The paperless office has been an idealistic vision for business owners for decades, ever since the creation of computers and data storage. However, the evolution of technology and IT equipment, and online storage becoming relatively inexpensive has empowered us to make this happen for real. The transition from the cluttered offices full of files, cupboards, drawers and filing cabinets filled with paper, to a clutter free, paper free world is of course daunting for business owners. But, here in RBL we have decided to bite that bullet and go…… paperless.
The average office worker uses up to 45 sheets of paper per day, half of which is wasted. Add that up over a year and that’s a lot of paper to keep track of, store and pay for. The initial thoughts of most business owners when deciding to move to a paperless environment, is the time and money it will save, primarily on paper and ink costs.
However, there’s more to it than that, with quite a few other benefits to consider and bear in mind:
- Cost of cupboards, cabinets and drawers;
- Storage space costs – space which could be better utilised for additional staff etc;.
- Employee costs of managing, filing and searching for documents;
- Big savings in time searching for misplaced documents. 30% of the day is spent searching for hard copy documents;
- Centralisation of documents; and but with remote access
- Increased information security
Adapting your office to a paperless one does take some adjustment, and business owners will experience some employees who are non-believers, sceptical and will resist the change. I include myself in that as I’ve just proceeded to print this very article to allow one of my colleagues to read it!!! Still not convinced as to why would a business put themselves through it? (apart from reducing the amount of paper cuts you inflict on yourself on a daily basis!) Well here’s one final reason….
FREEDOM! Imagine your entire business processes stored in the cloud where you can access all of your business data anytime, anyplace, anywhere! Liberating thought isn’t it!
So, if you would like further information, guidance or assistance in making the change by moving your business processes to the cloud, please feel free to give us a call on 028 95 320155. You will no longer be criticised for having your head in the clouds.