The corona crisis is fuelling digitization in Germany. Not only the industry association Bitkom predicted an increase in digital projects in the German economy, but other experts agree and even call the crisis a “wake-up call”. Well, the fact is: Digital technologies are decisive for competitiveness – and thus for profitability. So we are awake now at the latest. But that alone is not enough.
Many companies do not know how to digitalize their processes in a meaningful way. And here the dog is buried: It will only be profitable if we think beyond pure digitalization! However, this can be a challenge, especially for medium-sized companies. Nevertheless, there is indeed enormous potential here:
Every year, millions of PDFs, documents and e-mail attachments end up in your company. Have you ever asked yourself what an invoice actually costs, if it was accounted for and processed by your employees? Think of wages or dead capital for rooms full of archive material. If you could automate and streamline these processes, you could save money. You will relieve your team, become more efficient and reduce your monthly fixed costs. Therefore a paperless office has a positive effect on your return on investment and thus on your competitiveness.
We show you how to transform your documents digitally in a meaningful way.
Where the difference between digitalization and digital transformation lies
Simply put, digitizing means that processes that were previously mapped offline are translated into binary code. In this way the information can be read by digital systems. Imagine the following scenario: You collect your invoices in an unclear storage stack. Your assistant spends three hours every week copying and sorting them and then presenting them for signature to the relevant contact person. Afterwards, she staples them in appropriate folders. There are folders with invoices under 5,000 euros, folders with invoices over 5,000 euros, several special cases – and so on. The archive is bursting at the seams and only your assistant can find her way through the jungle of files.
Now you digitize this process: Instead of copying the invoices and sorting them in an offline archive, you scan the invoices and store them digitally. Great, now you can use functions such as the search function without having to search through all archive folders for hours. However, your assistant is only partly happy about this innovation – she still has to chase after her signatures.
So when does the game get interesting? When you DIGITAL TRANSFORM the process! Digital Transformation means that even more happens than just “translation”. Using artificial intelligence, programs recognize different document types, programmed rules handle complex processes in the background – and make life easier for your assistants too! This is where the big difference lies: Now the invoices are scanned by your assistant, the system automatically recognizes whether the invoice is above or below 5,000 euros and immediately sends it to the respective contact person for signature. As soon as the contact person has signed the invoice online, it will be placed in the appropriate file as if by magic. Now your assistant is also cheering – finally she has time for other tasks.
The supreme discipline: cleanly set up projects
It sounds simple, but nevertheless 50% of automation projects fail because they do not bring any or not the desired benefit. They strangle themselves, during their birth. And there are reasons for this: Often transformation projects are not set up properly. The collected data suffocates the productivity of system and employees. However, if you approach your project in the right way, the benefits are great: By optimizing your processes, you save time and can react agilely and flexibly to changing requirements.
Let’s stay with our example: We have prepared a checklist with all the questions you should think about before you start your digital project.
– Put yourself in the position of your assistant – what really makes her workday easier?
– Identify problems – What often goes wrong in the existing process?
– Think differently – How has the process been solved so far and is it REALLY necessary? Question your process in detail.
– Sketch and visualize – Draw your process and the solution on a piece of paper.
– Test – Play through the process in order to identify problems early and to be able to react to them.
When archiving becomes a digital transformation
Once you have thought through all these questions, the first step of the digital transformation is done. The rest is done by an integrated software solution. Ephesoft is a prime example of software designed to digitize documents in a meaningful way.
It combines simple archive functions with artificial intelligence: documents are scanned, automatically processed, intelligently managed and processed according to predefined rules. Document processes of all kinds can be optimized in seconds. Handwritten documents are no problem. And much more is possible. There are almost no limits. Sophisticated algorithms recognize document types and apply user-defined workflows to automate your processes. Management decisions can be made from the data the system stores and prepares for you. Planning suddenly becomes easy. It’s all about developing your business for the long term. Your company acts faster, more flexible and therefore more efficient. It is clear that these optimizations have a positive effect on competitiveness and are therefore reflected in your turnover.
What you need to pay attention to
The software can be completely adapted to your needs and business processes. For your company to grow in the long term, measurable success is required.
The most important prerequisite for this is a sustainable and above all individual strategy. It does not help much to install a system that is not tailored to your individual needs. Things can go wrong: The system can be too complex. In that case you will not save your employees any time or nerves in the end. Ask yourself the decisive questions:
– What do I want to achieve with the process?
– Which documents do I want to store and why?
– Use the checklist again! Have you thought of everything?
Is your problem very complex? We are experts in digital transformation. As a partner of various intelligent systems, we know the almost unlimited possibilities. We support you in translating your individual needs into functional codes. We build your Ephesoft software for document digitization according to your requirements profile and then import it into your back office. An all-round carefree package for your sustainable business success. Click here to know more about the Ephesoft solution!
Let us advise you free of charge – we will also find a solution for your problem!