DM Jan-Feb 2024

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