The chances are that if someone were to ask you if you’d like to find a way to respond to your customers more quickly, increase office storage space and increase business productivity whilst helping the environment, you’d say yes, wouldn’t you? It goes without saying that these are the kinds of benefits that could give your business the competitive edge and if you have the chance to improve your green credentials in the process, then so much the better. All this and more can be achieved by taking steps towards using less paper and moving towards electronic data and document management.
Managing paper is expensive: from the cost of the buying the paper and supplies such as ink and toner, along with distribution, postal costs, filing systems and staff time all add up to an awful lot of money. In addition, a reliance on paper is increasingly seen as a hindrance with ‘business-at-the-speed-of-paper’ as no longer acceptable. Yet despite this, according to recent figures over 20% of organisations are still increasing the amount of paper they use.
So what can be done to address our reliance on paper? Electronic communications have been around for decades and ever since they were first invented, there has been much speculation on when paperless offices would become the norm. Although a paperless office is now possible, it’s unlikely to become commonplace at any time in the near future. Despite the fact that the technology exists, a major shift in attitudes needs to happen and this will take time.
However, although paper is still everywhere this doesn’t have to mean that there aren’t small but helpful steps you can take towards a paperless office. Gradually moving away from the traditional paper-based methods of filing such as filing cabinets, folders, shelving and microfiche can bring significant benefits in terms of cost, time and space.
In research carried out in 2014 by AIIM, the independent global community of information professionals, over half of those who responded admitted that they printed out copies of documents to take to meetings or to add a signature. 50% also printed out copies to read offline or whilst out of the office, and 45% to proof-read and review draft documents. In addition, 47% of respondents also cited a lack of management initiatives and a perceived requirement for physical signatures; particularly in the case of legal documents as the main reasons for their continued reliance on paper. Although alternatives are available such as web signatures, digitally encrypted signatures and stylus input, many people still seem to find comfort in an old-fashioned signature in ink. It’s not surprising then that those who are most resistant to paper reduction are those who work in finance and legal departments, followed closely by human resources and general office administration.
With this in mind, it is perhaps more realistic to aim for introducing a few paper-free processes, rather than going all-out for a paperless office. One of the best ways to start is to try to stop paper from entering the office at all and this can by converting all new documents into a digital form. When all inbound mail is scanned at the point of entry it can bring significant benefits by reducing or even eradicating the distribution of internal mail.
Contrary to popular belief, a digital mailroom doesn’t rely on big scanners located in a central mail room. It’s very easy to outsource mail scanning, or if necessary the digital capture of mail can be distributed across branch offices. Many businesses are put off mail capture because of the considerable cost of investment in scanners and capture servers, but it’s interesting to note that companies who use these systems report a return in investment of 38% in 12 months or less, and 60% within 18 months.
If investing in a mail capture systems seems a little too drastic or is beyond your budget, there are plenty of small-scale improvements which can be made. For example, why not spend just one morning a week scanning and shredding paperwork which has built up over the previous week? Or you could improve your collaboration with colleagues by using Google Drive to prevent documents moving backwards and forwards from desk to desk. Software that will enable you to use e-signatures can also prove useful in helping to reduce the number of documents such as contracts that you need to print off for a signature, whilst choosing the ‘print to PDF option’ before printing is a great way to make you think twice!