask them which documents currentlyex<strong>is</strong>t in paper form and are beingconstantly referred to. Wh<strong>at</strong> h<strong>is</strong>toricalpaper documents would cre<strong>at</strong>e bettercustomer service if they were able to beaccessed via the computer instead of thefile cabinet? Wh<strong>at</strong> documents wouldprovide better oper<strong>at</strong>ional efficiency ifthey were available instantaneously <strong>at</strong>multiple loc<strong>at</strong>ions simply by clicking amouse? Usually, after just one meetingseveral problem documents will be identified.Congr<strong>at</strong>ul<strong>at</strong>ions! You have completedstep one.Now th<strong>at</strong> a document retrieval <strong>is</strong>suehas been identified, analyze the life cycleof each document. Then follow the entirework flow of the document. How <strong>is</strong>it used? How often? When <strong>is</strong> it used?How often will it be accessed? Wh<strong>at</strong><strong>is</strong> its purpose? How often does it go inand out of its home? Ask as many questionsas needed to get a clear picture ofthe lifecycle of the document. Th<strong>is</strong> onedocument-<strong>at</strong>-a-timeapproach <strong>is</strong> leastintimid<strong>at</strong>ing when you involve your staffin the change process from the get-go.Once the document has been identifiedand the business process of th<strong>is</strong>document <strong>is</strong> clearly understood, youare ready to figure out a solution. If youhaven’t already done so, identify someoneon your staff to lead th<strong>is</strong> business processimprovement initi<strong>at</strong>ive.How should the document be prepared?Who will initi<strong>at</strong>e scanning?When? Where will the document liveonce it <strong>is</strong> a PDF? How will it be named?Wh<strong>at</strong> type of searchable d<strong>at</strong>abase programwill you use? Wh<strong>at</strong> are the fe<strong>at</strong>ures?Are the fe<strong>at</strong>ures a good m<strong>at</strong>ch foryour needs? Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> a business processimprovement and cost reduction projectand should be approached in the samewas as other projects in your agency.Once the paperless office str<strong>at</strong>egy hasbeen adopted, decide on a d<strong>at</strong>e to beginand put it on the calendar. When you areready, you can easily correct other inefficientdocument processes with the samepaperless office concepts.Be sure to give the initial phase of theplan time to settle in, allowing your staffto become comfortable with the changeand enough time for them to acquire ahigh level of competency in working withthe new procedures and processes. Ready?Set? Go!Part one: Scanning. Use a stand-alonedocument scanner, the scanner th<strong>at</strong> <strong>is</strong>part of the office copier or a small officeMFP (Multi-Function Printer). Any ofthese devices can change paper recordsto PDFs, and while not the most optimumequipment for th<strong>is</strong> procedure, theycan be used to help you get comfortablewith the process and the results. You canalways upgrade your equipment l<strong>at</strong>er. Ifyou choose to buy a scanner, the FujitsuScanSnap <strong>is</strong> a good solution and reasonablypriced <strong>at</strong> well under $500.Part two: Document sharing. Oncescanned, your document becomes a PDFand <strong>is</strong> not editable in th<strong>at</strong> form. When it<strong>is</strong> saved as a PDF the document can beshared with anyone in the organiz<strong>at</strong>ionwho <strong>is</strong> connected to the server.Part three: Document management.A document management system <strong>is</strong> asolution th<strong>at</strong> allows you to easily findwh<strong>at</strong> you have stored on the computer.As these systems have reached technologicalm<strong>at</strong>urity, they have become muchmore affordable. A system which yearsago may have required an investmentof several thousand dollars can now befound for a few hundred.Part four: Back up. There are manysimple, easy ways to accompl<strong>is</strong>h th<strong>is</strong>. Firstyou need to investig<strong>at</strong>e the possible solutions.Then you need to pick one th<strong>at</strong>allows you to sleep well <strong>at</strong> night. Somepossible inexpensive options are: onlinestorage, an external hard drive to hold anothercopy of your d<strong>at</strong>a, and a local backup system with redundancy. Considerkeeping another copy of your d<strong>at</strong>a backedup to a smart phone or iPhone. Onceagain, all of these technology solutions arem<strong>at</strong>ure, and not particularly r<strong>is</strong>ky.Many times simple efficiencies andcost savings can be accompl<strong>is</strong>hed withminor changes. Isn’t it time to worksmarter? How good would feel to finallyreduce all of your important documentsto PDFs? Go Green and reclaimth<strong>at</strong> valuable, expensive real est<strong>at</strong>e beingtaken up with paper documents and filecabinets… you’ll wonder why you didn’tdo it sooner.Alita Marlowe Bluford <strong>is</strong> a Certified ProfessionalOrganizer, <strong>Speedy</strong> Paperless OfficeReseller and a Business Process ImprovementExpert. Contact her <strong>at</strong> 800-852-9050 or info@efficiencyconsultants.com.<strong>Todd</strong> <strong>McIndoo</strong> <strong>is</strong> a <strong>Vice</strong> <strong>President</strong> <strong>at</strong> <strong>Speedy</strong>Solutions makers of the <strong>Speedy</strong> Organizer.He can be reached by calling 800-655-2870or by email <strong>at</strong> tmcindoo@speedyscan.biz.54 — Exclusivefocus Winter 2009/2010
Winter 2009/2010 Exclusivefocus — 55