Document Imaging in Business Part 3: Clutter Kill

There are many ways in which paperless-office software can dramatically reduce the sheer bulk of paper and files around your office. While it's a good goal to convert paper documents as early as possible, it's an even better goal to prevent paper documents from being created in the first place. There are several aspects to this art.

Receiving Electronic Documents

Receiving images, rather than documents, is a huge first step toward truly killing clutter. Images can be received through e-mail, fax-to-file, any one of a number of Internet-based scripts or software packages, or even directly via flash drive, or CD/DVD. In general, all of these fall under the umbrella of Electronic Data Interchange, or EDI.

Electronic document management software will take EDI files and, if set up to do so, file them just as though they were scanned, without any human intervention. Such software might require specific features to be able to successfully parse some forms of input, such as fax-to-file, but once 'taught', it may be able to extract the information it needs to associate a file with a specific transaction. In general, however, a human tagging-and-linking process will be required to finish processing the file. Such a process, however, is still noticeably faster than opening a paper envelope, inputting the contents of the document with a keyboard, and filing the paper somewhere in your office.

Creating Electronic Documents

Paperless office software can also be used to create reports without ever needing a printer. In many cases, a report that only needs to be viewed once can be created, displayed on screen, and then discarded without any waste whatsoever. But even when a more permanent and widely distributed report is necessary, there is still no need for a hard copy.

This is primarily because any report created by mining the existing data can promptly be given back to the system as input, received, processed, filed, tagged, and linked just like any other document. Once created, it will be just as easily accessible as any input document.

Between these two processes, there is literally zero need to ever have paper clutter again.

Many of the new client/server accounting systems use document management to enhance electronic reporting. Instead of allowing you to just print or view reports you can now “mine” or “send” reports without ever printing them on paper. By storing reports as electronic files, the report data can be analyzed by intelligent software agents looking for exceptions or unexpected trends in the data. Reports or packs of reports can be electronically disseminated to organization distribution lists using e-mail, fax, or the Internet.

Groupware or electronic forms packages, such as Lotus Notes or Symantec FormFlow, can also be used to create electronic documents, such as purchase requisitions or sales orders, which can be routed for review or approval to users connected by e-mail. Once the document has completed its approval life cycle, it can create an accounting transaction, such as a purchase order in the procurement system or a sales order in the order-entry system. These types of document routing systems can be used to “front end” an accounting system, especially an older legacy system, with a new electronic approval process that does not require workflow or document management capabilities in the accounting software itself.

With the document in an electronic format, most document management software also allows you to easily annotate the document itself, add separate “sticky” notes or print the document on demand. For accounting transactions, an electronic version of a source paper document provides the ultimate audit trail. Quantities, pricing, and approval signatures can be verified. Terms and conditions or shipping data can be checked. Reasons for approvals or rejections and other information to help the viewer understand the document content can be noted on the document itself or on attached sticky notes. By viewing the document, any user can then get a detailed set of information about the transaction on a need-to-know basis.

If you are evaluating a new accounting-system solution, think about how you can leverage document-management functionality to modernize your accounting processes. Most vendors of client/server accounting software are including some form of document management capabilities or linking to third-party software that delivers this functionality.

There are many ways in which paperless-office software can dramatically reduce the sheer bulk of paper and files around your office.

About Ademero, Inc. Ademero develops paperless office software and provides related professional services designed to automate business processes and simplify office workflow.Content Central, is a browser-based document management software created to provide organizations with a convenient way to capture, retrieve, and manage information originating in hard copy or digital form.

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