In the era of digital transformation, digitisation is emerging as a strategic necessity for businesses. By replacing physical documents with digital versions, this process offers numerous advantages: increased productivity, cost reduction, data security…
However, it also presents challenges, particularly in terms of organisation and change management. How can a digitisation project be successfully implemented? What are the key success factors and pitfalls to avoid?
Table of contents
- What does it mean to embark on a digitisation process?
- Why digitise your company’s documents?
- Digitisation: what the law says
- Questions to answer before starting your digitisation project
- The 5 key steps to a successful digitisation project
- Securing digitised documents: a must in 2025 to avoid any risks of fraud
- Mistakes to avoid in a digitisation project
What does it mean to embark on a digitisation process?
Digitisation involves replacing paper-based documents with their digital equivalents. It is a comprehensive approach that covers the entire document lifecycle and impacts all business processes, including creation, validation, signing, distribution, classification, and archiving.
Beyond simple scanning, a true digitisation strategy requires rethinking workflows to fully leverage digital capabilities. This includes implementing collaborative tools, electronic workflows, e-signature procedures, and Electronic Document Management (EDM) systems. The goal is to optimise processes, cut costs, and enhance operational efficiency.
Why digitise your company’s documents?
Increased productivity and cost reduction
By eliminating time-consuming and low-value tasks associated with paper handling (printing, photocopying, mailing, manual data entry, document retrieval), digitisation allows businesses to reallocate time to higher-value activities.
It is also a major cost-saving factor: reducing paper consumption, mailing costs, and storage space. A study by Cegid [1] reveals that companies allocate 5% of their revenue to paper document management.
Improved document management
Managing large volumes of paper documents often leads to cluttered cabinets and misplaced files. According to Le Monde Informatique [2], employees spend an average of one hour per day searching for documents. With an Electronic Document Management (EDM) system, all information is centralised in a secure digital space, making documents easier to organise, share, and retrieve.
Securing exchanges and regulatory compliance
Digitalisation increases exposure to cyber risks. Securing digital documents and communications through appropriate measures such as encryption, access rights management, traceability, and backups is essential.
Compliance with applicable regulations (notably GDPR) requires businesses to implement procedures ensuring data protection. Non-compliance can result in heavy penalties, making it crucial to integrate these considerations from the project’s inception.
For further insights, check out our dedicated article on digital transformation challenges for businesses.
Digitisation: what the law says
Legal framework for electronic signatures and seals
The European eIDAS regulation (Electronic Identification, Authentication, and Trust Services) provides a clear and harmonised legal framework, recognising the validity of electronic signatures and defining the status of trust service providers.
A qualified electronic signature holds the same legal weight as a handwritten signature. It must be issued through a qualified provider using a secure signature creation device.
The eIDAS regulation also formalises the electronic seal, the digital equivalent of a company stamp. By ensuring document authenticity and integrity, it strengthens the legal value and admissibility of digital documents in case of disputes.
Standards and certifications for digitisation
Beyond the legal framework, several standards and certifications attest to the quality and security of a digitisation system, including:
- ISO 15489-1:2016: This international standard, adopted in the UK under the reference BS ISO 15489-1:2016, provides guidelines for document management, including their creation, capture, and management throughout their lifecycle.
- BS 10008:2014: This British standard specifies best practices for the electronic management and storage of information to ensure its authenticity and integrity.
Choosing a qualified service provider ensures long-term reliability and compliance.
Questions to answer before starting your digitisation project
Before embarking on digitisation, defining its scope and objectives is crucial.
Key considerations include:
What are the priority processes and documents to digitise?
These could be the most voluminous workflows, the most time-consuming to process, or the most sensitive in terms of security or regulatory compliance.
What benefits can be expected?
Cost reduction, productivity gains, improved traceability, better customer experience… Digitisation can serve multiple objectives that need to be prioritised.
What are the constraints to consider?
Legal obligations, required security levels, volume to be processed, storage capacity, integration with existing IT systems… These are factors that influence the design of the target solution.
What is the company’s level of maturity?
Paper-based culture, employees’ digital skills, readiness for change… The success of the project will also depend on the organisation’s ability to adopt new ways of working. A change management plan is often necessary.
What resources should be mobilised?
