The paperless office remains an elusive goal, despite the many benefits that businesses can derive from reducing their dependency on paper.
Traditional document storage can be both complex and expensive when large volumes of paper are being dealt with daily. Secure and reliable automated tools are available to overcome these obstacles. Even small businesses can save money and become more efficient by deploying paperless office solutions.
Manual document retrieval is costly and slow. Finding the relevant document can be difficult, as manual storage systems have limited indexing capabilities. In addition, indexing the contents of documents is, to all practical purposes, impossible. That means lengthy searches may be required to track down some key document. If a document is misfiled, it can be lost forever. Many businesses have to store physical documents in external locations, which makes retrieval even more difficult.
By deploying easy-to-use paperless office applications such as eFileCabinet, a business can eliminate this type of problem. Documents are scanned, indexed using OCR, and automatically uploaded to the Cloud. Files can also be saved to the Cloud using drag and drop.
This makes them instantly searchable and retrievable. Security settings can determine which roles have access to any document. Data encryption takes place automatically before documents are transferred.
As a paperless office application, eFileCabinet can either be downloaded and installed on individual computers, or businesses can opt to use the online version. Using the latter requires no installations on any local devices. All features are accessed via the internet, and all data, settings etc., are stored online.
eFileCabinet is also enhanced to incorporate an alerts system. The Alerts feature lets you add an alarm clock of sorts to any type of document. You set the date and time of day that you want the action to occur, and the system will automatically retrieve and display the document at your chosen time. You can display the document on just your computer, or you can have it automatically pushed to other designated users at the same time.
The tool is very simple to use. A user just clicks on the Alerts button to create a new alert. He or she then gives the alert a title, sets the time and date, and includes an optional message that will be displayed with the alert. Finally, the user selects the recipients.
Using Cloud services for document management makes those documents available from any location around the clock. Businesses that are active across multiple time zones will find this feature very useful. It is also possible to seamlessly integrate eFileCabinet with the Microsoft Office suite of applications and other applications like Quickbooks.
It will be some time into the future before the 100% paperless office becomes a reality. In the meantime, all types of business concerns can save money, and contribute to a more environmentally friendly workplace, by reducing the volumes of paper generated. Businesses will also experience increased productivity and efficiency by implementing a paperless office strategy.