TODAY'S BUSINESS CHALLENGE:

Kirk is one of 50 building inspectors working for the Occupational Safety & Health Department. Each time he inspects a building, he is expected to turn in a form which details his findings in triplicate. His department is understaffed, overworked, and woefully behind the times with regard to using computers to manage data. Between the combination of Kirk's cryptic handwriting and the poor quality of writing that appears on the duplicate and triplicate copies of the forms he must use, most of his reports are totally illegible.

Kirk's manager, Craig (who has been trying to find a way to reorganize the work flow in his office) has been stymied by bureaucratic restrictions which limit him to using one overpriced vendor for NCR forms. Meanwhile, the price of paper has doubled in the past year! The moment is rapidly approaching when Craig must submit another giant order for the forms used by his building inspectors. Craig is desperately seeking a way to receive more legible reports, have some means of tracking data, and make his building inspectors happier and more productive.

TOMORROW'S BUSINESS SOLUTION:

Working with Alert & Oriented Transcription Services, Craig sets up a system whereby each of his building inspectors receives a PIN# for accessing Alert & Oriented's digital dictation system. His inspectors are taught how to use scripts to dictate boilerplate reports. By doing so, they can place the exact information where it belongs in a computerized template. Meanwhile, Craig purchases a new Windows workstation equipped with a high-speed modem for his department. With some judicious networking, he convinces the department head who uses the triplicate copy of each report to accept delivery in electronic format. Re-engineering the flow of data has a surprising impact on productivity.

Each report dictated by one of Craig's building inspectors is transcribed with a customized signature line for the dictating inspector. The finished work -- from the entire fleet of building inspectors -- is then uploaded at night to Craig's office. The next morning, Craig's administrative assistant prints out a copy of each report on plain white bond paper for signature by each building inspector and a copy for the owner of the building that was inspected. The triplicate copy is uploaded to the outlying department which can (a) maintain the data in electronic format on a hard drive, (b) parse the data for analysis, and/or (c) print out hard copies of each report at its own cost. Meanwhile, the time previously spent on filling in forms has allowed Craig's staff to inspect 20 more buildings per week. The fees generated by these inspections have easily covered the costs of paper supplies, transcription services, and the new computer.