Who gets the real value from going paperless?

The value of paperless operations is often questioned, not only in how it is achieved, but in who receives it. Whether its the customer, the employee or the business leader, going paperless has clear advantages, but who benefits from them the most?

The business
Arguably, a business gains much value from eliminating paper from its workflows. It reduces the budget, improves the flow of information and drives ROI through increased productivity of employees. However, with the initial investment and the time it takes to build these advantages a company may not be the primary beneficiary of paperless efforts.

The customer
Of course, when properly deployed, paper conversion service and improved information management can allow firms to pass these savings on to their customers, improving service and reducing costs. Despite this, these advantages still flow through the company first, initially driving value for the business, making the customer a secondary beneficiary at best.

The planet
Beyond the other two, the environment may gain the most advantages from a business going paperless. From reduced carbon emissions to lower waste output, businesses are cutting back on the damage they cause to the planet and helping to promote a greener lifestyle that other companies and consumers will see and perhaps embrace themselves.

From customer experience to business efficiency, there are many changes that occur from investing in conversion services and going paperless, but the impact, or reduced impact that a firm will have on the environment often wins out as the largest advantage overall to going paperless. By embracing these solutions there are many ways to drive value and enhance operations, however, and companies should focus on only one of them.

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