Blog | Canon Business Process Services, Inc.

For this and my next two blog columns I’d like to spotlight a case history about how we worked with Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP is a leading law firm ranked by The National Law Journal as one of the largest firms in the nation. The firm represented a client with a complex eDiscovery challenge. Due to pending litigation, Lewis Brisbois was tasked with collecting more than a terabyte of potentially relevant information contained in electronic client documents.  Compounding the challenge was the fact that some of the documents were in a foreign language and an extensive amount of evidence had to be collected overseas for review by the firm’s attorneys in the U.S.  Lewis Brisbois tapped Canon Business Process Services to leverage their ongoing relationship to collaborate on this and other large eDiscovery matters.

Lewis Brisbois faced at least three serious challenges. The first was that the potentially responsive electronically-stored-information (ESI) totaled more than one terabyte. The firm’s client had limited financial resources and using the conventional first-pass linear review of culled and filtered documents could have exceeded $5 million in cost and consumed a significant amount of attorney review time. A more cost- and time-effective solution had to be developed.

Second, the logistics associated with collecting data in a foreign jurisdiction with different limitations on exporting information were further complicated by the distance and remote locations involved.

Third, the normal issues of sheer volume and tight deadlines for production were compounded when Lewis Brisbois learned an executive with the firm’s client had inadvertently deleted case-related documents on his laptop after leaving the company.  He was a key custodian and the opposing party sought sanctions for spoliation.

Lewis Brisbois confronted these challenges by teaming with Canon Business Process Services to help the firm reduce attorney review time and costs associated with managing such a large amount of data. I’ll highlight the solution in my next column. In the meantime, please feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com  for additional insights into effective document management strategies and eDiscovery solutions that can help advance your organization’s programs to a higher level.

Some good news to announce: Canon Business Process Services is providing document management and electronic discovery services to 32 of the Am Law 100 firms. This includes four of the top 10 firms and eight of the top 20 firms. The recently-released 2013 Am Law 100 list, published annually by ALM Media Properties, ranks the top U.S. law firms according to gross revenue. 

This news is important because legal firms are looking to reduce costs, increase operational efficiency and better manage discovery so they can implement strategies that win cases. By leveraging our solutions, Am Law 100 firms can meet these goals while continuing to thrive in the months ahead.

Besides working with legal industry leaders, Canon Business Process Services itself is a recognized leader. We were named to the Leaders Category of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals’ (IAOP) 2013 Global Outsourcing 100 list for the past seven years in a row.

For more information on eDiscovery solutions and document process management best practices, feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com

I’m pleased to update our February announcement that Canon Business Process Services was named to the top-ranked Leaders Category of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®) 2013 Global Outsourcing 100® list. This list defines the standard for excellence in outsourcing service delivery. Our official ranking, just released by IAOP, is 36 within the list of 75 Leaders.

We were also named to eight IAOP Global Outsourcing 100 sub-lists: “Best 10 Leader” in Document Management Services; “Best 20 Leader” in Financial Services (Banking, Markets) and Discrete Manufacturing; “Best 5 Company” in Administrative Services and a “Leader” in Number of Centers Worldwide.

The Global Outsourcing 100 and its sub-lists are important references for organizations seeking relationships with the best companies in the industry. The list includes companies from around the world that provide the full spectrum of outsourcing services, from document management and business process outsourcing to facility services, real estate and capital asset management, manufacturing and logistics. The Global Outsourcing 100 list, including the official rankings, is featured in a special advertising section in the May 20th issue of FORTUNE® magazine.

For further information about document process management best practices and trends in business process outsourcing solutions, feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com

Process, technology and people are three words that often intimidate many organizations. This is despite the fact that the three words express a formula for implementing successful document management systems (DMS) and electronic content management (ECM) solutions.  In order to successfully deploy these and other document process management solutions, as well as drive ongoing operational efficiency, all three of these elements must be addressed.

Recently I met with an organization that felt one of its existing suppliers was doing a good job.  However, the supplier was only engaging people and technology (to a degree) in its service offering.  I immediately noticed that process, and more important technology-enabled process, was lacking.  The main reason the supplier had not addressed process was that it was following the old adage – “if it's not broken, there's no need to fix it.” 

