By Andrew Hall, marketing manager, OKI Systems UK Ltd.
With the need to reduce spending comes the need to streamline processes and cut out any duplication or unnecessary tasks. But often it’s the everyday processes that we just continue to carry out automatically that take the time and create inefficiencies.
Of course, today’s email and messaging-focused communications are far quicker than yesterday’s memos distributed by hand. However, there is often still a disjointed workflow when it comes to managing the documents we produce and despite the drive for government offices to be ‘digital by default’, many departments are still some way off.
This is especially the case with those government offices dealing directly with the public. Despite the pervasive uptake of the internet, until today’s digital natives become pensioners, there will still be some people who prefer to send a traditional letter.
Unfortunately, the fewer the paper letters, invoices and other documents sent, the more likely they are to ‘do the rounds’ of being sent from one department to another. Yet, these days, there are many tools and systems available to help manage document workflow, including those focused on printers and printing.
For example, OKI’s smart managed document solutions comprise an integrated suite of software, technologies and tools to improve print and document workflow, management and security across the organisation. Through the use of these, OKI is able to extend document processes, ensuring a fully-integrated and optimised solution.
These solutions can be divided into five key areas:
- Capture and distribution –focuses on the digitisation of documents, converting to paperless workflows with instant electronic access and routing by adding metadata
- Document and content management – facilitates access and retrieval of data to improve collaboration and response times
- Security and output – enables costs control and full visibility of print and copy usage
- Mobility – enables printing from any device
- Device and contract management – tracks device usage remotely
Replacing multiple desktop printers and scanners with a smaller number of networked multifunction printers (MFPs) can help cut energy costs, so accelerating return on investment. The new MFPs in the OKI MC700 Series also come with an open platform that enables the customisation of the user interface to integrate all document-related tasks into the organisation’s enterprise document workflow.
This improves productivity and efficiency as the organisation can move from a manual workflow to automated digital flow, making it easier to track and reduce printer usage. In other words, a managed service will streamline processes and by doing this save time, costs, space and energy.
