Let's say it takes a mere day to process a patent application the roundabout way (printing, scanning, etc.). However, the system is near or above 100% capacity because total throughput is slow. Even if they have enough staff to match the needed throughput they still have a 3 year backlog. So even though they can process 1 year of patents in 1 year, it still takes 3 years to make it to the head of the line. Now, if you cut down overhead you'll be able to get rid of that 3 year backlog and get to processing current applications in closer to real-time.