I’m a big believer that productivity isn’t about working faster it’s about removing repeated decisions and repeated manual steps. In most offices, productivity leaks out through tiny tasks: renaming files, chasing approvals, re-entering data from PDFs, walking to a printer multiple times, or asking “who has the latest version?” Automation and smart office solutions can help, but only if they fit how people work instead of forcing everyone into an idealised process.

Konica Minolta Australia’s smart office and automation approach generally helps by connecting capture (scanning and digitising), document routing, and process steps like approvals and notifications. Think of it as moving from “people pushing paper (or PDFs) around” to “the system nudges the work to the right person at the right time.” That can show up as automated invoice processing, templated document workflows, secure pull-printing, or integrating documents into the systems teams already use.

Here’s my favourite adoption trick, and it sounds almost too simple: automate the part people hate the most first. Don’t start with a grand transformation. Start with one pain point like “every invoice must be renamed, saved into three folders, and emailed for approval.” Then implement a workflow where scanning or uploading triggers automatic naming conventions and routing rules. When people feel the relief immediately, they become willing participants instead of reluctant trainees.

A personal example: I once introduced a basic automated approval flow for a small team. The tech itself wasn’t revolutionary, but the impact was. Instead of someone remembering to email a manager and follow up twice, the system handled reminders. The team didn’t describe it as “automation” they described it as “I don’t have to babysit this anymore.” That’s the language you want.

In exploring this further, I found this site which might be helpful for you too.

While we’re on the topic, if you want adoption to stick, document the new workflow in one page, keep training bite-sized, and name one internal “workflow champion” who can answer quick questions without creating a support ticket.