Online Procedures: The Silent Helpers of Our Time

By Verónica Giordano

In the world we live in, it’s hard to imagine a day without digitalization. From bank transfers to scheduling an appointment to get an ID card or becoming a gym member, it’s undeniable that the digital realm permeates our lives and has facilitated our daily routines. But how aware are we of its assistance?

For some time now, the implementation of “online procedures” has been taking place globally and nationally. This functionality allows the digitization of processes that traditionally were carried out on paper and often required coordination and exchange among involved parties.

Undoubtedly, being able to carry out procedures from an electronic device has several benefits. Among the undeniable and well-known advantages, three main points stand out: optimization of organizational processes, accessibility for individuals, and bridging the digital divide.

Beyond these utilities, the implementation of online procedures brings about a much greater gain: order.

Order is a fundamental aspect that every organization must manage, as it can lead to better functioning and problem reduction.

The big question is, why will “online procedures” contribute to order in organizations? The answer is simple and very evident: bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy, as we understand it, refers to “inefficient administration due to paperwork, rigidity, and unnecessary formalities.” Putting aside these conceptions, we can see that we all have a certain degree of bureaucracy in our lives. Where? In our homes with the paperwork of various responsibilities in our personal lives (bills, reminders, agendas, drawings, etc.), in our jobs, or in organizations with which we interact, we all face some bureaucracy in our daily lives.

While in the past, completing information, often redundant, unnecessary, and tedious on paper, was required to carry out a certain procedure, nowadays there is the possibility of doing it online and avoiding these flaws. This means that paper-based documents are replaced by digital forms, not only collaborating with the environment by reducing the unnecessary use of materials but also by avoiding having to sort and manipulate a large number of records manually. How? Computer systems allow multiple people to access records from various geographic points and at various times without having to scan or send documents from one place to another.

But it not only contributes to all these aspects, but also, digitalization has been and is of great help to those who work with data analysis. In what sense? It allows users who wish to access records to filter specific values from various documents and thus segment and refine data for specific analysis or information purposes. Where a job manipulating data could take hours or even days, today it can be quickly resolved in a few hours. This method of disposing of data allows the person managing them to have the records of a certain procedure at hand more quickly, organized, and securely. This entails greater regulation and coordination of an organization’s processes.

In conclusion, online procedures, together with the digitization that characterizes them, transversely permeate all aspects of our lives: from personal to professional. While sometimes their assistance may be silent, as our habit with them made us lose track of how much they are present in our lives, we must not lose sight of the great support they have been in this digital era in which we live.