TAKING THE ROAD TO A PAPERLESS BUSINESS As technological advancements continue to dominate offices, businesses have to do more than just declare to the world that they're going paperless. Although scanners and document management software have enabled organization to convert their existing papers into digital copies, groups also have to change their mindsets and the infrastructures of their workplaces if they expect employees to fully embrace paperless solutions. If habits counter-productive to green initiatives persist, it won't matter much how many paperless solutions a company leverages. After so many years of relying on hard copies, some staff members might not be used to the idea of changing their daily routines. Business leaders need to work with their teams to help them overcome such antiquated norms if they want to see the financial and operational benefits for their organizations. A matter of breaking traditions While there are a few types of paper that will still persevere in the business world for small companies, such as cash, communications and documents generally take three different forms, according to Entrepreneur. 1. Paper: The long-established material has occupied bulky office spaces in filing cabinets and desks for too long, but paperless solutions have the potential to eliminate such waste for more streamlined environments in which documents can be easily found, even if they're misplaced. Paper may stick around at businesses only for the most vital records and dispatches, but more trivial documents can easily be electronically stored. 2. Electronic files: When paper goes the way of digital, it becomes an electronic file, but depending on the material's content it can be a variety of types. Pictures, spreadsheets and even audio from business meetings can all be converted electronically to drastically reduce physical storage. Document management software is the key to making this transition a reality. www.papersave.com
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3. Email: The replacement of standard letters ushered in the possibility of electronics substituting for paper, and the concept still resonates in offices everywhere today. Email's instantaneous and direct nature have made this avenue invaluable to businesses, just like a full paperless solution could. Organizations need to realign the scales of their communications if they want to reduce their reliance on paper. The trick may be in discovering which areas employees can reduce their prints, since out of every 30 papers a worker prints, approximately 39 percent of those are thrown in the trash, added Entrepreneur. Even worse, the printing habits of employees over the past five years haven't been conducive to creating paperless environments. If businesses maintain their current paper usage habits, they may end up paying prices far higher than just the value of each sheet. The toll of paper on a company could run anywhere from 13-31 times more than how much it costs to buy the material, asserted Reduce.org. Overcoming doubts Some employees may be skeptical that a paperless solution can provide them with the same operational capacity as time-tested paper, but new innovations have enabled people to blur the lines between what is digital and physical. When these concerns are quelled, businesses can utilize the software and devices that assist them in transitioning from paper. Those editors who prefer to mark up documents for coworkers to help them visually understand the changes can still do so in many document and collaborative programs, noted Forbes. They can even change the color of highlights to reflect the different pens they would have used in the process had the materials been paper-based. When businesses use technology to remove wasted resources and expedite valuable operational procedures, the environmental benefits might seem almost like a positive side effect. However, these revolutions have to be taken up by everyone in a company if they are to succeed. _________________________________ Ready to kick your paper habit? Register for an upcoming webcast! Learn More about PaperSave: Case Studies | Demo | News and Events | WhitePapers | Webinars | Videos | Contact Us Tags: electronic workflow, Industry News, paperless office, document management software www.papersave.com
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