Going paperless can be a huge investment upfront, but it pays off in the long run. When you run a business, you are always looking for every way to streamline operations, cut costs, and save time and resources.
The benefits of going paperless
There are many reasons to go paperless and the benefits of the switch might surprise you. A paper-free business is greener, cleaner, and more efficient in a number of ways. Here, we have listed some of the advantages to make the switch from paper to digital.
Help save the environment
As we all know, our environment is slowly deteriorating due to pollution and climate change. Going paperless is one way to help save the environment as it cuts down on rapid deforestation and pollution. More than 20 million trees are consumed for printing books, and about 95 million trees are consumed for newspapers, every year. Over 40% of the total global industrial wood harvest is used to make paper. Also paper makes up 26% of landfills.
If you really care about the environment and the planet, going paperless is the option to stop deforestation and cut down on the amount of waste.
Greater security
Paper documents are much more exposed to accidents and more easily accessible to third parties. Additionally, it is easier to protect the access to confidential information stored in digital format, therefore, only authorized personnel is able to access to classified data. It is also simpler to make backups, so if any data get lost or stolen, it’s possible to retrieve that information. At the same time, it is easier to restrict access to confidential documents.
Improved communication and interactivity
With employees working remotely and teams based in different locations, having a digital platform to share information is essential. Digital technology makes it easy to organise, share documents and access them from different locations or on diverse devices. Digital documents can be accessed remotely from more than one person at the time, so, members of the team can get instant insights, exchange opinions and reach a conclusion even if they are far away. Digital files can also save you time in searching for information. Using digital collaboration tools not only reduces paper in the office, they can also make it easier to share data which can improve collaboration and teamwork.
Efficiency
Digital technologies allow you have a more organised workflow which mean that processes will be more streamlined and efficient. For instance, a scanned document is automatically sent to the server or to the cloud and it can accessed when it is required. You don’t need to sort through mountains of paperwork to find a document. Digital technologies can improve processes, embolden innovation, and simplify workflows. They are a key factor to enhance efficiency and productivity.
Cost savings
The savings of going paperless goes beyond the cost of the paper, which can be significant. you have to add the cost of other office supplies like ink cartridges, printers, copiers and more. Then you should add on the cost of filing cabinets, people to maintain them and the money required to send post. The lists is endless. In the USA, businesses spend about $8 billion annually just managing paper. It costs an average of $20 to file a document, $120 to find a misplaced document, and $220 to reproduce a lost document. Going paperless can help you slash or even eliminate many of these costs.
Conclusion
All of these advantages are encouraging more companies to go paperless.The switch toward a paperless office increases every year as new technologies become available to improve data storage and communication. Doing something to reduce paper usage help your business to become more efficient and enhance the level of security to protect confidential and valuable information.
At DataScope, we can help you to go paperless but providing digital solution to sign all documents online. Users simply should register on our website, select the questions you want to include in your form (photo, signature, bar code, checklist, text, etc.) and you can instantly put aside the paper and start answering your forms from a mobile or tablet. With our application you can then define tasks, collect data, evaluate user performance, and analyze information stored in the mobile platform portal. Don’t waste any time. Sign up free now!
DataScope is a platform which allows various industries to streamline, organize and evaluate the work of their field staffs thanks to online forms which provide real time indicators 100% adaptable to any field