The organization and I agreed that the supplier was meeting all of its service level agreements.  However, the supplier was also operating with the same staffing levels and technology for the past couple of years.  There were no attempts being made to improve efficiencies or question why certain functions were being maintained.

An effective business process outsourcing (BPO) partner will often question requests made by its client.  The purpose of these questions is to insure that the actions being proposed are aligned with the client’s business goals. For example, instead of just agreeing with document scanning requests, I might ask about the origin of the documents along with the purpose of creating digital copies.  I have received an amazing range of answers to these two simple questions.  But just because a BPO provider may have the capacity, technical ability and available staff hours to perform the work the client is requesting, such as scanning documents, does not mean that the provider should blindly agree without investigating if the proposed activity is helping the client meet its business goals. 

Process, technology, and people must complement each other.  When they do, a company’s DMS or ECM solution can operate at optimum efficiency and provide maximum benefits.  As I have said previously, a true BPO partner will try to continually ensure that its solution is generating a positive impact on the client’s bottom-line. 

In future posts I will talk more extensively about these three words, and how they can help organizations improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. If you are interested in learning more, our website, http://www.cbps.canon.com offers insight into effective document management strategies and document process best practices.

In my previous column I mentioned that in order to provide the operational excellence that is now expected of it, the AP function must streamline the invoice process, leverage new technology, and implement best practices such as outsourcing non-strategic work and migrating from paper to digital workflow. I spotlighted one of these best practices to consider for 2013. Here are two more: 

Leverage automation to reduce errors, improve productivity, and lower cost – One option with this best practice  is to work with a service provider that offers standard and scalable invoice automation platform that can be integrated with virtually any ERP, ECM, and P2P system.  Automating data capture/conversion, invoice validation and workflow can significantly reduce invoice processing time. Automation can also dramatically increase productivity – from processing 1,000 to up to 10,000 invoices per AP worker per month.  

Implement consistent workflow to improve compliance and controls – This best practice helps ensure compliance with regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley.  If deciding to team with a service provider, an organization should consider a partner that can implement consistent workflow processes designed to help maintain accurate records.  By overcoming gaps in tracking, accessing, and updating data, such workflow processes help clients avoid compliance issues.

For more information on accounts payable processing best practices as well as advanced document manage strategies, feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com

All businesses need to effectively manage their records but law firms have unique records management challenges.  Custodians of client records, as delineated in the Letter(s) of Engagement, law firms are not only contractually obligated to manage records responsibly but also bound by federal laws like HIPAA to manage their clients’ records while in the firm’s possession.  Firms are also obligated to manage their business records in accordance with state and federal regulations, such as NHS’ requirements for completed I-9 forms.  Many firms are recognizing that they do not have a defined systematic process for effectively managing records because their existing systems were not configured to track retention and terms of commitment.

In order to be compliant and to report on their compliance, firms need to develop a comprehensive, enterprise-wide records and information management (RIM) program that supports client services, governance, audit requirements and litigation support for clients — and litigation preparedness for the firm as  a business.  Such a program provides a structure to address the business concerns listed below, helps to avoid the risk of non-responsiveness during legal discovery as well as helps ensure excellence in the practice of law from a business perspective. 

Litigation and Audit — These concerns include the need to maintain business records that support business decisions, operations and treatment of individuals for the length of time required by agencies regulating the firm’s business and as dictated by the statutes of limitations for others to bring a claim.  A RIM program communicates these requirements in a clear, concise manner.

Corporate Culture — Firms should be confident that appropriate employees are knowledgeable about:
• How to “write for the record”
• How to write a business email
• How and when to dispose of drafts
• How to consistently classify and label documents
• How to dispose of records and non-records

Cost Control — Are you aware that:
• Keeping records beyond their useful life leaves your business open to discovery
• Paying for storage of client records beyond the contractual obligation impacts the bottom line, whether the storage is electronic or hardcopy
• Disposing of duplicates and convenience copies reduces the need to add to storage
• Retrieving the right record at the right time reduces the time to get to the first billable hour

Improved Customer Service – When you keep only the most active records close by or online, retrieval time to look up a customer question or address a complaint takes seconds or minutes instead of hours and days.  As a result, the time to reach the first billable hour is reduced.

Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure — This Rule assumes that your firm has a records program in place. If your firm does not have an effective program in place, you should be concerned that:
• Safe Harbor is not available to your firm.
• Your firm’s inability to provide responsive material because it is too expensive may not be an accepted reason by the court: “Failure to adopt a compliant records retention and destruction protocol that permits cost effective access to relevant records and creates an audit trail subjects the non-compliant litigant to sanctions and constitutes spoliation” (Starbucks Corp. v. ADT Security Services, Inc. 2009)

For more information on records-related topics such as managing electronic documents and records management center best practices, feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com

As the first quarter of 2013 draws to a close, one goal that many enterprises have for the rest of year – particularly those that manually process invoices – is to improve their accounts payable (AP) function.

The key reason: now CFO’s expect more than operational excellence from the AP function.  Once considered a back-office cost center, AP has evolved into a strategic business enabler charged with helping to reduce costs, strengthen compliance and controls and ensure that payments are efficiently processed and reported.

To accomplish these responsibilities, the AP function must streamline the invoice process, leverage new technology, and implement best practices such as outsourcing non-strategic work and migrating from paper to digital workflow. I’ll spotlight three of these best practices to consider for 2013 one in this column and two in my next column. Here’s the best practice number one:

Streamline the invoice process to reduce cycle time and cost – When working with a service provider to improve the invoice process, the organization can begin by leveraging the provider’s experts to enhance the procure-to-pay (P2P) process. This includes centralizing the receipt of paper invoices and scanning them either in the company’s locations or in the provider’s facilities. The provider should validate each invoice against the organization’s master data to ensure that only valid invoices enter the organization’s ERP system. This can significantly reduce the work associated with duplicate or invalid invoices.

For more information on accounts payable processing best practices as well as advanced document manage strategies, feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com.

I attended a Greater NY PCC meeting recently and asked questions about the confusion that has resulted from trying to figure out if companies that picked up their own mail would still be able to do so – and on Saturday. Representatives responded “Yes” and that Caller Service was being treated the same as PO Box mail. The true line item difference in the following clarification includes continued 24-7 pickup of remittance mail, and also would include lock box mail.

We can probably expect a potential added “shift” delay from plant to plant for a single day. How does that affect commercial customers? You are currently experiencing the shift delay for each of the plants that were closed between July and December of 2012. Now we are looking at a single additional one day shift delay, and in today’s terms, not really that large of an impact.

The USPS will be conducting surveys of the change in delivery days for both residential and commercial addresses to first set a benchmark on current service and then to follow impact after the August elimination of regular delivery on Saturday. These results coupled with the true financial measure will provide a true indicator if this decision is deemed a success or another minor attempt at trying to slow the deluge of debt.

The following is a copy of the recent press release announcing changes to Saturday Delivery.

USPS clarifies Saturday delivery
At a recent Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) meeting, Megan Brennan, Chief Operating Officer and executive vice president of the USPS®, clarified the following elements of the USPS' plan for 5-day delivery:
• There will be no Saturday deliveries except Express Mail® and packages
• There will be no Saturday blue-box collection mail pick up
• Any Post Office™ currently open on Saturday will remain open Saturday using its current hours and with delivery to all Post Office Boxes
• Remittance mail (P.O. Box™ addressed) will continue to be available seven days a week
• Saturday bulk mail acceptance (post office, Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) and Detached Mail Unit (DMU)) currently open on Saturday/Sunday will remain open and will accept mail
• Drop Ship facilities now open on Saturdays will continue to be open; though some changes in hours, particularly at Destination Delivery Units (DDUs) may occur
• The USPS will continue to process incoming mail at all plants Monday-Saturday to support delivery as outlined above.

Brennan stressed that the USPS plans to deliver the following types of mail on Saturday:
• Express Mail
• Priority Mail®
• First-Class Mail® parcels (both retail and commercial)
• Standard Post™ (formerly Parcel Post®)
• Parcel Select®, including Parcel Select Lightweight®

For more information on mail center management best practices and strategies for more effective document management strategies, feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com.

