Xerox study: companies will be largely paperless in 2018
A Xerox study predicts that by 2018, paper will have largely become obsolete in 90 percent of companies. The fully digital company is on the horizon—but there is still a long way to go.
Today, data is already the lifeblood and backbone of most companies. The art lies in the analysis: enormous amounts of data need to be interpreted so that they can provide important insights and findings. This is no easy task - as shown by a recent study by Xerox, which was conducted among a total of 600 IT decision-makers in large European and North American companies. The "Digitization at Work" report from Xerox shows that the switch from paper to digital information is just around the corner - but many of those affected are still far from ready. Paper-based processes are time-consuming. Above all, costs and security are major concerns for 42 percent of those surveyed. According to the study participants, only around nine percent of important processes will be carried out using paper in the next two years.
However, 55% also admit that paper still dominates in their companies at the moment. At 29 percent, almost a third rely on paper-based media instead of email or social media for customer communication. This is despite the fact that 41% agree that digital workflows would be much more cost-effective - and 87% have the necessary skills and resources.
"Companies certainly have an idea of the lean, agile digital enterprise - but in reality, this is still largely a dream of the future. There is undoubtedly a significant gap between aspiration and reality, mainly because the key steps are simply not being taken yet," explains Andy Jones, Vice President, Workflow Automation, Large Enterprise Operations at Xerox.
Automation comes first
With regard to process automation, almost three quarters have already looked at possible areas of application in their company. These primarily include accounting (38 percent), cost accounting (37 percent), accounts payable (36 percent) and customer care (35 percent).
However, the survey also shows that some basic requirements still need to be met in order for digital workflows and a corresponding degree of automation to become a reality in key areas of the business - and that this is precisely where there is still some catching up to do.
- 40 percent of respondents have not yet implemented any solutions for mobile workplaces.
- 47 percent are not yet up to speed with cloud services.
- 45 percent do not yet have the necessary tools to make reliable predictions using big data analyses.
In many cases, the digitization or redesign of paper-based processes can significantly improve the situation even before the actual automation. For example, a precise analysis of employee behaviour with regard to printing documents can provide important information on how high paper and printing costs can be reduced by digitizing certain areas. Here, 90 percent of respondents stated that they had suitable tools and methods to analyze printing behavior - however, only 45 percent actually use these tools to their full extent.
Financial sector and public sector: change takes time
The following picture emerges for selected sectors: In the financial sector, 56% of companies mainly rely on paper, for example for invoices. 17% have not yet taken any steps towards digitalization - although well over 40% are convinced that digital processes save costs and increase productivity. Nevertheless, 78% of respondents from this sector have already identified key areas for digitalization.
In the public sector, two thirds of study participants expect paper to be completely replaced by digital processes by 2018. Here too, the proportion of those who expect this to result in faster processes in particular is comparatively high at 58%. 43% of respondents consider paper-based solutions to be too expensive - and 41 also consider them to be too risky in terms of data protection. Almost two thirds have already selected the functions that would benefit most from automation.
Xerox offers Workflow Automation Services as part of its Managed Print Services. They can significantly support companies on their path to digital transformation and higher productivity. Xerox is also developing automation tools across its entire portfolio - including customer care centers, finance and accounting processes and the healthcare sector.
About the study
In the second half of 2015, Coleman Parkes Research conducted a survey of 600 IT decision-makers from various organizations in the USA, Canada and Western Europe (Benelux, France, Germany, UK). The aim of the study was to gain in-depth insights into approaches, challenges and initiatives with regard to digital transformation and paper-based processes. The respondents' areas of responsibility included their companies' digitalization strategy, solutions and infrastructure. The respondents come from the public sector, the financial services industry and from companies. The entire Xerox report on the study can be downloaded at here can be downloaded.
