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Advertisement feature by Peter Dorotiak, Director of Aspect IT
EXACTLY WHAT does “a paperless office” actually mean?
Well, according to Wikipedia, “a paperless office is a work environment in which the use of paper is eliminated or greatly reduced”.
So why should a business consider going paperless?
1: Environmental Impact: Printing not only uses more paper but also uses more printer ink and energy. Paper waste in the UK in 2008 was over 12,000 tonnes and printer ink is known for containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which causes pollution.
2. Storage: Storing reams of paper takes physical space. Also, if the documents contain confidential information, they will need to securely stored in locked cabinets. So going paperless can provide you with less storage requirements.
3. Efficiency: Once you are paperless, you will make time savings. Documents can be easily searched for, accessed and made secure. Procedures can be developed to ensure all processes are simple.
Going paperless does not mean you have to make your whole office paperless in one go. It can be a staged process or you may only want to make key elements of your business paperless.
Here are our top four business functions that can benefit from going paperless:
1. Digital Contacts: If you provide your customers with a contract to sign, then consider digital contracts. The process is simple and allows for your customers to receive their contact electronically and sign via an electronic signature. Storage is simple as all your contracts are stored centrally and are easily accessible online.
2. Electronic Statements: The majority of banks, building societies and credit card companies will offer paperless statements or you can scan them to reduce your paper storage.
3. Sending Invoices: Send your customers invoices and statements via email. This will save on postage and printing costs.
4. Scan Receipts and Invoices: There is currently an influx of new apps that allow small businesses to scan company bills. Some even link to accounting packages for increased efficiency.
At Aspect IT, we can help your business move towards a paperless office, from simple processes like emailing invoices through to document management and bespoke system. Just get in touch to find out more.
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