Understanding Digital Transformation in the Age of a Remote Workforce

Organizations everywhere are adapting to a new kind of work day — one that involves an influx of remote employees — with more video conference and electronic information sharing, and less face-to-face interaction and conference room meetings. And while recent events have accelerated the urgency many organizations feel for a digital transformation strategy, every business should be thinking about a long-term solution to automated workflows and electronic information sharing.

So how can organizations effectively evaluate the state of their information management strategy and adapt new processes that meet the needs of in-office and remote workers while remaining secure and efficient? Here’s three questions to evaluate when considering what your information management plan currently looks like and how you can incorporate a digital transformation strategy into a remote workforce or in-office model:

Do remote workers have the same access to information as employees who work in the office?

If you work in an environment where hard copy records and electronic records exist in a somewhat chaotic, mixed format, begin evaluating the purpose of hard copy vs. electronic records and creating a strategy to streamline that information and create one, centralized, secure repository. If remote employees are growing frustrated by the lack of access to hard copy files or the time it takes for an in-office employee to find a document, then it’s time to consider a document scanning timeline and records conversion strategy. Whether it’s accessing archived records or managing new inbound files on a daily basis, implementing a document scanning plan for your important paper records can eliminate much of the miscommunication, frustration, and mistakes associated with information sharing – no matter where your employees are located.

Are departmental processes such as accounts payable or human resources able to operate just as efficiently with remote workers?

Let’s assume that for now, your accounting department is working remotely. If you’re still using traditional paper-based accounts payable processes, you may be experiencing challenges when it comes to invoicing, workflows, and approvals. A clear indicator that it’s time to digitally transform accounts payable is when you acknowledge you’ve been living with ineffectiveness due to traditional paper-based methods. If the answer to why you you’re not implementing automated workflows or a digital transformation strategy is because “that’s the way you’ve always done them,” not only are you vulnerable to errors and security risks, but your customers and competitors are going to begin taking notice.

Do you know how much time employees are spending manual document management?

Whether your employees work remotely or in the office, how much of their time is spent search for records, scanning, shredding, making copies, etc… Evaluating the amount of time and effort spent on tedious manual processes can help establish benchmarks for future productivity and help calculate what your ROI would look like if you implemented a digital transformation strategy. Ultimately, you’ll save time, lower costs and reduce errors. Your employees will also enjoy greater data flexibility, transparency, and security.