How To Make the Switch To A Paperless Office
Offices all over the world are transitioning from paper documents and file cabinets to electronic files and cloud storage. Making the switch to a paperless office has many benefits, including increased efficiency and cost savings. As much as you may be ready to take the next step to simplify the workplace, it doesn’t happen overnight.
Transitioning to a paperless office requires a series of steps, which we’ll help you make today. It won’t be long before your business is enjoying greater efficiency, improved ROI and a smaller environmental footprint.
Set Company Goals
To begin the process, you must lead by example. Set goals for each department and the company as a whole. To encourage employees to follow suit, consider setting up an incentive for those who meet their goals. As people in the office see you and others making the transition, they will be more eager to follow suit.
Get Your Teams on Board
Some departments are less likely to oblige than others, particularly legal and finance departments. If you foresee having trouble getting some teams to switch to paperless, be prepared to prove your case. Explain the benefits to the company and customers as well as how compliance concerns will be addressed.
Organize Your Documents
With goals in place and employees on board, it’s time to get the paperwork organized. If your company has a lot of papers, divide the work. Employees will probably prefer being in charge of their own files anyway. Determine which business organization system you plan to follow. Here are a few tips.
- Shred documents that are past a certain date
- File papers according to client name, date, etc.
- Ensure that all departments are following the same system
- Follow up with each team for progress updates
- Set a deadline for when all files should be organized
Choose a Scanning Service
Some companies choose to purchase their own document management system, which is fine. But if you’re looking for greater efficiency, reduced costs and improved ROI, the better option is to outsource your needs to a company like Global Document Services.
From the time you hire us, all paperwork generated by your company is placed into locked containers and picked up by one of our certified team members. Once prepared and scanned, all electronic documents are conveniently stored in the cloud. Other storage options include hard drives, third-party servers, CDs, DVDs or flash drives. When complete, we will return your files or shred them on your behalf.
Enjoy the Benefits
Once your office goes paperless, you can relish in the benefits: increased document security, reduced business costs, reduced office space, improved efficiency and so much more. To ensure that you continue to stay paperless, make sure that you have a clear system in place. Whether you choose to scan your own documents or use a scanning service like Global Document Services, everyone should follow the same procedures to continue meeting your goals.
To learn more about document scanning and storage solutions that are 100% HIPAA and FATCA compliant, call Global Document Services today.
