How Missoula Companies Can Improve Business Efficiency with Technology
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Technology is a prime enabler of the modern economy. While analysts regularly bring up phrases like “a digital-first organization” or “a paperless society”, the truth is real business efficiency requires technology that integrates with existing processes seamlessly. If the entire office needs to stop operations to receive extensive training on new processes and procedures, then the technology didn’t serve the company’s needs in the first place.
Every business needs greater efficiencies to remain competitive in the current market. If one company isn’t always looking for ways to improve productivity, they can be confident that competitors are actively seeking out better technology and systems regularly. Historically, digital overhauls were expensive, time-consuming, and rarely came with a guarantee of success. In today’s vastly improved landscape of technological solutions, that’s no longer the case.
Digital Automation Solutions
The key to modern efficiency is automation. While many negative and alarming headlines surround this topic, in reality, automation solutions enable staff to focus more of their time on mission-critical tasks. The most significant example of this is with electronic workflows, where information routing happens automatically once an employee completes an assigned step. A workflow engine can support any number of business processes, include all the related documents, and record all the history associated with a specific task.
Apart from workflow automation, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) assists companies with capturing data from physical documents during the scanning process. While countless hours are spent entering data into financial software from invoices, an adequately configured OCR solution can digitize information quickly with little or no oversight.
Areas where automation solutions drive business efficiency, include:
- Speeding up review and approval cycles
- Ensuring the accurate flow of information according to the company structures
- Automatically manage RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Communicate, and Inform) models
- Drive collaboration and communication throughout workflows
One of the added benefits of an electronic workflow is the performance metrics it generates. With clear insights into every process and reliable information that highlight the bottlenecks, strategic interventions become possible. This is where the real opportunities for improving business productivity exist for companies, as the feedback-loop is immediate.
Organize and Streamline Processes
Organizational workflows exist whether the company formalizes them or not. Every business relies on accurate processing of information, and although this may include manual tasks, establishing an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) with automated workflows can improve efficiencies significantly.
The inclusion of integrated hardware such as multifunction printers (MFPs) means every single facet of the information flow is visible. As well as having all related records and information digitally available in a central location, companies also reduce the physical footprint of their data. Modern MFPs integrate with the entire technology stack, making them essential for a modern office to function efficiently.
With an EDMS and an integrated fleet of MFPs, companies achieve:
- Shorter turn-around times for processing orders
- Better visibility on process efficiency (or deficiency)
- Reductions in the time it takes to investigate issues or problems when reported
- Decrease menial tasks such as capturing information from physical documents (using OCR)
- Improve information security and prevent data breaches
Notwithstanding the above, these solutions can improve every department’s efficiency. From sales and marketing to human resources, they enhance the company’s employee engagement. When employees have access to tools that reduce stress, and they no longer need to work long hours to complete menial tasks, their productivity, collaboration, and wellness improve.
Reduced Regulatory Compliance and Security Overheads
As information has become a commodity, laws require the application of security controls and the mandatory disclosure of any breaches. With modern network technology, companies can encrypt all transmitted information and secure data directly from the point of capture. With a complete auditable history also recorded, any breach or unauthorized disclosure of company information is traceable to the user or machine involved.
Business continuity relies on the latest, readily available information. With new backup and replication solutions, even when one service provider goes down, the data remains accessible to employees. For companies that operate in different geographical locations, this means business continues even when a particular facility conducts equipment maintenance tasks.
Managed IT services provide organizations with the latest firewall and endpoint scanning technology. Preventing threats from entering the network is a full-time job that requires persistent monitoring of the entire system, including user behavior.
Kelley Connect – Your Business Efficiency Experts
Kelley Connect strives to deliver the latest solutions to customers seeking improved office productivity.
With expert advice and a comprehensive portfolio of services, Kelley Connect can assist any organization in Missoula County that’s looking to modernize their operations. To successfully deliver on a digital transformation strategy, Kelley Connect leverages over forty years of industry experience in providing customized, innovative solutions to customers.
