Ms. Stehle

Eco-Friendly Practices

Going Green: How Document Management Saves Time, Money and the Environment

By Tina Stehle, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Agilysys Hospitality Solutions Group

In the current economy, hospitality providers are increasingly seeking ways to boost productivity and streamline operations. At the same time, they are trying to become more environmentally responsible. A document management system can help hotels achieve all of these goals and more. Best of all, most hotels that implement a document management solution realize a fast return on investment due to both direct and indirect cost savings.

Whether you’re trying to solve a specific paper problem or want to revamp your entire filing system, the right solution can provide a wide range of benefits, including improved efficiency and information reliability, reduced costs, increased security and enhanced guest service, all while reducing the paper trail and helping your property ‘go green.’

Moreover, today’s cutting edge solutions take document management to an entirely new level with features like bar coding, driver’s license and passport scanning, e-mail archiving and signature capture.

If you’re still using a traditional paper-based filing system, it’s time to consider the transition to electronic document management. Following are six top reasons to implement a paperless solution at your property.

Reason #1: Improved efficiency

The ability to access business-critical data, such as financial reports, night audits and purchase orders, is vital to any hospitality organization, whether it’s a small boutique hotel or a large multi-property chain. A document management solution can streamline recordkeeping by systematically storing and archiving scanned documents, images and other files. These files, which can be indexed in multiple ways, can then be retrieved quickly and easily using text query search capabilities.

Employees no longer have to rummage through cumbersome file cabinets or waste time searching for information on shared network drives. Instead, they can access records instantly from an organized and searchable repository.

Also, a document management system enables employees in different departments and even in different locations to access the same information through their computers. Teamwork is improved with the ability to search and retrieve documents, check out documents for editing and include documents in approval or workflow scenarios.

Reason #2: Monetary savings

The cost-saving benefits of a document management solution can be realized both directly and indirectly. Going paperless reduces the obvious charges, such as file storage and photocopying costs, overnight mail charges and paper and toner consumption. Yet, the biggest savings are often related to the labor costs involved in filing and retrieving the documents.

For example, if an employee spends an hour each day filing papers, searching for files and simply walking back and forth to the file room, this equals approximately 250 hours per year. If that employee earns $20 per hour, then the hotel is spending $5,000 a year on simple filing tasks that could be eliminated by going digital. With a document management system, hotel staff can work smarter and more efficiently because they can locate and work with documents without ever leaving their desks.

Document management systems can also eliminate the cost of lost documents, or the time it takes to recreate a document that has been destroyed or misplaced. Some suppliers estimate the cost of replacing lost documents at $250 each. Also, if you’ve been storing old records off-site, a document management solution may allow you to reduce or eliminate costly warehousing fees.

Reason #3: Disaster protection

Paper files are not only cumbersome and costly, but also are vulnerable to accidents and business disruptions. Natural disasters, such as fires, floods and earthquakes, can completely destroy your data. Moreover, paper files are susceptible to theft and vandalism.

A document management system protects your data by creating electronic copies that can be backed up in multiple ways. Back-ups can then be stored off-site, so that even if the hotel’s entire computer system is destroyed, your database can be rebuilt.

Reason #4: Increased compliance

Government and industry regulations present a challenge for hotels of all sizes. You must manage compliance-related documents properly in order to minimize risks and avoid liability. In addition, some properties are governed by corporate data retention policies that specify the length of time information must be retained.

An electronic document management solution can help ensure that all the hotel’s business documents — whether scanned from paper, created or received digitally or e-mailed with attachments — are securely managed and archived. User permissions guarantee that documents are accessed and modified only by employees who have the proper authorization.

Finally, a document management system enhances the hotel’s ability to respond to compliance audits by maintaining a document audit trail and securely recording every operation performed on business-critical documents.

Reason #5: Enhanced guest service

Today’s guests want immediate feedback and will let you know the moment they’re dissatisfied. Hotels that want to remain competitive simply can’t afford to ignore their demands.

Because document management solutions give employees instant access to guest documents, such as folios and point-of-sale receipts, staff is able to respond to guest inquiries quickly and easily. In fact, many problems, such as credit card disputes, can be resolved on the spot.

Up-to-date information combined with an audit trail of past guest transactions minimizes confusion and misinformation. As a result, staff is able to provide speedy resolution to many guest problems and position the hotel as a leader in guest service.

Reason #6: Environmental protection

Green practices are a growing area of interest for businesses around the world, including the travel and hospitality industry. In fact, according to research giant Gartner, ‘Green IT’ is one of the top 10 technology trends driving major change in business processes today.(1) Furthermore, it is predicted that corporate social responsibility will soon become a higher executive-level priority than regulatory compliance.

Document management systems play a key role in helping hotels achieve greener workplaces. These solutions replace printing, postage and manual filing with electronic processes, enabling properties of all sizes to reduce or eliminate paper consumption and waste.

Contributing to a greener environment and meeting your business objectives are not mutually exclusive. In fact, implementing a document management solution is a simple and cost-effective way to achieve both goals.

Conclusion

Although many hotels are postponing technology purchases until the economy improves, there’s no better time than the present to implement a document management system. A paperless solution not only streamlines efficiency and reduces costs but also protects data, helps ensure regulatory compliance and enhances guest service.

In short, the right document management system can transform your property’s file storage and retrieval from an inefficient and time-consuming drain on the bottom line into a benefit that improves business processes and provides an eco-friendly boost to the environment. Now, that’s a solution that really delivers!

(1) Green Technology – Gartner Releases Top 10 Technologies for 2009, Oct. 16, 2008, Gartner Inc.

Tina Stehle is senior vice president & general manager of Agilysys Hospitality Solutions Group. Agilysys is a leading provider of innovative IT solutions to corporate and public-sector customers, with special expertise in select markets, including retail and hospitality. The company uses technology — including hardware, software and services — to help customers resolve their most complicated IT needs. Ms. Stehle joined Agilysys in 2004 through its acquisition of Inter-American Data, Inc. (IAD), where she served as vice president of software services. Ms. Stehle can be contacted at 800-262-3600 or tina.stehle@agilysys.com Extended Bio...

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