There are many advantages to creating a paperless office, yet there seems to be immense resistance to the concept. Perhaps the term itself is part of the problem, because the goal of a totally paperless office is not achievable and is unlikely to be in the foreseeable future.
Nevertheless, most business owners keenly embrace money-saving ideas, so it is still surprising how few actively try to reduce their dependency on paper. Paperless office advocates have an even stronger argument now that Cloud computing is available and affordable. The principal benefits of exploring the Cloud are:
Improved Security
Secure storage for documents is vital, and nothing compares with the Cloud for achieving this. Storing documents on Cloud platforms that have been purpose built prevents loss through negligence, theft, or physical disasters like fire.
Easier Document Management
Everybody has experienced that sinking feeling when a document is not where it is supposed to be. It may have been misfiled, or somebody else may have taken it. This does not happen when a document is stored online.
A More Efficient Business
- Modern document storage databases are fully searchable, and retrieval is almost instantaneous. This makes it easier to locate any document and answer queries quickly.
- Electronic transfer is also immediate and it beats snail mail, hands down.
- Going paperless is a way to save money. Paper costs money in many different ways: The paper itself must be bought, then there are the costs associated with physical document storage, printing, copying, and posting.
- Productivity increases drastically.
Online document storage can save time in many different ways. Employees can use that time to generate money instead of manage documents.
Fear of the unknown may be a key reason why many business owners still shy away from going paperless. If you have thought about going down this route but are still hesitant, it may help to have a chat with a company specializing in online document management.