Project team, budget, technical resources, outsourced services, training… It is important to accurately estimate the needs and ensure they align with the available resources.
Answering these questions will help create a precise and realistic roadmap tailored to your business context.
The 5 key steps to a successful digitisation project
Audit existing processes
The first step is to conduct an assessment of the existing document processes within the company. This audit aims to identify documents and workflows with high potential for digitisation, as well as bottlenecks that need to be addressed as a priority.
It should result in a detailed flow mapping, with key data for each process, such as the number of documents, processing time, number of stakeholders, etc., to define priorities and the target scope.
Define project scope and requirements
Based on this assessment, the next step is to formalise the requirements in the form of a functional and technical specification document. This stage should clearly specify the expected features, constraints to be met, and performance indicators to be monitored.
This reference document should also outline the timeline, budget, and resources to be allocated.
Select the right digital tools
The next step is to select the most suitable technological components based on the identified needs. Document Management Systems (DMS), collaborative tools, Enterprise Content Management (ECM), workflows, electronic timestamping, electronic signatures, electronic invoicing, probative archiving… The options are numerous.
To make the right choice, several criteria should be considered: functional scope, compatibility with the existing IT system, security and integrity levels, certifications, scalability, and cost. The interoperability and modularity of the overall solution will be key factors in ensuring the sustainability of the system.
Train employees and manage change
No matter how effective a digitisation solution is, it will only deliver benefits if it is properly used. Therefore, the success of the project largely depends on the buy-in and upskilling of the teams.
A tailored support plan must be put in place to facilitate the adoption of new tools and working methods. This plan should include regular communication on objectives and benefits, user training, as well as post-deployment support and assistance.
Evaluate the project’s impact with KPIs
Once the project is launched, it is essential to monitor its adoption and measure its long-term impact. Pre-defined performance indicators (KPIs) will allow you to quantify the progress made compared to the initial situation.
Processing times, digitisation rates, number of documents exchanged, postage costs: these are valuable data to objectively assess the gains and identify potential areas for improvement.
Securing digitised documents: a must in 2025 to avoid any risks of fraud
The risks of document fraud
With increasing digital transactions, document fraud is on the rise (identity theft, document forgery, financial fraud).
Businesses face significant risks: financial losses due to unpaid debts and payment fraud, damage to reputation in case of sensitive data leaks, disputes with clients or suppliers, penalties for non-compliance…
Solutions to secure digitised documents: electronic seal and electronic signature
To strengthen the evidential value of your digital documents, rely on solutions such as the electronic seal, which authenticates the institutional origin of a document, while the electronic signature attests to an individual’s personal consent.
The electronic seal, when applied to your files, verifies their origin and integrity. Combined with a qualified timestamp, it helps protect against fraud attempts.
The qualified electronic signature also plays a crucial role in guaranteeing the signatory’s identity and consent.
Compliance with standards and regulations
To preserve the integrity and legal value of your documents, ensure that the chosen service providers comply with the requirements set out in the UK’s Electronic Identification and Trust Services Regulation (eIDAS equivalent in the UK).
Certification schemes such as the UK’s Trusted Services Provider qualification confirm adherence to the highest standards. With these guarantees, your digitised documents retain full evidential value in the event of a dispute.
Mistakes to avoid in a digitisation project
- Failing to anticipate security and integrity requirements.
- Neglecting employee training.
- Selecting tools that are unsuitable for internal processes.
Conclusion
Digitisation is a powerful driver of performance and competitiveness for businesses. For a successful digital transformation, it is essential to manage change step by step, involving the teams and selecting reliable and secure solutions.
With a structured approach and the right tools, you can fully reap the benefits of digitisation: productivity gains, cost control, enhanced security, and regulatory compliance.
Ready to take the leap? Contact Evidency today to build your tailor-made digitisation project.
[1] Cegid, Infographie : Les 8 chiffres clés de la dématérialisation des factures, Mai 2020, Mis à jour Octobre 2024 : https://www.cegid.com/fr/blog/infographie-chiffres-cles-dematerialisation-factures/
[2] BAYLE Céline, Dématérialisation : 7 chiffres pour tout savoir, Le Monde informatique : https://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/publi_info/lire-dematerialisation-7-chiffres-pour-tout-savoir-671.html
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