contact us     help    login  

Organizations are Ready to Tackle Document Output Costs in the Office

Introduction

According to new research by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures, organizations are ready to take control of their document output costs in workgroup environments. 66% of the respondents that participated in the research indicated a need to track and charge scanned documents to specific clients, departments, or individuals, and 60% have considered applying an electronic solution to automate those tracking processes.

InfoTrends/CAP Ventures’ report entitled Organizations are Ready to Tackle Document Output Costs in the Office closely examines the current movement in document output tracking and cost management solutions from the perspective of decision-making customers. The report provides a better understanding about how customers perceive the value in these solutions and whether they will further support the growth of this market by investing in them.

302 end-users were asked specific questions regarding pricing expectations, plans for implementation, and expected return on investment for document tracking solutions. End-users represented organizations from more than a dozen vertical industries and businesses of all sizes, including small (1 – 99 employees), medium (100 – 999 employees), and large (1,000+ employees).

Solution Value and Purchasing Preferences

A majority of respondents indicated that their organizations would have to save at least $200 per user for them to consider a document tracking solution. Nearly a quarter of respondents were unwilling to spend any amount of money on such a solution, and 11% were willing to spend anywhere from $500 to $1,000. The pricing sweet spot appears to be somewhere between $50 and $200 per user, with a realistic price falling in the $100 to $175 range.

Figure 1: Amount Willing to Spend on a Document Tracking Solution Per User

The amount of money that respondents are willing to pay for a document tracking solution could be indicative of owner-level respondents lacking total vision into what their organizations are actually producing in net costs. Conversely, this could also mean that IT Managers are not as in tune with how much these costs affect the bottom line, but are more focused on capturing these costs and less sensitive to capital investments.
Based on a calculated average from the values provided, respondents anticipated being able to generate a 15% return on their investment in deploying a document output tracking system. 85% of respondents expected a return on investment of at least 5% for such a solution. 

Figure 2: Expected Percentage of Return on Investment in a
Document Tracking System

Larger organizations expected the greatest return (17% based on the calculated mean), while smaller organizations expected a slightly lower average return (14%). Measured across job titles, the averages were very consistent with an expected return on investment of approximately 15% – 16%.

From a service provider’s or a vendor’s perspective, document output tracking and management solutions appear to be important features. Overall, customers are receptive to these solutions and feel that they can capture substantial savings by using associated technologies to manage output. Consumers also believe that the can benefit from implementing a document output audit or assessment service.

The preceding is an excerpt from InfoTrends/CAP Ventures’ report Organizations Are Ready to Tackle Document Output Costs in the Office. The complete document is available immediately. To learn more about the report or to make a purchase, please contact Alison Hipp at , ext. 126 or .