A paperless society has been a promise that so far has yet to come completely true. Today, however, there are more reasons than ever to rid the office of unneeded and unwanted paper and more ways to do so while maintaining and even improving business productivity.
Why go paperless?
There are a variety of reasons an office may choose to eliminate paper from its environment. Primary reasons include:
- Savings—All businesses want to save money wherever they can in order to increase the bottom line. Going paperless means a reduction in the cost of buying reams for the printer or stacks of pre-printed forms, so instead they can be converted to formats that can be filled out on the computer. The cost in time searching through stuffed filing cabinets or shredding documents for safe disposal also must be considered. It also will reduce the garbage produced by the office and so may cut the cost of trash service.
- Security—Firewalls, passwords, and other security measures have greatly improved the safety of documents stored on computer, making them less vulnerable to hacking and removing yet another barrier to going paperless. In fact, copies of documents left unattended on a desk or in a mailbox could be more available to theft or copying than those that are secure in an encrypted file. The use of the Cloud services for off-site storage means documents are kept safe in case of fire, flood, or other catastrophe, enabling the business to get back up and running again more quickly.
- Speed—Paper-filing systems have always been a place where paperwork goes to get lost. Sifting through the system is time consuming and often frustrating. Going paperless and using a computerized filing system or document management software means being able to file documents under a number of keywords, making retrieval a simple matter of entering a password and completing a couple of mouse clicks.
- Easy Access—Going paperless actually will increase the ability of businesses to keep and access important documents for years. This could improve tax documentation if the business is audited. It also can improve customer service if, for example, a customer has a question concerning a product that has been off the market for a number of years. A few mouse clicks and their questions can be answered.
- Environment—Paper takes trees to produce. Even using recycled paper means more for the landfill or trash incinerator eventually. So going paperless is seen by many as a way to be a good steward of the environment.
- Special Incentives—A number of major businesses, such as banks and utilities, are offering their customers special rates or rebates if they participate in a paperless billing program. This could be another area for savings, even as it may be an example to your business to follow their lead and go paperless yourself.
Read some of our customer testimonials to see how going paperless has saved them time and money. Read testimonials.