Dubai, UAE, 28 February 2005 - Companies that focus on how documents and information are managed are better equipped to reduce costs, respond more quickly to changing market conditions and increase profits, according to a new study released today by the Global Services division of Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX).
In this exclusive survey conducted by leading IT research and advisory firm IDC, the majority of executives interviewed said that effective document management initiatives are driving competitive innovation, profits and revenues.
"An increasing number of businesses in the Middle East & Africa region are recognizing the need for effective document management systems to ensure more efficient business processes," said Ben Gale, MEA General Manager, Sales & Marketing, Distributor Operations, Xerox International. "The rewards in implementing an effective document management strategy are great and long-term. These include huge cost-savings, integrated business processes and streamlined work flow processes leading to more satisfied customers and a profitable business."
Key findings of the research:
Almost two-thirds of survey respondents have initiatives in place to reduce the total cost of document management. On average, those respondents expect to achieve a 20 percent reduction in costs.
While knowledge workers (the economy's highest paid workers) spend 20 percent of their day looking for information in documents, about 50 percent of that time workers cannot find what they're looking for.
Survey respondents (66 percent) agreed that effective document management drives customer service.
More than half of the information that companies share with or send to their customers is in the form of paper documents. Yet more than 60 percent of respondents have not successfully integrated hardcopy documents into their digital workflow.
"Historically, CIOs and IT managers have relied on software investments to effectively run their businesses," said Angle Boyd, group vice president, IDC. "But there is still a need for a formal document management strategy encompassing both paper and electronic documents that brings people, processes and technology together."
Additional Survey Conclusions
Although paper continues to play an essential role in business, the profit-growth leaders had far more digitized work processes (49 percent) than their average profit-growth counterparts (30 percent).
Barriers to information include inconsistent content or file formats (27 percent), search/retrieval challenges (22 percent) and increasing regulatory restrictions (17 percent).
Survey respondents corroborate the importance of addressing both structured (e.g. forms, invoices) information and unstructured (e.g. e-mail, Word, Web documents) information in a document management strategy.
About 40 percent of the organizations indicate the role of both IT managers and CIOs is important in driving document process changes within an organization.
The survey results are detailed in a new white paper from IDC, called "Organizations Shift Focus to Information Management: The Role of Documents in Highly Effective Business Processes." To access the paper, visit www.xerox.com/globalservices and go to "White Papers."
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About Xerox Global Services
Xerox Global Services helps organizations streamline and digitize document processes such as invoices, policies and procedures, billing, training, and records management. Xerox consultants work closely with companies to identify, quantify and realize opportunities to save money, find new sources of value, mitigate risks, and simplify how work gets done.
Established in 1985, Xerox Middle East represents the operations of Xerox Corporation in the Middle East region. The company is headquartered in Dubai and operates through a strong regional distributor network, which markets its vast range of cutting-edge, innovative document management products, applications and solutions. The company's extensive product portfolio includes high-end digital production publishing and printing systems, networked digital multi-functional office devices, a complete range of production and office colour solutions as well as laser printers and fax machines. Xerox Middle East's commitment to quality is supported by a dedicated team of specialized business managers and technical specialists, who work hand-in-hand with Xerox Middle East's partners in distributor countries, in identifying and meeting diverse customer needs. For more information on Xerox, visit www.xerox.com/news. XEROX is a trademark of XEROX CORPORATION.
Customer Contact:
For more information on Xerox innovation activities, visit www.xerox.com/innovation.
Media Contact:
Louay Al Samarrai, Active PR, Tel: +9714-3900229, e-mail: louay@activepr.biz
© Press Release 2005
