Buzzwords like “going green” and “paperless operation” tend to fall on deaf ears for any business owner more concerned with staying afloat than making an environmental impact. But what many business owners fail to realize is that a digital transition isn’t at odds with the bottom line. In many cases, they are two halves of the same coin. With a good piece of file management software, you can turn your business almost entirely paperless and enjoy a host of benefits for having done so.
Environmental Reasons
Even if you’ve never considered yourself much of an environmentalist, the time has come to face facts. The world is getting warmer, and there is an overwhelming consensus among top scientists that human beings are at least partially to blame. Does it make sense to be irresponsible in the meantime? Especially if you’re only saving yourself time and money in the process? Trees are essential to keeping fresh oxygen in our environment. You don’t have to hug one to appreciate their role. By switching to a paperless system, you can help save forests, reduce the impact of harmful gases coming out of the pulp industry, and reduce the environmental impact of discarded printers and ink cartridges.
Business Reasons
So you aren’t convinced. You’re just one business owner trying to make it in an increasingly competitive economic world. That’s fine. You don’t have to care one whit about the environment to see the benefits of switching to a paperless system. Here are just a few of the reasons the wise businessman will go digital:
Increased Efficiency –
Have you ever thought about how long it takes to access a paper file that’s been shoved into the back of a closet for three years? If you are spending ages hunting down copies of old files, you are wasting time. With the help of a good file management program, those files can be at your fingertips. Better yet, they can be shared among computers, cutting down on the additional waste of paper and ink that comes with making copies.
Faster Service –
If you’ve ever had to call a customer back because you couldn’t get them the information they needed without poring through your file cabinets, you have an area that needs improvement. People aren’t patient anymore. Most of your customers have already transitioned to a digital world in their home lives. If you are behind them in terms of technological advancement, you have a problem.
Reduce Costs –
While purchasing a scanner and a good piece of file management software will take an upfront investment, the savings from switching to paperless document systems will make it well worth the switch. If you can get rid of reams of paper documents, you can reduce storage costs. You can also save hundreds a year on paper, ink, and printer maintenance. Few businesses can afford to go wholly paperless, but you can get pretty close.
Making the Transition
If you don’t have the time or manpower to sift through dozens of boxes and scan in thousands of documents, there are companies that will come in and do it for you. This will take a bigger investment on the front end, but a business of any appreciable size will see the benefits immediately. If you want to do it on your own, all you need is a scanner, some file management software, and some time. Turn it into a weekend project, and you may be surprised at how quickly you can digitize your files.