Enterprise forms automation

Enterprise forms automation is a company-wide computer system or set of systems for managing, distributing, completing and processing paper-based forms, applications, surveys, contracts and other documents. It plays a vital role towards achieving the goal of a paperless office.

The term "enterprise forms automation" was first used in the mid 1990s by JetForm Corporation to describe their solution to automating paperwork. This process was later acquired by Adobe Systems and is now part of the Adobe LiveCycle suite of products. In 2004 Efficient Technology Inc became the first company to apply this term in the software as a service.

This term is intended to refer to the automation of paper-based processes that specifically rely on documents (forms, applications, etc.) that retain their paper-based look and feel even if not printed out during the process. In order for a forms automation solution to be considered an ‘Enterprise Forms Automation’ solution it must meet the requirements of enterprise software and be specifically focused on automating paperwork and paper-based forms.

Organizations implement enterprise software solutions in order to automate major functions and large processes as these areas offer the greatest cost savings and return on investment compared to smaller projects. Enterprise-level implementations often cost well over $100,000 and therefore take many months to realize cost savings. As such, automating smaller functions are ignored due to the lack of immediate financial benefit or cost savings. As functions become more and more automated while software costs for enterprise systems drop in price, organizations begin automating lower-level functions in order to reap additional cost savings and become more efficient. In addition, through the advent of standards like Adobe’s PDF model and service models like Quik!, automating the process of filling out forms is one such area that companies seek to automate via Enterprise Forms Automation solutions.

Automating forms also has a positive ‘green’ impact on the environment. In order to reduce waste and carbon emissions, companies seek ways to eliminate paper. By deploying an Enterprise Forms Automation system, companies can eliminate paper entirely or significantly reduce how much paper is used, while greatly reducing shipping and handling costs, storage costs, and printing costs associated to pre-printed forms. In addition, automating paper-based processes greatly speeds up the time it takes to perform transactions, which results in fewer errors, rejections and revisions and has the benefit of freeing up the time spent by users on manual labor.

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Wikipedia