Keeping physical records is problematic for many small companies. It is estimated that the average office in the UK prints out around forty sheets of paper every day which means even a new business can start to become overrun early on.
However, maintaining a properly organised archive is a time-consuming endeavor that can feel like a full-time job in itself. To combat this, many businesses have made the switch to a paperless system. This means converting your old physical records into digital e-documents. So what are the benefits of moving to paperless records?
Become earth friendly – Making the switch from physical records to digital is a great way for your company to become greener. Less paper produced means less trees have to be cut down. Now that you can back everything up online in the cloud, going paperless is easier than ever.
Improve your business’ standing – These days shoppers are more knowledgeable about the negative effects industries have on the planet, with 71% of customers admitting they think green when purchasing. More and more people are choosing to recycle, buy organic produce, and carpool with their colleagues. By aligning your interests with the general public, you will increase goodwill amongst your existing customers and potentially gaining even more.
Save money and time – Rather than making sure you are stocked up on printer cartridges and reams of paper, you’ll be able to focus on more important aspects of your business. You’ll also see reduction in your energy bills as a result of not requiring to power extra equipment. Perhaps the biggest benefit to electronic documents, though, is the convenience they bring to you and your employees. No more waiting around for your turn to use the equipment. Now you can access your files on your computer or on the go with a smartphone or tablet device.
Free up space in the office – Office real estate is a valuable commodity and all of these physical records can start to take up a lot of room. Think about better ways this space could be used? Accommodating an extra employee, providing an additional area for collaborative projects, or a number of other uses specific to your field could improve your company’s productivity.
Digitising your company’s old records is a great way to take full control of your business. The ability to search for what you’re looking for via a keyword search or a specific date makes finding a certain document much simpler and faster. It is this kind of feature that’s making many businesses make the switch from paper documents to digital.
