The topic of going paperless has been floating around for a while now and, over the past decade, it has become increasingly popular as more businesses take the time to adopt it. Perhaps you’re thinking of going the same, but you’re not sure when you’re going to be ready for the hassle of making the switch. Here, we’re going to look at the benefits it can off when you treat going paperless as an opportunity, not a chore.
Make better use of your space
The paper you stock, the filing cabinets, and all the other equipment needed to effectively manage your files will all take up a lot of space. Furthermore, paper tends to accumulate quickly in an office and increases the likelihood of it becoming more and more cluttered over time. By digitizing your office, you offer your office more space to become a more inspiring work environment, using that extra space as a different kind of working area or, if it frees up enough space, perhaps even a break room for the team.
You can cut some major costs
Consider the amount of money you spend on paper, printers, ink, office space, and any postage you are currently sending. When you total it up to cover the entire year, there’s a good chance that there’s room for considerable savings if you cut it and go paperless. Going paperless can make the office more efficient, too, which can offer savings on employee-time in the real-term. The higher the volume of paper you store, the more costly it’s going to be, so those with extensive filing systems could end up saving the most.
Make a more efficient workspace
As mentioned, going paperless can save time, as well. For one, employees will no longer have to file, organize, manage, and look through reams of paper. But how do you stop a digital filing system from becoming just as cluttered? With things like document collection software, you can make it significantly easier to find any document when it’s needed. You can also make it much more efficient to do more with those documents, from auditing to creating reports, which can make a lot of work processes go a lot faster.
Create a more secure office
There are security risks associated with digital filing systems, that’s true, but they’re also much easier to protect than paper. If you lock away all your files, that’s fine, but it’s very likely that you’re going to have some paper out in a vulnerable situation at one point or another. With a digital filing system, you just need to invest in the right cybersecurity services and anti-malware technology to make sure that there’s no unauthorized access to your sensitive data. If your business uses digital technology, then you should already be doing that, anyway.
Yes, making a big change in the business can disrupt productivity, for a time. But for the cost, time, and effort you will save as a paperless office, it can be more than worth it.
