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Authors Note:

It is a daunting task that I have before me. How do I describe how automating administrative systems from will revolutionize business?

One problem is that the underlying theories seem so basic. The

Automating Administrative Systems

“Anything you can do,
we’ll help you do better!”

explanations and definitions seem rudimentary which makes it difficult to imagine that the reader will find it interesting. For example, of course
Every Keystroke Counts. And I’m afraid that the answer to the question
Why Too Many Keystrokes? (page 2) may seem condescending. And

nothing could be further from the truth. I have the utmost respect for my fellow administrators. And I believe that helping them work more effectively and efficiently will benefit everyone.

As a start, perhaps I should change Revolutionize to Evolutionize. Because the goal is not to overthrow the way you’ve been doing business, but rather to help your company use the computer as a tool in a more effective way, everyday. To make your administrative processes begin evolving into more and more sophisticated versions of themselves.

Well, here goes the first topic!

Every Keystroke Counts

Even before the computer age, this was a clear concept in the industrial age of business. One of the primary measurements of administrative skills is measuring words per minute (“w.p.m.”) speeds for typing. The advent of computers further reinforced the equation “work over time equals money.” Not only do typists continue to report w.p.m. scores but data entry statistics regularly include the calculation of the operators’ Keystrokes per hour (“K”).

Let’s define input productivity as “the measurement of how effectively computer input is accomplished.” Although accuracy is an important variable of measuring input productivity, time is the constant denominator of any equation. And since time is money, improving your input productivity is clearly a source of savings today.

There are several components that affect your input productivity rate (Once again, I apologize if I’m boring you with this [Admin. 101 stuff], but it’s better if we’re all using the same references regarding the basic concepts):

1. The input speed: How fast the operator can activate the keys.

2. The number of keystrokes: How many times the operator touches the keys.

3. The editing required: How much editing is required to finalize the document. This includes not only the [secretary’s] accuracy and speed in making any changes, but also the number of times the document must be edited (the number times it passes between the [secretary] and the [boss]).

4. The editing footprint: The efficient and effective use of the word processing features available and how they will affect (enhance or hamper) editing and re-editing.

As indicated before, although each of these components takes into account different aspects of overall input productivity analysis, the common denominator in each is time. Therefore each of the components affects the others and input productivity as a whole through the time/cost relationship. This common thread makes it possible to concentrate any analysis and development on only one component, and with improvement in the functionality of that component, guarantee an improvement in the overall input productivity rate.

Fewer keystrokes are less cluttered,
offering a visibly direct correlation to improved productivity.

Why Too Many Keystrokes?

Why does a [secretary] prepare a document with unnecessary keystrokes? The answer is very straightforward. Because the [secretary] does not know how to use improved input techniques. The [secretary] may know the techniques, and may have used them in a classroom setting. But the [secretary] is not familiar with them, otherwise they would be used throughout the documents that the [secretary] prepares. And you can take that to the bank.

What a Difference Fewer Keystrokes Make

These dialogue boxes show some statistics regarding two Microsoft Word files that produce identical printed documents. The word processing files contain some significant differences, however. A comparison of the two documents, one generated from the other (re-formatted to reduce the number of characters) can be used to demonstrate this simple but powerful fact: it takes a [secretary] less time to input fewer keystrokes.

Compare the diagrams on the page 2. Each features a view of part of these documents as seen with the non-printing characters displayed. The old version contained 4947 Characters. The upgraded version reduced that number to only 3358 Characters, by using tab stops, paragraph formatting and tables. Less characters mean less keystrokes and result in a corresponding (32%) improvement of your input productivity rate.

From Keystrokes to Dollars

Using numbers based on the characteristics of the sample documents, this chart demonstrates that the hours of input saved by fewer keystrokes will quickly add up to numbers that will significantly affect the cost of doing business.

Telling the Story

Perspective 1

Calculated by the page, every 1000 pages input returns 37.0 hours. Assuming the same $40,000 annual rate, every 10,000 pages prepared would mean a savings of over $7,106.00, or $.71 per page.

Perspective 2

For each standard 5-day week Secretary A types using the improved input methods, she is available 3 ½ days for other work instead of 2 ½ days using typical methods.

Perspective 3

Secretary A spends one-half of each week typing using typical input methods	=20.00	hours
Secretary A would spend 32% less time using improved input methods	=12.80	hours

Perspective 4

And finally, at $40,000 per year, reducing the number of keystrokes typed by using improved input methods over typical will return a $12,800 savings in productivity.

How Far Will It Go?

A Sample Page Using Tables

These numbers show that improving the ability of administrative staff to efficiently use improved input methods will have an immediate effect on productivity by simply reducing the workload. Of course, once every document is prepared using the improved input techniques, the enhanced productivity will eventually become the accepted standard and these “savings” will be viewed as part of doing good business. However, improved input techniques will continue to enhance your productivity because of the affect they will have on the editing process.

Improved input methods will allow the [secretary] to concentrate on improving their accuracy. In addition, old documents are often “marked-up” for administrative staff to edit the electronic files as the basis for new documents. The editing footprint of documents prepared using improved input methods will be improved as well. Therefore, improved input methods represent a new way of doing business that will continue to affect productivity into the future.

Accessing the Improved Methods

How do you access these improvements?

A three-part process will be needed. First, to affect immediate improvement, old documents will be upgraded using improved input techniques. The sample page shown above shows how using table and paragraph formatting will make documents a useful tool in preparing new documents. The revised documents will be stored electronically for staff to use in new document preparation. Second, staff will be offered customized training on revising and preparing documents using improved input methods. Third, custom automation tools (i.e., Macros, Templates, Styles, etc.) will be developed and distributed to staff to assist with future document revision and editing.

Call Werecat to begin achieving your improved input productivity today.