A records program that hasn’t been completely updated since 2010 places the company at risk of non-compliance with state laws regulating Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the states to align with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, enacted in 2006.  Fines ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000 have been levied at the federal level under Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for non-compliance with these legal discovery requirements and all 50 states have adopted variations of the Federal Rules.  The requirement that gets most companies in trouble is the time limit to respond: 30 days. 

The root cause of the fines was the inability of the companies in question to identify and retrieve where their reliable, authentic business records were stored within the company in the required timeframe.  A secondary cause was the inability to communicate to the employees which records had to be placed on a disposition/destruction hold.  Sending out a memo isn’t sufficient. Confirming that employees acknowledge and understand what needs to be done, and periodically communicating as appropriate until the case has been closed are all critical activities.

In records analyses that I have conducted, there is widespread use of shared drives as repositories of unmanaged records and information.  These would not be found in a discovery project unless excessive amounts of unbudgeted IT resources were deployed.  In one analysis, it was calculated each employee with potentially responsive information required eight hours of IT resources to simply identify where the information could be amongst all the shared drives, hard drives, USB drives, cloud storage, email archives, etc.  Additional time was needed to retrieve it in a useful format.  Add to that the legal review time to determine what is actually responsive and it’s easy to see how quickly costs can mount up. 

The expanded use of “bring your own device,” has added to the chaos for companies that do not provide clear direction to employees about managing company information on their own devices.  A robust records management program that encompasses the entire lifecycle of information in a company is vital to reducing the risk. 

Records management starts at the time a record is created, not when it’s ready to go in a box.

For more information on records-related topics such as managing electronic documents and records management center best practices, feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com

Once again Canon Business Process Services has been named to the top-ranked Leaders category of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals’ (IAOP®) 2013 Global Outsourcing 100® list. The list defines the standard of excellence in outsourcing service delivery. This is the seventh straight year in which we’ve been ranked a Leader in The Global Outsourcing 100.

The Global Outsourcing 100 and its sub-lists are essential references for companies seeking new and expanded relationships with the best companies in the industry. The list includes companies from around the world that provide the full spectrum of outsourcing services, from information technology and business process outsourcing to document processing services and mail center management outsourcing. 

Official Global Outsourcing 100 rankings will be published in the May 20th FORTUNE 500 issue of FORTUNE® magazine, in a special section produced by IAOP. In the meantime, feel free to learn about effective document management strategies by visiting us at http://www.cbps.canon.com

Last month I highlighted four challenges a law firm’s office services center was facing in improving the efficiency of its operations. In this column I’ll focus on the solution and results achieved.

The CBPS team began by helping the firm relocate its office services center to new office space within the building. Océ had significant input in designing the new mail and print/copy center, which included installing a new package tracking system that automated and improved accountability for incoming and outbound mail processing. We also created new mail and print/copy operation procedures. These included process flow maps for more efficiently receiving, processing, checking quality and returning print/copy job orders. Additional improvements included initiating problem resolution forms and regularly scheduled meetings where teams from the firm and CBPS could discuss strategies and tactics for driving continual operational improvements.

As another important development during the course of the relationship, we upgraded the firm’s print/copy fleet to digital, networked multifunctional devices (MFDs) that combine print, copy, fax and scan-to-email capabilities in one unit. CBPS also implemented a more detailed, automated reporting system and helped the firm improve its records management function. We achieved the latter by creating a records retention policy and procedures and by indexing thousands of documents that were stored offsite. This freed up office space, increased efficiency and enhanced compliance.  

In addition to leveraging our document process management expertise, the firm also now uses our electronic evidence processing system to improve the firm’s eDiscovery capabilities. With the CBPS system, the firm can process client data onsite, enabling it to gain a competitive edge, recover costs and deliver superior client service. 

