Exploring the Practicality of a Paperless Office

Despite the fact that there have been numerous stories in the media of companies, hospitals, schools, and other organizations eschewing paper in the office and embracing electronic workflow, some business owners still aren’t convinced that their firm could successfully implement this strategy.

That’s not to say that they wouldn’t want to be privy to the same perks—cost savings, easier access to files from anywhere, faster invoicing, and innumerable other advantages.

So what’s holding them back? Some leaders might say that their employees just don’t have the time, while others might complain that they’re worried about security. However, because of advances made within document management software in the past few years, there are really no valid fears that can be cited anymore.

Is it safe to say that going paperless would be practical in any business? The truth is that yes, almost any company of any size and within any industry would benefit from digitizing.

Complete paperlessness doesn’t have to happen

As The Houston Chronicle explained, implementing a paperless office is often a misnomer. Company owners might be wary of getting rid of all the tangible files in their office, but to have a digitized workplace, they don’t actually have to.

Leaders can make the system their own; they can decide not to put records from entire departments on the computer, or they can still hand write each other memos. It all depends on what’s right for individual businesses.

Managers might want to place the files online that will help them the most. For instance, it might be good for client files to stay in cabinets placed around the office for the time being if a company doesn’t have a lot of time to set aside for digitizing.

But if they’re big into billing, making moves to enable electronic invoicing might be appropriate. That way, this process can be sped up and employees can check the status of bills and other payments from any Internet-enabled device.

Saving irreplaceable documents

But perhaps the biggest reason that going digital is practical is the fact that by doing so, businesses will be creating indestructible copies of records. No matter where an office is located, every corner of the United States faces natural disasters, whether that be brush fires in the Mid-West or hurricanes in the South-East.

“Recent disasters have highlighted the need to keep business files securely backed up off-site,” industry expert Jon Russell told Business News Daily. “While paper is easily destroyed and expensive to store, files digitized with paperless office software can be backed up daily.”