Karlson said Word-Tech employees spend about 40 percent of their time on any project studying the inner workings of the client's business. Then Word-Tech designs a system to automate and computerize the company's paperwork. Lower-priced and better computers and scanners have made the process cheaper and more efficient. In addition to the obvious benefits of increased productivity and customer service, there are smaller benefits. Storing paperwork offsite eliminates problems for some companies that found their file cabinets were taxing the load limits in new office buildings.
Some companies chuck the paper entirely, pocketing the cash from the recycled paper.
It's all about saving money while, at the same time, improving customer service, said Jim Tipton, the Word-Tech account manager on the KU Medical Center project.