Recalcitrant users, cumbersome technology, and simple habit prevent many Colorado businesses from being successful with a paperless office initiative. The term “Paperless”, in fact, has become something of a joke or a byword for a wild goose chase.

Of course, some companies do succeed, but their success doesn’t come from their employees feeling more connected to the environment or savvy with technology. Rather, their success comes from the proper approach to a paperless office initiative – including 3 major components of business: document storage and filing, business processes and communications.

One of the first steps in any paperless office is handling how to manage their electronic documents and email. When employees feel like they can depend on their electronic document management system, they won’t store duplicate hard copy documents as back up.

Another tool is in business process management – specifically, automating workflow with computer screens instead of pen and paper. Don’t sign off on an invoice or a project with a pen. Use BPM software to approve and route work through the company and assure that no steps in a process are missed or delayed. Most BPM solutions are highly customizable to the specific workflow of each company, and many are very inexpensive.

Catch paper at the door of your business by scanning mail and contracts and by using a fax server. BPM can route these scanned images through the office, and the images can be stored in the same document management system you use for electronic documents.

Better use of collaborative technologies, like SharePoint, can also eliminate the need for paper. Manage your meetings, memos and tasks using virtual workspaces. Instead of each person in a meeting handing out a thick packet of materials and reports, simply post that information on your SharePoint site and bring laptop computers – 1 tree and 1 toner cartridge saved.

Why Go Paperless?

Of course, offices with less paper save money on consumables and shrink their ecological impact (which is really important), but there are business based reasons for exiling paper from your cubical too. The value to the company isn’t solely karmic. A paperless office usually runs more smoothly and is more productive, and that helps with the green kind of paper.

1. Electronic documents are safer. Do you back up your server? Of Course! Do you back up your filing cabinet? Is the information in your filing cabinet any less important?
2. Electronic documents are easier to find. It can even be instantaneous, depending on the quality of your document management system.
3. You can’t spot business trends in a filing cabinet. It is impossible to identify a processing bottleneck by looking through a stack of forms or discover lost sales in banker boxes. However, Electronic documents and workflow mapped processes can be searched and mined for data and better illuminate business trends.
4. Compliance is easier in the electronic world. No matter what alphabet soup compliance laws you follow, electronic documents are more secure, more easily audited, and better controlled than paper.
5. Ideas are often not recorded on paper. Encouraging electronic based collaboration will allow you to capture and store those ideas, for future retrieval and company benefit by more than just the initial collaborators.
6. Paper Cuts! Who needs them!

Learn more about the paperless office in our Knowledge Management Page.

Tags: Article, Document Management, IT Management, Paperless Office

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