7 Tips — Getting Closer to Paperless

7 Tips to Going Paperless

72% of IT decision-makers say that their organisation uses a combination of paper and digital processes.

Forrester, 2020

This step-by-step guide outlines key strategies for businesses to move toward a paperless environment without losing valuable information, all with deployment flexibility for any IT ecosystem.

7 Steps Toward a Paperless Office

While completely eliminating paper may not be practical, smart technology, hardware, and software can empower your business to boost productivity and reduce cost—and at the same time be more environmentally sustainable.

Here’s how you can get closer to a paperless office:

1. Take stock

   The first step is to get an understanding of how your business is using paper. Then, work out how paper-based processes are costing your business. Establishing a baseline from the data collected helps you to identify quick wins as you work towards digitisation and evaluate your progress against your business goals.

2. Intelligent capture

   Most organisations scan their documents in an ad-hoc manner. Only when most of the paper-based transactions are completed, are they compiled and stored digitally. Introducing an intelligent capture solution as a permanent step in your processes now can help eliminate time-consuming batch-scanning cycles later.

   Businesses can unlock substantial cost savings and benefits when they add intelligent capture solutions that convert paper documents to PDF, or other formats like Word, and route them to a cloud repository, database, or email address.

3. Central content repository

   Businesses should ideally have one or more central repositories, such as SharePoint Online, for their digital documents. When properly configured to match employee needs and document workflow requirements, a central repository can do wonders for a company with a hybrid work environment.

4. “Outside-the-Box” creative hardware solutions

   Employees often print documents for reference or comparison purposes. Setting up dual monitors can reduce printing and paper build-up by allowing comparisons to be done on screen. Research also suggests that dual monitors increase productivity and provide ergonomic benefits.

5. eForms

   The days of filling in forms with pen or pencil aren’t over, but they’re certainly numbered. eForms for your employees and customers is a smart way to reduce paper, duplicated work, and data entry costs.

6. Understand regulations and compliance

   When it comes to managing digital records in place of paper, businesses need to ensure that they are following legal requirements. It is important to have a policy in place that outlines how digital records will be managed and ensure that scanned or electronic documents are treated as originals for legal proceedings.

7. eSignatures

   eSignature solutions offer a way to reduce the amount of paper used in a business. Not only does this save time, but it also creates a more secure document trail. An eSignature solution that integrates with your content repository allows you to keep all your documents in one place and enables you to sign them electronically.

Dreaming of a Paperless Office?

Creating a paperless office—or reducing the use of paper—can’t happen overnight and isn’t a once-off project. It’s an ongoing process that requires commitment and creating a new workplace culture that embraces change for the better.

Get in touch with us and let our experts help you find the solution that works for you. Let’s get started on your journey towards a paperless office, together.