Three major challenges to businesses in the digital age

The modern business environment is one which is encouraging companies to grow exponentially, yet doing so, even at a local level, presents obstacles. Everyday problems can soon become prohibitive to further development if not handled effectively.

Fortunately for them, technology is here to help. Solutions such as Content Services allow firms to remove issues which can prove difficult to overcome on a daily basis. In particular, Content Services eases the pressure of paper documentation which poses three of an organisation’s top six identified challenges.

Thousands of companies from across Europe have taken part in a study which forms Kyocera Document Solutions Europe’s Business Digitalisation in Europe Outlook 2019, providing insight into just how digital transformation strategies can help them to overcome difficulties. These are the key takeaways…

1. The difficulty with document storage

Information is invaluable to companies. Some types of data must be stored in order to learn from performance and improve, whilst other kinds of information have to be protected and retained due to legal obligations such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.

This implements a substantial cost. Firms must budget not only for the filing cabinets that store the paperwork, or online storage space in a Cloud or server, but also for the extra space that it takes up in their office. This poses a challenge to 28% of companies who admit to lacking the physical space that they need to store all of their documentation.

This in itself is a major concern but also leads to knock-on effects. In Kyocera’s study, 17% of organisations admitted to having very little to no document mobility, posing major obstacles to efficiency if and when staff are required to leave the office. As this becomes more and more common thanks to a more international working environment and the rise of approaches like working from home and Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD), the need for mobile efficiency is more important than ever.

2. Find the data you’re looking for

Moreover, the study revealed that 16% of businesses confessed to finding themselves in the dreaded situation of struggling to locate the right information. This leads to a substantial waste of resources in employee time as, rather than working on challenging tasks putting their full skills to use, they are manually searching through files and folders, whether digitally or in a paper filing cabinet.

In many cases, finding the data you need is not the end of the dilemma as 28% of businesses have found themselves in a situation of double clicking on the file to end their search only to discover that it is an incompatible format and they can’t access the data. This implies a major cost for businesses, whose staff waste their time tediously searching through files and folders, both digital and in paper, rather than using their skills to help the company to advance.

For organisations looking to reduce their costs and become more efficient, this is a quick-fire way to improve productivity. With the implementation of a solution like Content Services, this wasted time can be easily removed from processes and significantly streamlines workflows.

3. Win over your employees

People fear change. The introduction of new technologies to the workplace is often enough to have workers biting their nails with the fear of the unknown. In fact, according to the study, as many as 28% of businesses believe that user resistance is a major obstacle to the introduction of innovative new technology.

In part though, this issue is also down to the way in which new technology is implemented. A fear of the unknown means that a poor communication strategy can cause problems with professionals being reluctant to adapt their workflows.

“It is key for companies to go through a proper change management process to highlight why the system is worth it and how it will help in achieving strategic targets and allowing the company to be prosperous, “explains Michael Powell, Software Product Expert and Kyocera Document Solutions Europe.

If executed well, companies can achieve the feat of having their employees embrace the new products and look to utilise them as much as possible in order to streamline their workflows. 

Many of these issues can be easily overcome with the appropriation of the correct technology. However, it is not as simple as acquiring hardware or software. Instead, firms must plan a full digital transformation strategy in order to execute a transition towards digitalisation and automation effectively. When following a clear path to efficiency, firms stand to gain substantially and can overcome their biggest concerns with ease.