What’s holding the paperless revolution back?

Advocates have been heralding the paperless revolution since the introduction of computers into enterprise operations, yet very few companies have successfully made such a transition. The need for quality and security in document management software, along with the cost of digitally archiving records and getting every employee on board at the same level of expertise was nigh impossible three decades ago, but today many of these factors are easily achieved. The question then, is what is still holding firms back from embracing conversion services and going paperless? Many businesses cite reliance on paper as unfortunate, so why not abandon it as quickly as possible for digital pastures? The answer lies in the culture.

Workplace culture has long surrounded specific, time-honored traditions. The coffee machine or water cooler is a popular place to take a break and chat for five minutes, while leaving a memo on a coworkers desk has always been a favored way to get a hold of someone who isn't there at the time. Even with the power of computers, email and instant messengers, dropping a sticky note with a five word reminder seems "easier" for professionals, even if they have to walk halfway across the office to do it. These are the habits that have to be broken and replaced in order to make going paperless successful.

So how does one accomplish this task?

Abandon the notepad
Getting employees to stop using physical notes and embrace digital channels may not be as difficult as it seems. One firm may find success in funding tablets for its employees, so they can work while on the movie, while another might deploy a high-quality unified communications solution to improve collaboration. The key is to find a solution that employees will embrace. However, this is only one step of the process.

Streamline the information
One reason businesses rely so much on paper, even with computers so readily at their disposal, is because its familiar, and much of their data is already in paper form. In order to eliminate this problem businesses need to embrace a strategy that circumvents this issue, paper conversion services. By streamlining the digitization of documents and ensuring that employees have quick and easy access to everything they need to do their jobs in a digital format, a business can truly begin cutting paperwork from its operations and see the results it needs to go paperless.