Four advantages of a paperless office

Friday, May 23, 2014

Cluttered desks and torn documents are not the path to an efficiently run business. In order to create a lean, profitable and sustainable business in 2014, many companies are shifting to paperless content management systems in an effort to save money and go green. The advantages of such a conversion run the gamut from increased collaboration and morale to easier file navigation. The following four advantages of conversion services will send your office into the digital age, on a path to productivity and cost efficiency.

Document accessibility and navigation
Karen Walker, founder of ONETEAM Consulting, said of paperless business, "I can search my documents easily and from anywhere. My consulting projects generate a fair amount of information over the course of several years, and the ability to search for and retrieve presentations and notes is invaluable."

According to Business News Daily accessibility is a significant advantage. Employees can search for a document at any time, from anywhere. If a client needs a specific file it can be searched, found, and sent almost immediately whether it be 3:00 p.m. or 12:00 a.m.

Environmentally Friendly
This is an oft-mentioned but always important aspect of any conversion to a paperless office. According to the Environmental Protection Agency paper and paperboard constitute the largest segment of the American municipal solid waste stream at 27.4 percent. Using data compiled by the EPA a paperless solutions provider described the environmental impact of 10 million pages as; 2,500 trees, 56,000 gallons of oil, 450 cubic yards of landfill space and 595,000 kilowatts of energy. The data implies mass-paper consumption reaches far across various industries in its depletion of resources.

Employee Collaboration
A digitized content management system allows for instantaneous collaboration between workers. Even if one is at home, and the other in the office, documents can be shared, reviewed and revised rapidly. 

"If several people are working off of
 one document and editing is constantly happening, there is no time wasted 
on printing revisions and double checking. You have the most up-to-date
 copy. Because everything online has a timestamp, it makes it easier to 
manage the office remotely and make sure people are staying on task, "Gary Tuch, founder of the Professor Egghead Science Academy, told Business News Daily. 

Disaster Recovery and Security
According to Business News Daily anything can happen in an office and if your physical files are stored in a filing cabinet in your office then anything from a burst water pipe to a malicious employee can destroy your files. Taking advantage of a conversion service in order to send the office into the realm of paperless business allows for simple recovery. Additionally, you can make sure that those who shouldn't be viewing sensitive documents, won't be able to. The ability to assign access privileges and track documents ensures documents remain safe not only from disaster, but from theft.

Using document management software in order to digitize the office provides significant advantages to the office seeking to become more productive and more customer friendly. Michael Cruz, office manager of the Dee for Dentist dental care practice, told Business News Daily that customers in his office love talking about how the tedious experience of the has all of the sudden become cool with the introduction of paperwork via tablets. And if efficiency and customer service are not compelling enough reasons to go paperless, a more disciplined office was enough to make Paul Schwada, director of the management consulting firm
 Locomotive Solutions happy. 

"When you're paperless, anything that arrives in hard copy 
has to be scanned in, so you have to decide whether it's worth it, but when 
you can just toss it onto a pile of papers, why not?" Cruz said.

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