It's been over 40 years since the term "paperless office" was coined. It seems that every generation of copiers and printers has given us bits of that promise and we might finally be in a place where the paperless office can become a reality.
While you might be working in an industry where the paperless office seems like it may be another 40 years away, we finally have technology that has matured to make the paperless office a reality for many. Services like Google Drive and Dropbox have created the basis for accessing our documents anywhere. In fact, there are even more customizable and advanced options that can work just for your company. Think about the following four reasons to go paperless in your office.
1. Remote Document Access
The reality is that you probably already have many or most of your documents in a digital format. Many companies still print and store those documents. That is especially true if you print contracts for a signature in ink. Many in the legal world still haven't braced the Digital Signature Act. When you have the ability to scan those documents back to the cloud, you can have access to those contracts and other documents securely from wherever you are in the world.
2. Reduce Administrative Costs
Maintaining paper is expensive. In fact, it's more expensive than you might think. Whether these costs are associated with an administrative assistant or an executive, the time it takes to properly file then later find that document can be expensive. The space it takes to store paper documents can also become expensive. That doesn't even begin to address the risk of losing paper documents completely.
3. Fuel Your Company Growth
While you might not save enough in administrative costs to add to your staff (though many companies do), the paperless office will set you up for future growth. As your company grows and expands, you'll have the foundation needed to give new employees quick access to important documents. Think of the advantage of a new employee's ability to find old contracts quickly and easily because they are available without having to hunt through a file cabinet.
4. Increase Workplace Productivity
The paperless office means more than simply converting paper documents to digital documents. It also requires a proper way to manage digital documents. When documents start digital and are only stored on individual computers or in an obscure location on the public drive, you won't realize the productivity benefits of the paperless office. When you have streamlined workflows, proper document management software, and policies that govern it all, you can find amazing workplace productivity increases.
Wrap Up
Of course, this can seem very daunting. There may be areas of your business that can't be considered for a paperless world, but every journey starts with one step. Let us help you take that first step. Contact us today and we'll help you assess your options.