Unit 1 : Office Automation
Introduction
Office automation is a broadly used term and it represents a new profession, a new integration of technologies and a new perception of the potential of information tools available to man. It is primarily based on two factors: computers and communication technology. The computer is moving from being an independent system to a component embedded in a whole range of office devices. Communication technology integrates these devices and people. It provides an effective communications infrastructure. So, office automation is the use of various technologies (e.g. computer and telecommunication) to simplify and support routine office functions, improve communication, increase office productivity and enhance the quality of clerical output. Many office tasks including preparation of reports and correspondence, communications, file maintenance, duplication and distribution of written materials, can be facilitated and improved through word processing and other office automation techniques.
Office automation is a broadly used term and it represents a new profession, a new integration of technologies and a new perception of the potential of information tools available to man. It is primarily based on two factors: computers and communication technology. The computer is moving from being an independent system to a component embedded in a whole range of office devices. Communication technology integrates these devices and people. It provides an effective communications infrastructure. So, office automation is the use of various technologies (e.g. computer and telecommunication) to simplify and support routine office functions, improve communication, increase office productivity and enhance the quality of clerical output. Many office tasks including preparation of reports and correspondence, communications, file maintenance, duplication and distribution of written materials, can be facilitated and improved through word processing and other office automation techniques.
Lesson 1 : Goals of Office Automation
Learning Objectives
On completion of this lesson you will be able to :
• know the goals of office automation
• know the advantages of office automation.
Goals of Office Automation
The goals of office automation may be expressed in terms of
• Greater efficiency,
• Better service,
• Better accuracy,
• Demanding for timeliness,
• Facility in control,
• Standardization of office routine,
• Relieves of monotony,
• Prevention of fraud,
• Better information retrieval,
• Lower operating cost,
• Reduction in paper work,
• Improved communication environment.
On completion of this lesson you will be able to :
• know the goals of office automation
• know the advantages of office automation.
Goals of Office Automation
The goals of office automation may be expressed in terms of
• Greater efficiency,
• Better service,
• Better accuracy,
• Demanding for timeliness,
• Facility in control,
• Standardization of office routine,
• Relieves of monotony,
• Prevention of fraud,
• Better information retrieval,
• Lower operating cost,
• Reduction in paper work,
• Improved communication environment.
Greater Efficiency
The use of computers and other office automation technologies on large scale has made prices lower by 10 to 30 percent and often much more than they would be without computers. The use of office automation technologies improves productivity i.e. the amount of goods or services that individuals and machines can produce in a given time period. These productivity gains can lead to (i) a stronger competitive position and (ii) higher levels of real income for an increased number of individuals. So, office automation brings speed and efficiency to all types of office work. Improved efficiency leads to greater profitability and at the same time creates good images in the minds of the people who deal with office.
The use of computers and other office automation technologies on large scale has made prices lower by 10 to 30 percent and often much more than they would be without computers. The use of office automation technologies improves productivity i.e. the amount of goods or services that individuals and machines can produce in a given time period. These productivity gains can lead to (i) a stronger competitive position and (ii) higher levels of real income for an increased number of individuals. So, office automation brings speed and efficiency to all types of office work. Improved efficiency leads to greater profitability and at the same time creates good images in the minds of the people who deal with office.
Better Service
Offices use office automation technologies to improve the service they provide to customers, clients, patients etc. For example, Computer processing techniques and office automation tools make possible
• shorter waiting lines at airline ticket offices and at the reservation desks of hotels, motels and car-rental agencies
• faster and more accurate answers to the inquiries of people served by the offices
• more convenient handling of purchase transactions through the use of credit cards
• more efficient customer service and control in retail outlets. Thus, office automation provides better service and help to improve the quality of work done in the office.
Better Accuracy
If a data processing operation is strained to and beyond the capacity for which it was originally planned, inaccuracies begin to appear and the control of official activities suffers. Computer processing, becomes quite accurate if the task to be performed are properly prepared. So, office automation ensures better accuracy. Chances of errors are almost eliminated. Thus work goes on smoothly and bottlenecks and delays are eliminated.
