The move toward paperless offices has made document management that much more important, and Millennials are often the ones driving that business decision. You might be surprised to find that far from dismissing print, Millennials tend to print as much or more than individuals age 36 and up. While these digital natives are a very mobile-centric demographic, they still tend to enjoy the printed page, even going so far as to print documents from home. However, to think that workflow management doesn’t need to change is an oversimplification as their modus operandi is to require that content is instantly available in any format.
Change is the New Constant
Millennials are a dynamic generation and are constantly trying new things in the workplace, quickly abandoning them if they are not as functional as they would like. This certainly holds true with technology — the same tech tools and toys that once enchanted Millennials will lose their luster if they are replaced with something newer and faster. The expectation is that collaboration should be instantaneous, and that is especially true in a document management workflow.
The Rise of Remote Collaboration
Collaboration used to be as simple as emailing a file to a colleague for changes. The unstructured digital content that is flowing in the workplace today requires much more sophisticated workflows to ensure version control and security measures stay intact. However, any method utilized to control the workflow can’t be deemed as intrusive or one that slows down the process. If so, adoption rates will be exceptionally low among Millennials and older generations alike. Enterprise content management solutions attempt to harness the creativity of individuals working from a variety of locations while still maintaining appropriate control of the content itself. The sheer size and volume of data that is shared remotely require a relatively sophisticated document management system.
Paperless Offices
While printing may not be a thing of the past for offices, it is becoming slightly out of vogue as offices move toward a greener environment. New technology solutions offer ways that businesses can save time, money and the environment by “going green” and becoming a paperless office. Mobile technology and tablets in particular offer organizations a way to conduct business that allows for instant access to important information even on a network drive while not requiring that individuals print out the details. As mobile business functionality grows hand-in-hand with advanced document management solutions, the potential for a paperless office becomes closer to reality.
As businesses address the need for cloud services and look for the best way to execute on their paperless office and strategic document management solutions, it helps to have a strong partner in the conversation. EDGE Business Systems has the expertise that you need to help bring the document management systems of your business up to speed while keeping you organized and mobile. Contact us today to see why Atlanta businesses have been trusting us to be their technology solution for more than 50 years.