The results
• Created the teamwork and collaboration that has enabled the firm to better leverage the benefits of document process outsourcing
• Reduced document process management costs since the beginning of the relationship due to reductions in labor, deployment of more advanced equipment and improved workflows
• Established an automated tracking system that has improved mail processing
• Implemented a document process performance management system that helps to measure results and continually improve both mail and print/copy center operations
• Utilized new workflows, methodologies and technologies such as networked MFDs and document scanning that have improved operational efficiency
• Launched an electronic evidence processing solution that is helping to advance the firm’s eDiscovery capabilities and improve client service

Feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com  for additional insights into effective document management strategies and eDiscovery solutions that can help advance your organization’s programs to a higher level.

Previously, I looked at some recent trends and challenges organizations face in streamlining their accounts payable (AP) process in order to add business value. In this post I’ll highlight how Canon Business Process Services (CBPS) offers comprehensive AP services that help the AP function significantly reduce the laborious work of processing invoices, freeing up budget and time to work on more important, value-added business activities. 

Our AP services cover the entire invoice lifecycle from receipt to payment.  This includes providing the technology, people, and facilities to process invoices and travel and expense (T&E) claims.  CBPS can assume an organization’s clerical staff on-site or provide the staff in our facilities. We integrate our technology with a client’s to optimize the AP workflow end to end.
CBPS AP services are scalable and can be implemented step-by-step to add the right level of enhancement that makes sense for the client’s process. Following are some examples.

Invoice intake centralizes the receipt, scans, and converts paper or digital invoices into data and images that are routed to the client’s ERP, AP workflow, and content management systems. 

Invoice processing validates the invoice and completes the approval process, whether it is a purchase order (PO) or non-PO order item.  Approval is completed using staff assisted by automated matching and workflow.  Approval time may be reduced from weeks to days.

Invoice payment services include both electronic and check payments.  CBPS staff reviews the payment file and present it to the client for final release.  We securely print and mail checks in accordance with client procedures and controls.  CBPS also manages bank payment files and reconciliation.

AP support services include vendor maintenance and inquiry help desk, maintenance of AP records, reconciliation and analysis, reporting, maintaining policy, procedures and internal controls as well as administering programs such as regulatory compliance for T&E costs and IRS reporting

Flexible delivery options offer the capability to provide our services at client sites or through CBPS Business Processing Centers located in the US and offshore. 

Streamlining the invoice process to reduce cycle time and cost spans policies, procedures, and discipline in procurement and receiving drive the number of exceptions in the invoice process. That’s why when working to streamline the invoice process, CBPS experts begin with the procure-to-pay (P2P) process, such as centralizing the receipt of paper invoices and scanning them either in our facilities or in client locations. 

Using automation to reduce errors, improve productivity, and lower cost is supported by the CBPS invoice automation platform, which can be integrated with virtually any ERP, ECM, and P2P systems.  Automating the capture, data conversion, validation, matching, and workflow reduced the invoice processing time to days. 

Using automation to improve compliance with regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley Act is necessary and important.  Our AP services provide consistent workflow processes that help maintain accurate records.  By overcoming gaps in tracking, accessing, and updating data, the system helps clients avoid compliance issues.

In my next post I’ll highlight two client experiences using CBPS AP services. In the meantime, for more information on our other document processing services, as well as insight on topics such as digital workflow management and best practices in managing electronic documents, feel free to visit our website at http://www.cbps.canon.com

Many have wondered what will become of the Postal Service as so many documents are distributed electronically, including e-mail and social networks. As many experts have reported on the continuing decline in the volume of mail handled by the USPS, many people ask “what value does the mail service offer these days?”

The emergence of electronic communication has been a factor in diminishing revenue for the Postal Service and has contributed to the large deficit in annual operating expenses. The Postal Service response has been to develop a major campaign to capture advertising and marketing mail. With the use of digital software, items could be tracked by postal region and a time estimate for reaching customers. The advantage of this approach is capturing a greater number of pieces, but at lower revenue than experienced sending First Class Mail.

The items that carried most value wound up being sent via overnight and second day courier. The USPS Express Mail is an option, but has not demonstrated a high enough level of savings to compete with the specialty of overnight signature mail. In this regard, a sender and a mail manager face the same challenge – how do I send my important items which require signatures while trying to economize?

