How to Create a Paperless Office

By Denise Kotula

By now, we've all heard that the process of making paper and subsequent deforestation of the planet causes CO2 gas emissions that cause the "greenhouse effect" which is a main cause of global warming. Yipes.

But the truth is that we live in a world cluttered by paper. As good citizens of the world, shouldn't we be doing our part to reduce the use of paper, like creating a paperless office for our business?

Then again, our motives for creating a paperless office could be a tad more self-serving. Going paperless will save you money, make your office more efficient, save on space, and promote cleanliness and good organization. All the while, you'll be reducing your carbon footprint.

A paperless office is a business that stores all of its information and documentation in an electronic format. It makes paper redundant. Many companies store all of their files electronically, process their inventory, accounts payable and accounts receivable electronically, and convert receipts, memos, business cards and other documents they receive to electronic data.

There are many great benefits to switching to a paperless office. First, you eliminate the need for file cabinets and storage space. Your documents are stored in a central repository where the access is controlled by you. You can make corporate information available to remote users in seconds. You protect your valuable hard copy data from natural disasters. And, you dramatically reduce your costs for paper, toner and other supplies.

Businesses that benefit most from creating a paperless office are document-intensive businesses, multi-site organizations, those with mobile workers, and those which store a lot of documents.

There are six key components you'll need to create a paperless office. The first is a heavy duty/high quality scanner. With that scanner, you'll be able to convert all of your existing documents and records to PDF format. That in turn will allow you to create an easily assessable filing system on your computer to replace your old metal filing cabinet.

There are many excellent scanners available at reasonable prices, such as The Neat Company's Neat Receipts, Neat Desk and Neat Scan, the Fujitsu ScanSnap, and various others manufactured by the likes of Nikon, Canon, Hewlett Packard and Epson.

Cybertary can also help you with bulk scanning if digitally copying your company records and documents becomes a major project.

Second, you'll also need to invest in a shredder so that your paper documents are properly destroyed after they've been electronically copied. There are also many paper shredding services, including mobile services that will shred your unwanted documents on site.

The third component is document management system that allows you to file, index, manage and access your documents and records from your computer or computer network. This system comes in the form of software or online programs that can provide content indexing, document accessibility and version control. These systems are available for all sizes of companies (See sidebar).

Once your document management system is in place, you can do things like get rid of your fax machine. While most document transfers these days are handled via email, if you find you still need to send or receive a faxed document, you can do it through a software program or service like eFax, and have the documents faxed to you in a PDF format via email.
 
You also might want to reduce or eliminate your snail mail. A service called Earth Class Mail will deliver your physical mail to you online. You just log on to a secure account to view scanned images of your mail envelopes. You then decide which items to have opened and securely scanned so you can read the contents online, and which items should be recycled, shredded, archived, or forward-shipped to you wherever you're located - all with a few clicks of a mouse.

The fourth component is online banking, including handling all invoicing and payment collections online. Most banks now offer free online banking services, including tools to manage your accounts and to do online bill payments, and automatic recurring payments for repeating bills. Most accounting programs, including Quicken, PayPal, Intuit, Cashboard and Freshbooks, all allow you to send invoices and collect payments through your online banking system, track client payments, and follow up on unpaid balances much quicker and easier than paper systems. Fees vary but are well worth for the convenience and time and money saved.

The fifth, and arguably most vital component, is having an adequate backup system for your data. Backing up your data to disc is fast becoming obsolete. Backing up to disc does not protect you from fire, flood, theft and other natural disasters that may happen at your office. Daily online backup systems and services are available for as little as $30 per year and can provide you with the security and safety you need for your computer files.

The final component to creating a paperless office is to provide employee training for the information systems you use. No matter how well designed a paperless office system is, your company will not enjoy the benefits of it if your employees are not taught how to use it to full advantage. Training should be mandatory, not optional.

Once you commit to creating a paperless office, you will see the benefits to your company in cost-savings, time efficiency and organizational efficiency. You'll also be doing your share to reduce your carbon footprint.