With the COVID-19 outbreak laying bare the risks of having an IT infrastructure that doesn’t support employee mobility, there will almost certainly be a greater reliance on ‘the stack’ going forward. A ‘stack’ refers to a set of technologies that work in unison. Some are better integrated than others, but a common goal is that they should help businesses and their employees to enjoy quicker and more efficient workflows – wherever they are. While your businesses may not be ready for a full digital transformation right now, there has never been a better time to review which technologies are most important to your organisation. More specifically, there has never been a better opportunity to look again at which manual, paper-based processes can be digitised and automated. The technologies you choose and the way in which they are ‘stacked’ is essential. So, what are the key building blocks you’ll need to make these decisions?
Establish business objectives
The famous saying ‘if you don’t know where you’re going, any way will get you there’ is especially pertinent when it comes to digitisation. First of all, ask ‘what are our business objectives?’ Without these, in a quantifiable form, your tech strategy will fall at the first hurdle. Whether it’s getting your internal teams to perform more effectively, becoming more operationally sustainable or reducing costs, these objectives should be the key driver behind which technologies are included in your ‘stack’. Examine your current workflows, by department or operational outcome, and quantify the performance improvements you’re seeking.
Review your business workflow
Data, documents and technologies are merely the tools of businesses. But to release the value they hold, you need to understand how people access, interact and share them as part of a real workflow situation. How does a document flow from one person to another, or from one system to another in your business? Is information stored in the same format? What tagging criteria (taxonomy) are used to identify your information? Is it easily searchable? Who has access and when? Are all documents printed off before being authorised? Is your data stored locally, in the cloud or a combination of the two? Does this impact how people work, when and where?
A stitch in time saves nine
It’s vital to review how tasks are performed internally to identify where processes can be digitised and how technology can reduce the number of human touchpoints. So, when the technologists come in, you’ll have set a specification to support the efficient and effective digitisation of your workflow. You can’t get started on building a digital or automated workflow without putting the right foundations in place. So, it’s important to work with an impartial expert that can objectively audit your documents and workflows – before recommending a digitisation strategy that aligns with your current or future technology stack.
If you’re interested in exploring where you can start digitising your business, SCC Document Services is here to help. We are where print, IT and document-related digitisation converge to securely capture, process and route information for a workflow that meets your objectives. As a vendor neutral independent, our expert team works closely with your business to understand your workflow, evaluate the best-fit technologies and deliver a stack bespoke to your business’ requirements for a more agile, productive workflow.
Find out how we can turn your document challenges into business continuity opportunities. Get in touch