Prepress
Survey: Advanced Document Management Can Help Drive Business in a Tough Economy
Thursday 07. May 2009 - In order to stay competitive during the economic downturn, 51 percent of executives involved in document management say their company plans to reduce operating expenses while 20 percent say their organization will try to improve cash flow. Executives agree that effectively managing document processes can help meet these objectives, particularly with respect to reducing expenses.
These are a few of the important findings highlighted in a comprehensive survey report issued today by Oce Business Services, a leader in document process management and electronic discovery. “Meeting the Challenge: How Organizations are Implementing Document Management Strategies to Help Drive Business in a Tough Economy,” investigates how survey respondents and their organizations are leveraging five advanced document management activities — internal and outsourced — to achieve cost reduction and cash flow goals as well as gain other important business benefits.
The five document management activities include: document imaging (paper-to-digital conversion); enterprise-wide print/copy; mail and shipping; records management; and fleet management (print/copy/fax fleet).
When it comes to outsourcing, a high number of respondents (74%) indicate that their company is taking this approach with at least one of the five document activities. The top three document activities that companies are outsourcing include mail and shipping, print/copy center, and document imaging. The top overall business benefits that the respondents report gaining from these outsourced document activities include lowering costs, improving operational performance and enabling a greater focus on core business.
Outsourcing activity may increase somewhat in the next 12 to 24 months as a number of companies (33%) are planning to outsource additional document processing functions, particularly document imaging. The top business goals driving their outsourcing plans are cost reduction, the desire to concentrate more on their core business, and the desire to improve operational performance.
In another key finding, a majority of survey participants (55%) indicate that their companies are measuring document process performance. These companies are measuring such performance elements as user activity and document processing timeliness and accuracy. A significant number of respondents (67%) specify that their organization’s metrics for document performance are aligned with business objectives (such as increasing customer satisfaction).
“Whether managing document activities on an internal or outsourced basis, one thing is clear,” said Joseph R. Marciano, president and CEO, Oce Business Services. “Enterprises are realizing the potential for document management best practices to yield benefits such as lower operating expenses, which can help them survive and thrive in the days ahead.”
“Meeting the Challenge: How Organizations are Implementing Document Management Strategies to Help Drive Business in a Tough Economy” is comprised of over 227 online surveys completed by executives involved in document management. These include chief administrative officers, mid- and upper-level operations managers and chief information officers. Among respondents, 42 percent work at organizations with annual revenue under $100 million; 26 percent have revenue between $100 million and $1 billion; and 32 percent have revenue of over $1 billion. The final survey report focuses solely on responses from participants at organizations with annual revenue over $100 million.