The Common Benefits of Paper Free Business
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- Category: Blog
- Published: Monday, 01 February 2016 12:21
- Written by Pearl Scan
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The Common Benefits of Paper Free Processes
Paperwork may soon be an archaic term. Many organisations are already going fully paperless, with hardcopy “originals” being the exception to the rule. So much can be accomplished completely within the digital realm that the question keeps cropping up: Is it time for everyone to take the leap and leave paper behind?
Well, the time of the paperless office may not be here just yet—but it is coming. In the meantime, it is important to analyse our paper-full processes to determine where and how going paperless can help. And not least in terms of importance, putting paper aside is good for the environment and creating a sustainable future. But ditching wood pulp comes with plenty of other advantages, too. Here are a few:
Improved Searching/Sharing of Documents
AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management) reports that the number one driver for organisations to choose to scan and digitally capture their data is simple: to improve the sharability and searchability of their documents. There’s simply no way for a file cabinet to compete with a database in terms of these two features. If you’re old enough to remember thumbing through a card catalogue at the library, you know just how tedious such a process can be—it’s a productivity killer. If libraries know better, shouldn’t businesses? More and more, the answer is yes.
Faster Customer Response
When asked what the benefits were received by businesses after going paperless, AIIM found that the number one advantage was quicker internal and external customer response. No one in any forward facing organisation can deny that customer communication is undoubtedly one of the most critical aspects of doing business.
Cost Savings
Biel’s Information and Technology Systems’ Dennis Kemper points out that cost-savings are another big benefit. There’s simply no comparing the labour, printing, and storage costs of digital versus physical documents.
Security
There was a time when locking a document in a safe was considered top security—today, with encryption, high-security servers, and the cloud, a safe seems woefully inadequate. And that’s only in the face of serious disasters and theft. In reality, far more documents are simply lost or damaged by everyday occurrences—and going digital can ensure that a document can always be recoverable.
Going completely paper-free may seem daunting, but for most businesses it’s a long-term goal. By weaning ourselves off of paper-oriented processes now, and taking advantage of technological advances that makes transferring to a paperless future easier by the day, we can achieve greater productivity and higher standards.