Demanding for Timeliness
Timeliness of information is of great importance to all offices and organizations for decision making. For example, timely announcement of promotion, timely information about training opportunities, timely modification of staff lists and their addresses, timely payment to customer and so on, avoid many serious problems. For an administrator, timely information may help him to take timely decisions and actions and prevent undesirable consequences. Only office automation can perform these and provide timely information.
Facility in Control
Office automation facilitates the task of mangers. Office automation helps managers to exercise better degree of control over their subordinates. Certain office automation tools allow for minimization of fraud in the accounting department. Facilitates Standardization of Office Routines Office automation helps to facilitate standardization of office routines and procedures. Standardization of office routines facilitates better coordination of works.
Relieving Monotony
Office automation reduces the monotony of carrying out repetitive processes which are boring and time consuming. The office worker is thus relieved of mental tensions of going through same process again and again by using office automation tools and technologies.
Prevention of Fraud
Computer and office automation tools are more reliable than man. A man can deceive cheat but a computer works on its own motion. So, for the prevention of fraud, office automation is a must.
Better Information Retrieval
A New-York surgeon contacted a medical library when a near-term pregnant woman lapsed into a hepatic coma. He needed immediate information on exchange blood transfusion for woman. Using a computer terminal and a retrieval program, the librarian searched more than a half million medical documents in a few minutes to get information needed by the surgeon to perform an emergency blood
transfusion. The patient recovered fully from hepatitis. Most information retrieval tasks obviously do not involve life or death decision; but quick computer assisted retrieval can save time and aggravation for many individuals. So, office automation ensures better information retrieval.
Lower Operating Cost
Operating cost per hour of work declines with the use of office automation technologies. For example, a PC can help a manager budget and balance his check book, control his installment purchases, control his home's energy use and analyze his investment. Of course, there is no doubt that office automation technologies require a large amount of initial capital investment. However, now-a-days, office automation prove beneficial. The costs of electronic-office equipment have been falling
Offices use office automation technologies to improve the service they provide to customers, clients, patients etc. For example, Computer processing techniques and office automation tools make possible
• shorter waiting lines at airline ticket offices and at the reservation desks of hotels, motels and car-rental agencies
• faster and more accurate answers to the inquiries of people served by the offices
• more convenient handling of purchase transactions through the use of credit cards
• more efficient customer service and control in retail outlets. Thus, office automation provides better service and help to improve the quality of work done in the office.
Better Accuracy
If a data processing operation is strained to and beyond the capacity for which it was originally planned, inaccuracies begin to appear and the control of official activities suffers. Computer processing, becomes quite accurate if the task to be performed are properly prepared. So, office automation ensures better accuracy. Chances of errors are almost eliminated. Thus work goes on smoothly and bottlenecks and delays are eliminated.
Demanding for Timeliness
Timeliness of information is of great importance to all offices and organizations for decision making. For example, timely announcement of promotion, timely information about training opportunities, timely modification of staff lists and their addresses, timely payment to customer and so on, avoid many serious problems. For an administrator, timely information may help him to take timely decisions and actions and prevent undesirable consequences. Only office automation can perform these and provide timely information.
Facility in Control
Office automation facilitates the task of mangers. Office automation helps managers to exercise better degree of control over their subordinates. Certain office automation tools allow for minimization of fraud in the accounting department. Facilitates Standardization of Office Routines Office automation helps to facilitate standardization of office routines and procedures. Standardization of office routines facilitates better coordination of works.
Relieving Monotony
Office automation reduces the monotony of carrying out repetitive processes which are boring and time consuming. The office worker is thus relieved of mental tensions of going through same process again and again by using office automation tools and technologies.
Prevention of Fraud
Computer and office automation tools are more reliable than man. A man can deceive cheat but a computer works on its own motion. So, for the prevention of fraud, office automation is a must.