This is the step that requires more attention because in today’s corporate environment the same solution will become evident to mailers everywhere. The valued mail will cost more, and undervalued mail will not be handled with the same level of urgency. A perfect example is corporate mail arrives at 8:30AM and sort schemes begin with sorting First Class Mail from the remainder. The mail that is sorted and delivered first will be handled with importance while the other will go through a second sort to determine mail that does not even require final delivery within a company. This was formerly known as “Junk Mail” – but does represent the advertising mail and marketing targets that the Postal Service is banking on for its’ future revenue stream.

The steps that need to be taken to stall the “bleeding” of postal finances are in need of some more creative thinking. The model that was created by FedEx and UPS is one way to approach alternate ground revenue, but remember – the USPS driver is delivering your packages to a mail box or exclusive postal receptacle. That is their advantage, but in many cases it would be more beneficial to have a door or “delivery by instruction” option as is the case with the other courier companies.

The last thought is that without the anticipated help from Congress in overturning the current pension accounts that are also hindering financial recovery, the Postal Service has very little in the way of successful strategic thinking to solve their main problem. Ad mail is not the single answer, and we know that closing facilities is only a temporary cost avoidance measure. None of the solutions has been enough - even when combined – to offset this deficit.

For more information on effective mail center management strategies, mailroom service best practices and related document process management topics, feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com

In this and my next few blog posts I plan to spotlight how the accounts payable (AP) function is evolving. This includes looking at some current trends and challenges and how Canon Business Process Services (CBPS) works with clients to improve their AP processes.

One thing that has changed over the past few years is that now CFO’s expect more than operational excellence from the AP function.  AP was long considered to be a back-office cost center. Now it is evolving into a strategic business enabler charged with the responsibility to reduce costs, strengthen compliance and controls and ensure that payments are accurately and quickly reported. The AP function also now partners with the procurement and receiving departments as well as with business units to add business value by streamlining the procure- to-pay (P2P) process.

To accomplish these responsibilities, the AP function must streamline the invoice process, update or implement new technology, and like other parts of the organization, implement successful strategies such as outsourcing non-strategic work and migrating from paper to digital workflow.

Accomplishing these goals means overcoming some challenges. For instance, in most organizations, the majority of non-purchase order (PO) invoices and travel and expense (T&E) reports still enter the AP process in paper form.  From receipt to payment, manual touch points are required to convert and validate data, to complete approval through the PO and non-PO process, and to pay.  Staff is challenged to effectively manage manual data entry, duplicate invoice copies, special payment requests, frequent calls for payment from suppliers and staff, and with paper recordkeeping.

Moreover, decentralized receipt and manual routing prolong payment time such that a substantial number of invoices cannot be paid on time.  Discounts are lost.  Late fees are incurred.  Another key challenge: Accrual of outstanding liability is guesswork at a time when the CFO and CEO are required to endorse for the accuracy and integrity of financial reporting under Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

And on the strategic front, there is often not enough time and staff to work on process improvements, to implement automation, and to work on aligning procurement and AP practices to ensure payments are made within contract terms, exceptions are minimized, and discounts and rebates are realized.

At the operating level, AP managers are pressured by management to reduce the total cost of AP; by business units that demand more analytical support; by suppliers that want faster payment; by procurement , which wants an integrated procure-to-pay process (P2P), and by internal audit, which insist on less errors and tighter controls.

Finally, while all organizations use technology, the technology they have is not designed to eliminate the manual work of processing invoices and T&E claims.  Most organizations operate multiple ERP systems with or without invoice workflow.  Manual labor is required to enter data into these systems as well as to secure approval and resolve exceptions. The use of scanning and digital content management technology is becoming more prevalent.  However, most organizations still do not use automation to capture, validate and match data as well as to obtain approvals.

In my next post I’ll highlight how CBPS solutions are designed to help overcome these and other AP process challenges. In the meantime, for more information on the range of our document processing services, as well as insight on topics such as digital workflow management and best practices in managing electronic documents, feel free to visit our website at http://www.cbps.canon.com.

