“Going paperless” is buzz word for businesses in the digital age. This refers to the process of moving all documentation, files, and records into a digital format. But is this the right move for your business? Not every business can or should go paperless, but it can provide some benefits for a company. To determine if this is the right move for you, we are going to review some of the benefits and value of going paperless.
What is the value of going paperless?
1) Time saved
First and foremost, going paperless will save you time. Having all your documents stored digitally allows you to be able to search for them with a simple stroke of the computer keys. When you have to spend time printing documents and filing them and then later having to manually retrieve them, you waste quite a bit of time doing so. By having your documents digital you can eliminate the wasted work hours.
2) Access to everything at your fingertips
Another added value to going paperless is to be able to access your documents easily while at your desk or on the go. When you don’t have to leave your desk to leaf through numerous files you improve your productivity. The days of having to pack up large files and countless papers to take on a trip or even to take home for work are a way of the past.
Having your documents so easily accessible is also great for file sharing among other employees. Online tools let employees share documents, folders, and projects as easily as sending an email. Again, this can be done in the office or on the go.
3) Space and Money Saved
When you look at a single piece of paper you realize it doesn’t take up that much space. Nor does a single file for that matter. When those pieces of paper become thousands or those files pile up, the space is quickly taken up.
Today digital storage is easily found and continues to grow in the amount that can be stored.
An added bonus of going paperless is saving money. You will eliminate extra storage such as file cabinets or entire rooms. In addition to that, you can even save money by cutting out the excess purchases of ink, toner, paper, and postage.
4) Security
This one might not be so obvious given the fact that cyber attacks happen. Electronic documents are more secure than printed ones. Digital records can be made unreadable through encryption. These documents can also be secured so that they cannot be printed, copied, or shared.
There is also the added benefit that given a fire or some other natural event, your documents are safe from harm.
If you are looking to simplify and streamline your business this is definitely an option to consider. There are many aspects to consider when going paperless. If you find this is the right move for your company, check out our blog on tips for going paperless.