Paperless Business Solutions

If you are looking for an alternative to paper shuffling and the red tape that is endemic to it, you are bound to be confused by all the information from companies that specialize in helping your achieve your freedom from paper. This confusion is understandable; there are many companies offering what they think is a perfect solution to the problem of pulp, and most have a slightly different approach and philosophy. However, their overall message is the same: go electronic.

The ubiquitous letter “e” now precedes many words, and indicates to you that whatever action follows it, you can do it on your home or business computer. For instance, eProcurement is the ability to manage your company’s purchasing by computers instead of the traditional paper system of purchase order generation. It is a technique that saves businesses much money, and often doesn’t even require special software (although in the case of large companies, dedicated eProcurement software is crucial to its success).

Let’s take a look at some of the advantages of eSolutions for your contracting business that you can implement easily and help your company declare its independence from time consuming paper processes.

Streamlining Processes
Back in the old days, which wasn’t really so long ago, a company with a purchase order system had to have an employee manually generate the order, very likely get some sort of approval, make sure it was done properly for the company with which they were doing business—in some ways it amounted to jumping through a ring of fire on a horse with three legs. It took time, cost money, and could be worked around.

The concept of eProcurement has changed much of the purchase order run around. While sometimes it requires expensive EDI type software, companies who can’t afford it can simply find other ways to do all their business electronically—FileMaker Pro is one popular option. Where before it cost over $100 to generate a purchase order, it now costs around $40. The process of purchasing services and materials has been vastly streamlined by eProcurement, and

Compliance with Regulations
To comply with recent acts of government, such as the Federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, some companies have no choice but to implement a paperless system. Sarbanes-Oxley—affectionately called SOX or Sarbox—has placed a huge burden on companies in the arena of corporate accountability. Compliance with SOX is crucial for many companies, and paperless business software has so far contributed a good deal to making it easier to control purchasing and spending as required. Accountability, therefore, has become more of a business tool than a thorn in the side of American business, thanks to some of the software available today.

Those involved in the construction contracting business are also subject to many regulations, and a paperless system can be a huge advantage to them. All the information they might need could be stored on their databases; when ordering supplies for a project, for instance, a paperless business system could flag supplies that might be out of regulation for a particular project.

Integrated Systems
With paperless business solutions, gone are the days when an employee looking for information has to search through miles of files in a room dedicated to such a purpose. The file clerk sifting through literally tons of paper for one small bit of information is almost a cliché, but fortunately it is a thing of the past for today’s efficiency-minded companies. That employee looking for an old purchase order to find out what the company ordered from ABC Office Supply has only to open a computer file now. Where it took fifteen minutes twenty years ago, it now might take 30 seconds. If you have several people working in an office, think of how much time that will save.

Additionally, someone in the legal department might need some information from Human Resources. Rather than make phone calls, write memos, etc., all the employee might do now is a short search and click on a file. Through integrated paperless systems, businesses can save a great deal of money by making data accessible to other departments. It’s also possible to secure this information, such as employee data, and make it available only to certain people with passwords. Before, anyone who could pick a lock could get into paper-based employee records.

Imaging technology has gone a long way toward boosting the advantage an integrated system can provide. For instance, contractors can create electronic files of drawings, CAD files, specifications, orders, etc., and can share them with all necessary personnel. This rids architects, contractors, and engineers of having to constantly drag around rolled up prints and accompanying documents.

Imaging Systems
Software like EMC2 have gone a long way toward developing the ultimate in paperless business solutions for contractors. The software company that developed the EMC2 packages (www.americanmicrokc.com) list many applications for imaging services in construction. Among them are archiving of accounting information, electronic routing and processing of invoices, billing, documents and drawings related to the physical project, and payroll.

Construction Imaging Systems (www.construction-imaging.com) is another company that recognizes what construction contractors and their clients need to communicate. CIS has created software packages for the industry that tackle problems in regulations, security, and productivity. They offer a wide range of levels for a wide range of prices, and have packages available for both small and large contractors. In addition, CIS has worked out a partnership with the above-mentioned EMC2 software providers to create a powerful support system for contracting companies of all sizes.

Keeping Customers Happy
If you have worked for a large company for some time, you probably remember the paper-based days there. A customer or client might come in, fill out paperwork or bring purchase orders, create a paper order for your company of some kind, and write a check (which someone might staple to the order). This would all get filed somewhere. So when the customer says, “I need that same order,” much time was spent tracking down the paperwork that accompanied the old order—and there was a chance someone might pull the wrong “old orders”.

With an electronic system, a customer service agent can simply pull up the old order on a computer screen while the customer is still on the phone and verify the customer’s particular needs before placing the order. Paperless business solutions make rush orders and immediate business needs a lot less stressful for you client, which will reflect very well on your company.

In a more complicated business like construction and contracting, this can mean much more. While contractors wouldn’t often get an order that simply imitates another, they will get change orders and other important correspondence relating to current or upcoming projects. A customer who has difficulty with a contractor on changes and other communications is not going to hire that contractor—the more stress-free you can make the orders and changes for your clients, the better for you both.

Employee Satisfaction
With an efficient system of handling business, your employees will also have less customer dissatisfaction to deal with and will also spend less time trying to work out kinks in orders. For instance, if you are working out the final aspects of a construction project and an employee doesn’t get a physical copy of it, there may be confusion. This isn’t good for your employee’s morale, and the customer loses some confidence in the organization of your company. A paperless solution removes the problem by making images available to everyone involved in the project.

No doubt there are a host of other advantages to a paperless solution for your business, some of which may only apply to your particular company. Streamlining your everyday functions is a huge advantage of the paperless business system, as is internal sharing of information. Every department, from Accounting to Customer Service, will benefit from fast, shared information, as will your clients. It’s a win-win solution.