For this and my next blog column I’d like to spotlight a case history about how an internationally-recognized law firm needed to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of its mail and print/copy center operations. The firm turned to us for help in meeting meet these goals as well as to help its employees better leverage the benefits of the firm’s document management services.

The firm’s office services center faced four key issues. One was that its headquarters location was growing rapidly and within constrained space, was trying to operate its print/copy center effectively. This challenge was compounded by the fact that the center was trying to manage a print/copy/fax volume of over 1,000,000 pages per month using old, non-networked analog equipment.

Second, the firm’s mailroom operations were also impeded by the cramped, inefficient layout of space as well as the fact that there were no automated processes in place – only manual procedures – for tracking inbound and outbound accountable mail.

Third, because the firm less than optimal document management policies and procedures in place, it was not obtaining reports with critical data it needed on a timely basis – data such as print/copy and accountable mail volumes.

The fourth issue concerned the lack of communication between the office services staff and the firm’s employees. Because there was no regularly scheduled dialog between the groups, including internal user feedback meetings, it was difficult to implement any continuous service improvement initiatives.

Meeting these complex challenges would help the law firm optimize the operational efficiency of its document management processes. The firm teamed with Canon Business Process Services to help turn its vision into reality. I’ll highlight the solution in my next column. In the meantime, please feel free to visit www.cbps.canon.com for additional insights into effective document management strategies and eDiscovery solutions that can help advance your organization’s programs to a higher level.

I remember a time when the USPS, FedEx, UPS, and others were flush with the delivery of documents.  In matter of fact, businesses received so much paper, that an enterprising entrepreneur developed an Electronic Document Management platform (based upon NASA technology) to solve this problem.  Now, these documents deliverers mainly handle packages, and what is commonly referred to as “junk mail.”  So, where is the paper and what is the impact on Electronic Document Management systems?

We all know that the USPS is losing billions of dollars annually due to the ever decreasing amount of correspondence and documents moving through its system.  This has had a direct impact on the inbound digitization of paper in to document management systems.   However, the amount of documents received by organizations continues to increase.  How can this be?  You can thank the “Internet.”  Whereas in the past companies have had to digitize the paper their customers sent to them, nowadays it arrives already in digital format.  But the impact to document management systems, several years ago renamed to Content Management Systems, is still a concern that organizations must address.

And the primary reason companies must stay vigilant is that these “documents” are typically business critical records.  That is why it is imperative to partner with a supplier that not only understands this paradigm shift, but also knows best practices for effectively and securely managing electronic documents.  Additionally, a good solution provider should be prepared to assist its clients in formulating a strategy to migrate existing paper records to a full electronic form, and transform the remaining paper documents (yes, there will always be those people who will continue to use a hardcopy format) into intelligent documents. 

So don’t necessarily look at it as end to an era, rather look at it as an evolution.  A sound business process outsourcing (BPO) provider will possess the vision and expertise to ensure their clients evolve, instead of becoming extinct.

A strong BPO offering from a proven records, document and content management outsourcer can improve an organization’s operating efficiency as well as help contain costs. If you are interested in learning more, our website, www.cbps.canon.com offers records management center best practices as well as insight into the full document process management lifecycle.

The tenets of records management are to provide a reliable, authentic record with auditable integrity.  The assumption that unstructured records (a contract, for example) are less reliable than structured data (databases, for example) needs to be investigated more thoroughly.  In the past few years, I have been involved in a number of projects where the underlying assumption that the data held in line of business applications, such as Oracle and SAP, were accurate and complete.  This assumption proved to be costly, in terms of both time and money, as projects were delayed and additional resources needed to identify and remove real duplicates or rename non-duplicated information and to standardize naming conventions so that the project could move forward, often after the go-live date. 

There are so many adages that apply – such as “pay me now or pay me later” or “garbage in/garbage out” – that it’s almost funny (almost).  If you have lived through a project where an underlying assumption proved false, you understand the pain.  In many cases, the test environment uses a database consisting of made-up data, so as to not compromise security requirements.  In any project, though, live data is used in the production environment.  My experience has been that the data needs to be thoroughly examined, and tested, before the go-live date in order to celebrate a successful implementation.

