In the flood of new predictions and projections for upcoming tech, it has been suggested that 2017/18 is the year that robots and AI will start to become prominent in our day to day lives. In fact, experts believe that automation via software and physical hardware will fully augment the existing workforce, allowing the humans within the organisation to focus on problem finding and solving, instead of more menial tasks. We couldn’t agree more. In fact, in the last year several departments in large companies – from HR to accounts, engineers to couriers – found that automating their paperwork and documentation processes led to them spending 40-50% less time on administrative work, allowing them to focus more on their main tasks. So if your business deals with paperwork in any way, listen up!
Streamline Your Business
Paperwork is, without a doubt, one of the most time consuming and sometimes boring jobs that is essential to keep your business running. But it doesn’t have to be. Instead of spending hours wading through paperwork, filing and data entry, you can automate your documentation processes instead. Automation software can remove the need for human involvement in repetitive paperwork tasks like data entry and filing, providing a high rate of accuracy in a fraction of the time. With the heavy lifting and repeatable tasks in the hands of computer software, your staff members are now free to spend their time on tasks which are much more valuable to your business. This approach also holds an extra benefit. Studies in America and Britain have discovered that those businesses that are employing automated reporting systems are reducing their physical paperwork load (great news for the environment and data protection compliance) and producing more efficient, accurate records. When it comes to data you can never be too accurate, and this could be why 98% of businesses are now looking at automated software for the first time.
Reduce Risk & Make Compliance Easier
People make mistakes. We might like to think we are perfect, but the reality is everyone is going to make a mistake or two in their working lives. Invoices can get lost on deliveries, important post can be put into the ‘bin’ pile instead of the ‘client’ pile, and reports can be accidentally deleted from the system. Missing paper, data entry errors or inaccessible data can cause a whole host of problems, especially when the end of year tax returns roll around. Sadly most of these mistakes come from human error during the processing or handling of paperwork, and the results can range from a minor inconvenience to large liabilities in cases of disputed bills or inspections. Removing the human element from your data processing means that errors will disappear. What’s more, you can programme your automation software to your specific company guidelines and policies so you know that all of your paperwork is completely compliant. This is especially useful for accounting and compliance departments who need to adhere to a complex set of rules regarding paperwork.
Cost Effective
In today’s busy schedules we often hear the phrase ‘time is money.’ Our most valuable asset is the time we have, and the amount we can do in that time at work defines how efficient we are being. For a lot of employees across all industries, thousands of man hours are piled into administrative tasks. But if those tasks were taken away, those employees would have more time available to focus on helping the business grow and improve. Not only will automating your documentation processes save you hundreds of hours every single month, but the saved time investment from your employees can help your business to grow more quickly. In fact, studies have shown that businesses who use automated software for their paperwork, documentation and marketing processes are growing on average 63% quicker than those who aren’t, with a 10% increase in sales being contributed to their pipeline through a combination of automated software and increased sales time from their teams.
Don’t Forget The Shredding
Of course, no matter how hard you try, physical paperwork is still going to come into your business. Clients will send you documents, suppliers will send paper invoices and there will still be some times where you need to generate the paper yourself. As much as we would like it to be achievable, the paperless office is still a far-off myth. That’s why you need a secure shredding solution in place to work alongside your automation solution. At Hungry Shredder, we love working with businesses who have automated their paperwork processes. We not only help them securely destroy the paperwork from the first big clear out that comes with a new automation solution, but we help them stay on top of their document shredding on an ongoing basis, and stay compliant with data protection legislation. For more information, just get in touch with us today.
