Just the Numbers: 10 Document Management Stats You Need to Know

Information has never been more accessible, but it’s also never been more scattered. Instead of rifling through locked file cabinets, employees must now sift through digital databases and repositories to find the documents they need. If an organization lacks a single source of truth for all its documents, the search can become even more wearisome, taking up valuable time and productivity. 

In this article, we’ll examine the importance of efficient document management by looking at the most telling PDF stats. These key statistics will illustrate the impact of document management on a company’s productivity, people, and processes. By the end, you’ll see that effective document management software isn’t a luxury item — it’s a matter of corporate hygiene.

1. Employees spend an average of 2 hours per day searching for documents.

A study by a team of work experts at Glean.com found that Americans spend an average of two hours per day doing nothing but searching for documents. That amounts to 25% of an entire 40-hour work week, and it represents wasted energy that could have been spent on high-value-added activities.

2. 43% of employees would consider leaving their job if their company didn’t have an efficient way to access the records they need for doing their work.

In the same study, researchers looked at how important a simple record-keeping system was to employees. They found that not only is an inefficient document management system enough to make some employees walk off the job, the numbers are as high as 51% for employees between the ages of 18–34, and 57% for employees of ages 35–44. That’s an incredibly significant portion of the workforce.

3. 80% of employees must access documents from their mobile devices.

According to the Archive Corporation, four out of five employees must use their mobile devices to access documents for their jobs. Employees must access contracts, workflows, blueprints, and other agreements regularly to be able to perform their tasks, and mobile devices are often the means to do it. This PDF trend is especially true as the workforce shifts to remote work, making digital document management essential for everyday operations.

4. 46% of SMB employees waste time on inefficient paper processes every day.

A report by Xerox, “The State of SMB Document Management” found that 46% of workers at small to midsize businesses waste time on inefficient paper processes each day. That’s a large portion given that small businesses account for nearly 44% of all economic activity. Since the numbers are similar for enterprises, the takeaway is simple: Inefficient document management plagues businesses of all sizes.

5. Document-related challenges result in a 21.3% productivity loss. 

The Archive Corporation also found that the challenges that companies face as a result of their inefficient document processes create a 21.3% loss in efficiency. All that time spent tracking down documents is time that employees could spend converting a sale, launching a new campaign, or designing a better product. Instead, they’re left hunting for papers. No wonder inefficient document processes can damage retention. 

6. 83% of employees must recreate missing documents.

Part of the reason for all that lost productivity is that when employees can’t locate the documents they need, they often have to make them all over again. Business.com estimates that five out of six employees have had to redo missing documents, wasting valuable time and effort.  

7. 97% of companies have minimal or no document management processes. 

According to Archive Corporation, 97% of companies have minimal to no document management processes in place. In it, they found that all but 3% of companies surveyed have only minimal document management processes, with some having none at all. In a world where business operations include creating, editing, storing, and sharing documents for nearly every process, these companies may struggle to avoid falling behind their competitors.

8. 72% of companies use a combination of paper-based and digital document processes

In the same stats record page, 72% of companies said that they haven’t switched completely over to digital document processes. The combination of paper and digital makes documentation more complicated, as employees are forced to search through physical and electronic data silos to access the information they need. It may be best in some cases to have a hybrid document management environment, but more often than not, companies can experience greater efficiency gains if they digitize all their paper-based workflows. 

9. Only 28% of SMB employers are in the advanced stages of their digitization implementation. 

According to the Xerox report, many SMBs know the value that digitizing their document management processes can bring to their organization — the challenge is in implementation. Only 28% of those surveyed were in the advanced stages of their digital transformation, with 37% just starting, 20% being unsure where to start, and 12% having no plans to digitize within the next one to three years. 

10. American businesses use approximately 21 million tons of paper per year. 

According to Officedasher’s “Office Paper Consumption Statistics: The Key Data [2023]“, American businesses consume over 21 million kinds of paper per year — 7.5% of which just gets lost. Massive paper consumption was once the cost of doing business, but it no longer has to be. Digital document management systems can help reduce paper consumption and associated costs such as printing and storage. The result is a greener world for all — and even more green in your company’s budget. 

Foxit facilitates your document management processes

From boosting employee productivity to fostering greener business practices, document management software can help companies operate more efficiently than paper could ever allow. Advanced document management products feature AI-powered algorithms with functionalities that let employees create, edit, share, and store their documents with ease. The result is a streamlined workflow for all. That means greater employee satisfaction and better innovation as employees’ time and potential are unlocked — which ultimately leads to a stronger bottom line.