No matter how big or small your company is, running a business based on paper is associated with many hassles. It is expensive to keep paper records and maintain the required space. However, you cannot make a choice of going fully digital without the assistance of document conversion services. For businesses around the world, going paperless has been an ongoing effort. Companies began the transition to a paperless office with the arrival of Big Data and the exponential increase in documents which became too much for employees to handle. This often resulted in loss of data, misplacement of vital information etc. Business owners have realized that by embracing digital documents their companies will become more efficient and productive.
In the last few years, paperless office strategies have become increasingly important. This is because businesses, both large and small, are looking for ways to make their operations more efficient, save time and money, and improve the overall productivity. However, there are some factors to keep in mind if you’re trying to create a paperless office:
- Be a pioneer: Many businesses fail in the process of turning paperless despite their willingness to turn digital. This is because nobody is leading the way or providing the right tools to turn paperless. It requires proper steps to take the initiative and digitize your business. So, step up and lead the way to make your business more efficient with scanned paper records. Make sure to set goals for each department and encourage everyone to transition to a digital record system. To encourage employees to participate in the transition process, you can provide reward initiatives.
- Make sure that all employees are onboard: Turing the organization paperless may be the business manager’s call but the transition is not possible until all employees agree to this project. Make them aware of the advantages of going digital, and of the time, energy, and money that can be saved. So, here are some tips on how to persuade and get them onboard.
- Show your employees how going paperless can make their job easy and quick.
- Make your employees understand how a paperless office can become more compliant and prevent data from getting lost. Going paperless helps to implement strict security measures which ensures that any vital information is protected. Demonstrate these digital features to your team members to show them how going paperless can help avoid compliance issues and eliminate potential issues in the documentation process.
- Educate your employees on how electronic data facilitates customer service with easy access to any data.
- Keep your files organized: Once your team is set for the document conversion process, begin the process by organizing and prep your file for the process.
- Organize your file by client name, year,etc.
- Divide the work between departments and make them work on their own files.
- Set an expiration date and if any of the documents are older than the expiration data, then shred them.
- Follow up with each department and track whether they are meeting their goals.
- Set a goal of when each department should have their files organized and ready for the digitization process.
- Get the right software and training: Once the documentation preparation is set, then the next step is to find the right digital document management system to aid the process of going paperless. There are many available, so do your research by making a list of tools you need, data backup, amount of storage, number of user accounts etc. After having a clear idea about how to organize the documents, the next step is to create a list of necessary tools and the budget for new office software. Focus on finding something that will meet all your business demands. Get many demonstrations and tutorials to know which software functions well. After choosing the software program, pick out the employees that need to be trained. Make sure that all employees who handle, file, and need access to information in the cloud will be able to do so digitally and confidently.
- Begin the right way: Having the right scanner makes the document scanning process seamless. Once your employees are fully trained in the software, you can begin scanning documents and filing them electronically with a document management system. Begin with the documents, keep a backup in case you have an accident. Once your team is familiar with the software and the paperless process, you can worry about the backlog. If your team is overwhelmed scanning the backlogged documents while handling their current incoming documents and digital files, you should look into hiring additional help. The key here is to delegate the tasks and ensure consistency in the process of digitization. Set a clear goal of when you want all documents to be in the digital system so that your employees have a set short-term goal.
- Let your clients know about your paperless switch: Once all your documents are converted into electronic format, then the next step is to let your clients know about the digital transformation that you have made. Send an email addressing concerns about security and convey to them how beneficial the transformation will be. You can also introduce them to electronic sharing. It helps to share digital documents with you and sign documents electronically. Make sure that your clients are familiar with your electronic sharing program. Be willing to answer questions and provide tips to make your client’s transition easier. One of the main steps of going paperless and letting your clients know is by introducing electronic signature services. Letting your clients know about your transition helps to keep your paperless system consistent and organized.
- Enjoy the perks: After turning paperless completely, it is important to take effort to keep the place paperless in the long run. As you continue to use a computer to make your processes digital, you’ll see a number of benefits in your office and life outside of work such as better and safe storage of data, better co-ordination among different departments, easy access to documents, good data backup, quick retrieval of data, easy sharing of documents and so on. All of the benefits improve the productivity and efficiency of the employees and improve their work life.
Case study
Kelling, Bocovich & Co is a full-service accounting, tax and consultation solutions for individuals and businesses in Minneapolis USA. Kelling, Bocovich & Co. They made the transition from a paper-heavy tax workflow to a more basic scan and organize solution for handling source files. With a centralized upfront scanning, all documents were scanned by an administrative staff member at the time they come in from the clients. With the paperless transition the Kelling, Bocovich &Co. team continues to transform their 1040 tax workflow.
Document conversion services can help efficiently digitize your paper files with professional scanning. Digital storage is becoming an essential element in the filing and organization of documents for any kind of business or enterprise. Businesses are increasingly striving to become paperless with documents being filed digitally instead of using sheets of paper. This has obvious benefits including valuable cost savings, having less hard copy to deal with, proper management of business records, easy sharing of important documents among employees or departments, and safe storage and quick retrieval of data any time.
