In our previous post we talked about the benefits of going paperless and if it is the right move for your business. If you have decided to make the move to a paperless business, or you are interested in trying to get your business to that place, you may be wondering what the next steps should be.
Here are some tips for making the transition to a paperless work place.
1) Have a plan
Making the transition to paperless can be an involved process depending on how much paperwork you have. Creating a plan to be the most efficient in your move forward is the best way to go.
One major aspect to consider is how you are going to dispose of documents once you have made the switch. There are a few strategies for disposing of your documents, but this is one of the best options.
- Document collection – After you have scanned a document, organize it based on whatever criteria works for your business. This could be by the date of the document, by subject, etc.
- Offsite storage – once you have scanned all documents that you are moving into digital format you can then move them into an offsite storage unit for 30 to 90 days. Keeping the files for this amount of time gives you a chance to make sure that everything has been scanned in and taken care of and also allows you the chance to correct any mistakes before moving on to the next step.
- Destroy and dispose – after the 30 to 90 days has passed you can then move onto the last phase. It is important to shred the documents and dispose of them correctly. Once you have completed the last step you can then fully make the transition into a paperless work place.
2) Get everyone on board
Being in communication with your employees is key to making the transition. Give them your expectations for moving forward and the knowledge base to do so. They need to know the why and how of the process in order to make it easier on everyone.
3) Go forward into paperless
Once you have made the transition try to make paper inconvenient to use. Sign up for paperless statements, inform your clients that you are going paperless, and remove any unnecessary ways paper has been used in the past. Giving your employees dual monitor setups for their desks can also help in the transition as this allows them to access documents quickly.
These are just a few recommended steps to take to make a new way for your business to be more productive. One thing to keep in mind is that it is not something that will happen overnight. Making the paperless transition will take some time for everyone to get used to, but eventually all the new ways of doing things will become habitual. The process may be trying at times, especially if you have a lot of paperwork to get in order, but in the end, it will help increase productivity for your c