Better Information Retrieval
A New-York surgeon contacted a medical library when a near-term pregnant woman lapsed into a hepatic coma. He needed immediate information on exchange blood transfusion for woman. Using a computer terminal and a retrieval program, the librarian searched more than a half million medical documents in a few minutes to get information needed by the surgeon to perform an emergency blood
transfusion. The patient recovered fully from hepatitis. Most information retrieval tasks obviously do not involve life or death decision; but quick computer assisted retrieval can save time and aggravation for many individuals. So, office automation ensures better information retrieval.
Lower Operating Cost
Operating cost per hour of work declines with the use of office automation technologies. For example, a PC can help a manager budget and balance his check book, control his installment purchases, control his home's energy use and analyze his investment. Of course, there is no doubt that office automation technologies require a large amount of initial capital investment. However, now-a-days, office automation prove beneficial. The costs of electronic-office equipment have been falling
rapidly in recent years. Executives are now more receptive to the idea of investing in new office automation technology to reduce rising labour costs and improve productivity.
Reduction in Paper Work
Paper based office work is certainly costly. It is not due to the increasing cost of paper but due to the procedure involved in preparing reports and letters. First, a letter is dictated (or written by hand). Then it is typed (draft), proofread and delivered to the executive. After corrections and alternations, the process is repeated again till it is approved. Office workers use to output written documents on paper - a physical medium that
(i) takes space,
(ii) requires postage for mailing or effort for delivering,
(iii) often gets stored in file cabinets that is space consuming,
(iv) requires additional work to update and destroy. So, finding no otherway, managers are trying to reduce paper work to minimize the cost and improve office productivity. Only office automation provides a number of ways for accomplishing these through the use of office automation technologies such as computer processing, distributed data processing, e-mail, and teleconferencing etc.
Improved Communication Environment
Studies shows that a lot of office activities involve the communication of information to others. For example, more than half of a typical manager's time is spent communicating in meetings, phone calls, letters and memos. Secretaries and office staff support these communication efforts by taking messages, drafting documents, planning meetings and documenting verbal agreements. A key ingredient of office automation is the ability to communicate easily relevant data and information to every worker who needs it. It has obvious superiority in certain respects over traditional channels for business communication. The postal service can be slow, letters are sometimes lost, and the mail usually takes long time. Telephone calls require both senders and receiver to be on the line at he same time. Hand written memos depend on some internal distribution process and are easily lost in the shuffle of paper. To avoid all these drawbacks, a whole array of advanced communications, including email, Internet, voice mail, facsimile transmission, local area network, teleconferencing, are now being offered by a modern automated office.
Reduction in Paper Work
Paper based office work is certainly costly. It is not due to the increasing cost of paper but due to the procedure involved in preparing reports and letters. First, a letter is dictated (or written by hand). Then it is typed (draft), proofread and delivered to the executive. After corrections and alternations, the process is repeated again till it is approved. Office workers use to output written documents on paper - a physical medium that
(i) takes space,
(ii) requires postage for mailing or effort for delivering,
(iii) often gets stored in file cabinets that is space consuming,
(iv) requires additional work to update and destroy. So, finding no otherway, managers are trying to reduce paper work to minimize the cost and improve office productivity. Only office automation provides a number of ways for accomplishing these through the use of office automation technologies such as computer processing, distributed data processing, e-mail, and teleconferencing etc.
Improved Communication Environment
Studies shows that a lot of office activities involve the communication of information to others. For example, more than half of a typical manager's time is spent communicating in meetings, phone calls, letters and memos. Secretaries and office staff support these communication efforts by taking messages, drafting documents, planning meetings and documenting verbal agreements. A key ingredient of office automation is the ability to communicate easily relevant data and information to every worker who needs it. It has obvious superiority in certain respects over traditional channels for business communication. The postal service can be slow, letters are sometimes lost, and the mail usually takes long time. Telephone calls require both senders and receiver to be on the line at he same time. Hand written memos depend on some internal distribution process and are easily lost in the shuffle of paper. To avoid all these drawbacks, a whole array of advanced communications, including email, Internet, voice mail, facsimile transmission, local area network, teleconferencing, are now being offered by a modern automated office.
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