- What Does it Mean to Go Paperless?
- What are the Benefits of Going Paperless?
- What are the Steps To Transitioning to a Paperless Office?
- Ready To Convert Your Unit, Division, or Organization to a Paperless Office System?
In an ever-competitive business landscape, the need to improve efficiencies and cut costs while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction has never been greater. Creating a paperless office system is a highly effective way to accomplish this.
The term “paperless office” is nothing new. The idea has been bandied about for decades in an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of our day-to-day processes. Tech innovations have made the transition to a digital document management system easier than ever, allowing companies to see the tangible benefits sooner.
What Does it Mean to Go Paperless?
Going paperless is a term that refers to reducing or eliminating the amount of paper used in business. For example, many companies have gone paperless by switching to digital documents instead of paper, managing processes digitally, and storing documents in a secure Cloud system instead of filing cabinets.
Reducing paper usage and minimizing paper-based transactions in a company’s internal processes helps to minimize manual work, increase efficiency, reduce bottlenecks, and more – all of which result in significant cost savings for the business owner.
Thanks to the wide range of benefits it offers, paperless offices have been growing in popularity over the last few years, especially with the rise of the remote workforce. Let’s have a look at why the digital transformation of a company’s paper files is one the most strategic moves they could make.
What are the Benefits of Going Paperless?
Adopting a paperless office system brings your company significant profit-boosting benefits, such as:
Improved Organization
Manually managing paper can lead to messy stacks of documents. If you’re looking for something specific, combing through piles of paper can be frustrating and time-consuming.
In a paper-free office, all physical documents are scanned and kept in a secure location online. Your team can easily find what they’re looking for with just a few keystrokes on an online portal that can be customized in any way you want it to be.
Increased Efficiency
Inefficient processes that involve employees sifting through stacks of paper to find the information they need will cost your company money. They could be using that time to focus on value-add tasks that improve your customer’s experience and build your business. You can significantly reduce the time spent managing paper documents by embracing a paperless office system.
Creating, editing, and forwarding electronic documents is much faster and easier than working with paper. Also, digital technology features field validation rules and smart learning capabilities that enhance the accuracy and speed of data entry. Your team will be working with complete data faster, improving efficiencies and reducing the bottlenecks that can occur with paper documents.
Better Collaboration
Passing a document from desk to desk for feedback and input hampers collaboration. Plus, papers can become lost, misdirected, or left sitting on someone’s desk while they’re out sick or on holiday. Improperly managed paper documents can cause critical deadlines to be missed and confidentiality to be breached with no access controls.
Digitally scanning your important documents ensures that everyone can collaborate efficiently on the same information at the same time. Digital records can be updated and approved in real-time on a secure cloud-based central repository that grants people access only to the information they need.
Costs Savings
Without spending time managing paper processes, your employees will be able to focus on meaningful tasks that can build your business faster.
The immediate cost savings are seen from no longer buying, storing, or shredding thousands of pounds of paper and paper products each year, and a reduction in paper waste. A paperless process will help you save money on printer upkeep, ink, toner, postage, floor space, paper document storage or shredding, and more. Going paperless allows you to reallocate those funds into innovative projects that will build your customer base.
Faster Document Access
When working manually with paper documents, response time to queries is hampered by having to thumb through files or stacks of paper. Not being able to find documents because they are misfiled can make matters even worse! If your office is closed on the weekend or operates with minimal staff, answering customer questions can take even longer. Working with paper can harm your reputation and cost you sales in a connected world that’s become used to a fast turnaround time on queries.
A paperless process means your team can securely access documents 24/7/365 from anywhere in the world. Customers appreciate real-time engagement, which can result in repeat business, upsells and a much better overall customer experience. Fast digital document access also comes in handy if an invoice needs to be paid quickly or a contract needs review or revisions.
Enhanced Security
Physical paper documents, including sensitive files, can be easily compromised, misfiled, lost, or destroyed. They can also be stolen from a locked filing cabinet and become a significant liability for your entire organization. Poor document security won’t build trust with your customers either. Plus, in the event of a flood or fire, your paper records could be completely wiped out.
Using an electronic document management system will enhance the security of your documents, invoices, reports, and customer data. Most digital document management systems use Cloud technology to store your documents, protecting them with numerous security measures, encryption, and banking-level security protocols. User access controls only allow authorized people to view sensitive information in digital form. For example, only AP staff will be allowed access rights to supplier invoices, and only doctors can view and edit a patient’s medical history in a clinical setting.
Cloud-based documents are backed up regularly in case of server interruption and failure, meaning your information will always be accessible and protected from outside elements.
Better Working Environment
A paperless work environment is a cleaner, neater, modern-looking workspace where employees are happier and more relaxed without stacks of paper atop desks and filing cabinets. Plus, they make filing rooms a thing of the past, allowing you to use that valuable floor space for other applications.
Uncluttered workspaces also leave a good impression on customers and business professionals who visit your office. Your company will present a streamlined, professional, forward-thinking image that helps build respect and trust.
Built-in Data Compliance
Privacy regulations in North America are in place to ensure that information companies keep on their customers is stored securely and safe from a potential breach. Staying in compliance with these regulations is difficult with a paper-based system. Paper that’s not secure is easily accessible by anyone, risking a compliance violation and problems down the road.
Digital document solutions contain built-in electronic protections and safeguards that keep sensitive information and data secure and compliant with current privacy standards. You can also create an audit trail in the event you need to investigate a possible compliance issue. Knowing their information is safe and secure will help you maintain customer trust.
Reduces Your Environmental Impact
With increased customer expectations of companies to employ sustainable practices, fewer acts will give you a positive brand image than going paperless to reduce your carbon footprint.
Besides the apparent massive reduction in paper use, creating a paperless office system will reduce the need for printer ink and ink cartridges. These items contain harmful chemicals that can damage the local ecosystem if not disposed of properly. Working in a paperless office will also bring your employees and customers peace of mind that your company is taking positive initiatives that support the environment.
Overall, going paperless will decrease paper clutter and allow you to store critical information in a secure environment your team can access on demand. It takes away a lot of the worry that comes with running a business while simultaneously making it more profitable.
What are the Steps To Transitioning to a Paperless Office?
Now that you understand the benefits of going paperless, you might wonder how you can get started adopting tech that reduces paper, increases efficiency, and boosts profits.
Here are three steps to get your company started in creating a paperless office right now:
- Document scanning: Scanning and uploading your documents into a Cloud document management system is your first step in going paperless. Ash Conversions International (ACI) can help with document scanning services that transform your business and set the stage for future business process automation.
- Cloud document management: Securely store your documents on a cloud-based platform that allows fast access at your fingertips. FileManager™, ACI’s Cloud Document Management software, is our document management and data repository system that securely supports all of our business process automation solutions for all types of files.
- Digital mailroom: Digitally convert all hardcopy mail through document scanning and data capture processes for automated distribution, retrieval, or additional processing. ACI can assist you by transforming your mail into digital cloud-based documents, as well as scanning incoming cheques with our Remote Cheque Capture & Deposit Solution.
Ready To Convert Your Unit, Division, or Organization to a Paperless Office System?
For over 40 years, ACI has specialized in transforming how companies run their business processes with efficient, cost-effective solutions that increase efficiency, streamline operations, save money, and foster sustainability through paperless office solutions. Click the button below and contact us today to gain new insights into paperless document management and digitally transform the way you do business. Leverage ACI’s document management expertise and allow us to manage your documents so you can manage your business.
