Paper: an endangered species?

The majority of managers have a negative perception of traditional paper-based processes and cite productivity, security, attracting talent and going green as the benefits of a completely digital workflow.

This is one of the major findings of an Adobe Systems survey titled: "Paper: An Endangered Species?" The survey is based on interviews with 1 051 US managers in small, medium and large enterprises.

"Printers, scanners, and fax machines are killing business productivity," says Jon Perera, VP of EchoSign at Adobe. "Successful organisations are quickly moving towards paperless-based approaches for their critical business processes. This is about driving revenue, cutting costs, improving security, and reducing environmental impact."

The study revealed that paper can be a hindrance to productivity over half of managers believe that a digital approach simplifies work, is easy to use and improves efficiency. Further, according to the results, companies slow to adopt fully digital practices are at a disadvantage when it comes to growing their businesses and ultimately attracting new customers.

Some 51% of the respondents said a digital workflow makes filing and managing documents easier and 61% of managers said working digitally saves on costs. Some 32% said a digital workflow is more efficient, giving them an edge with client work and ultimately helping them win new business.

When it comes to contracts, paper loses the battle to digital in all categories, from cost to efficiency, to ease of use, says Adobe. The tipping point for more businesses to transition to digital contracting may be on the horizon - respondents noted they would be highly interested in using an automated Web contracting tool that makes it easy to electronically sign, track and secure contracts.

Some 98% of respondents noted they still use paper in their transactions involving contracts, while only 18% have made the switch to purely digital methods when signing contracts. About 72% said a digital tool, such as an e-signature service, would fulfil a critical business need; and 73% of managers affirmed that life would be easier if all contracts exchanged at work were done digitally.

According to the Adobe, paper impacts the trust that businesses have with partners, vendors and customers. The research shows that this was especially true when it comes to the sanctity of contracts, the heart of business agreements and commercial transactions.

More than two-thirds believe that paper-based contracts are prone to defacing and 60% of managers believe that password-protected electronic documents are more secure than paper documents locked in a safe; 56% cited the fear of losing a paper document as the top "con" of using paper.

The study also pointed out a growing perception that it's more prestigious to work for a company that is committed to go digital. About 76% of respondents said they are impressed by companies that have a strong digital presence; 71% said they wish their company was more digital.