If you have a system that works well, adding a computer will not necessarily make the system better. I won't say which university and I won't say which department. Paperwork is normal in most large organizations. Moving paperwork from place to place is probably among the top three activities at any large university. The sad ending to the story is that the computers were added, but not used properly.
Information comes into the department in a number of formats.
It is entered by a worker into one computer, so that it can be printed in a uniform format on another piece of paper. I never really did learn how many offices, pieces of paper, and uniform formats the information went through to reach my wife's office. She would take the information from the neatly printed piece of paper, enter that information into, yes, her computer, so that it could be printed in yet another uniform format to yet another piece of paper, so that someone else could mail out a response. The people involved are not stupid. Most have college degrees.