DM Jan-Feb 2024
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Dm STRATEGY: GOING PAPERLESS<br />
Digital saves money,<br />
but paper persists<br />
While digital is increasingly the first choice for cost savings,<br />
people retain a cultural attachment to paper, observes<br />
Jason Field, Integration Director at Document Logistix<br />
There has been talk of achieving<br />
paperless business processes for forty<br />
years. In the world of document<br />
management, we talk about the advantages<br />
of paperless processes in terms of process<br />
efficiency, productivity, collaboration, cost<br />
savings, and environmental friendliness.<br />
The workflow benefits of digitisation<br />
seem obvious, so it may come as a<br />
surprise that 50% of organisations are still<br />
heavy users of paper.<br />
PAPER OFFERS A DIFFERENT<br />
EXPERIENCE<br />
The number of people consuming<br />
newspapers and magazines online<br />
outweighs the number of people who buy<br />
print versions. However, the margin is not as<br />
wide as we might expect.<br />
According to a 2022 YouGov survey, 54%<br />
of people in the UK prefer reading news<br />
content online, and 60% in the USA, which<br />
means that 40%-plus still opt for print.<br />
When it comes to magazines, 58% of UK<br />
readers prefer hard copy magazines, and<br />
print retains a strong following among<br />
young adults.<br />
Print revenues have declined over the past<br />
20 years, but there remains an enduring<br />
fondness for print because, for some, paper<br />
is a cultural preference.<br />
WHO STILL OPTS FOR PAPER FILING?<br />
In the November 2023 issue of Document<br />
Manager Magazine, research from Crown<br />
revealed that almost half (49%) of UK<br />
businesses still operate a physical paper filing<br />
system, despite half (48%) of businesses<br />
acknowledging that they make it difficult to<br />
find information quickly, and 46%<br />
struggling to find physical storage space.<br />
One of the underlying reasons for staying<br />
with print-based processes is the very fact<br />
that they are 'known'. Digital transformation<br />
Is difficult when there is not a culture fit.<br />
We know that moving away from the<br />
familiar is not always easy. A significant<br />
number of business owners have not used<br />
digital records management or workflow<br />
systems, and perceive digital systems as<br />
too expensive.<br />
ASTONISHING FIGURES ON PAPER<br />
CONSUMPTION<br />
Worldwide paper consumption has<br />
increased by about 400% in 40 years. As<br />
someone who works in a paperless, or<br />
extremely paper-light environment, the 2023<br />
statistics for paper use in the USA come as<br />
big surprise.<br />
Apparently, 93% of business information<br />
continues to be produced on paper, and it is<br />
claimed that an average office worker prints<br />
in the region of 31 pages per day. Paper<br />
waste in professional environments runs to<br />
tens of millions of tons.<br />
WHERE IS PAPER USE STILL EMBEDDED?<br />
The education, legal, real estate, finance<br />
and medical sectors are the biggest<br />
12<br />
@<strong>DM</strong>MagAndAwards<br />
<strong>Jan</strong>uary/<strong>Feb</strong>ruary <strong>2024</strong><br />
www.document-manager.com