How can the involvement of a records management professional at the inception of creating a new database or rollout of a new project help avoid this pain?  We’re trained to create classification plans that make business sense, understand the implications of abbreviations and acronyms, and, we know that a record will lose its value over time and will need to be discarded.  Dealing with the here and now, in migration or business process automation projects, we also understand the importance of cleaning and purging information during the development stages, prior to testing, so that the testing is a reflection of the usefulness of the application and not the integrity of the data. 

For more information on records-related topics such as managing electronic documents and records management center best practices, feel free to visit http://www.cbps.canon.com

I’m pleased to spotlight some significant news at the start of a new year. On January 1, 2013 Canon Business Services, Inc. became the official new name of Océ Business Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon USA. We are excited to be part of the Canon family of companies, where we are positioned better than ever to meet the evolving document process needs of our clients.

I’d like to share the following information:

The Company will continue to operate within its current structure as part of the Canon family. Account contacts and on-site service teams will remain. Company headquarters will continue to be located in Manhattan.
 
On behalf of everyone at Canon Business Process Services, we thank all of our valued clients, partners and vendors for conducting business with us. We'd also like to thank those who read and participate in our blog. While our name has changed, the company will continue to operate seamlessly and to focus on improving business process effectiveness for clients.

For more information advancing your document management strategies to a higher level, feel free to visit our web site at http://www.cbps.canon.com.

Managed Print Services (MPS), which centralizes responsibility for an organization’s print and copy operation, can yield solid business benefits. These can include reducing costs by as much as 30 to 40 percent over traditional print fleet management approaches, as well as increasing efficiency, security and sustainability enterprise wide.

Yet many organizations do not realize these and other benefits because their print output management process is limited primarily to equipment costs. To help these enterprises implement and maintain more effective MPS programs, Océ is offering recommendations that are detailed in our new white paper: “Advancing Managed Print Services: Four Guiding Principles for Optimizing Office Document Print Output.”

These guiding principles for MPS include:

Step One: Plan the entire output infrastructure and how it should be managed. This step should be guided by a thorough assessment of the company’s current and projected document management output needs, and the creation of a map that guides the operation from its “current state” to its “future state.”

Step Two: Implement resources including superior tools, organizational infrastructure and processes that will support an optimized MPS program. This includes appointing responsible management and embedding an onsite team to support the process.

Step Three: Improve the MPS program through digital equipment functionality, and adherence to methodologies that can be integrated to enhance workflow, information management, and compliance. The program should create a variety of detailed reports on program performance that measure savings and efficiencies, as well as specific performance deltas from the original plan laid out in step one.

Step Four: Sustain cost-savings and the environmental sustainability initiatives through practices such as: consolidating equipment, reducing page volume via duplex (double-sided) printing, and purchasing ink in bulk.

For more information on document process management strategies and best practices that can help reduce printing costs, as well as to feel free to download our new white paper,  visit http://www.ocesolutions.com

Tomorrow, Océ will be on hand to share insights, innovative approaches and important legal industry trends at the Hildebrandt Institute’s 11th Annual COO & CFO Forum. We plan to spotlight document management best practices, strategies and case history examples that can help law firms reduce costs, streamline operational efficiency and mitigate risk.

Case in point: In a survey report we issued, executives from a variety of major industries, including legal, made a strong case for tapping the business benefits of records management. A very high number of survey respondents (71%) reported that records management has a moderate to strong impact on supporting their organization’s top business goals such as lowering costs and improving operational efficiency.

As an example, Océ reviewed the records management procedures of three practice areas for a major law firm and provided the firm with recommendations that helped it streamline workflows; enhance compliance and allow attorneys to spend more time practicing law. After conducting a software gap analysis, Océ also improved utilization of the firm’s file management system. As a result of these and other activities, the firm realized costs savings of over $70,000 in the first year of the records program due to process improvements, file room space reductions and other enhancements.

Feel free to visit http://www.ocesolutions.com for information on topics such as how the right eDiscovery solutions or electronic discovery service, as well as document process management best practices in general, can help your organization reduce costs and risk.