Every day trillions of sheets of paper are used around the world. By becoming a paperless office, you can do your part in preserving natural resources. In addition, your company saves money on the cost of paper, ink and toner. In many instances, such changes are easier than one might think. The following tips may help your corporation.
One of the ways to make the reduction is to start sharing memos and documents electronically. Programs allow employees to all have input with ideas. Documents that must be sent to other companies are saved as locked PDF files to ensure they are not changed.
Take steps to reduce the amount of mail you receive. Ask that companies no longer send catalogues. Switch to electronic banking and pay bills online. Use electronic banking to provide direct deposit of your payroll to employee's accounts.
Files can usually be stored electronically as well. Over time, this becomes much easier. While you may want to consider scanning older files for storage, many experts recommend leaving them as they are unless you must access them on a regular basis.
Eliminate the need to print and fax documents with an online fax service. Such services send incoming faxes directly to the employee's email inbox, where they can then be saved to the appropriate file. Enable each employee to digitally sign any outgoing faxes.
Group presentations can be done using electronic files instead of sheets of paper. Eliminate the need to ask everyone to turn to the goldenrod page. Some programs allow the participant to use a smart-phone to make notes directly on the presentation material for later reference.
Make sure all data is being backed up regularly before making the switch. While most offices already have this plan in effect, it becomes even more important. Work with the IT department before the planned date to make the switch. Ensure they are prepared to provide the support required for this type of change.
While you can greatly reduce the paper used, you may still find a few items that cannot be stored electronically. For example, you will want to keep track of original notarized documents that may be important. However, you can eliminate much of the waste associated with doing business and conserve many natural resources by implementing a recycling plan.
In many businesses, a paperless office is a worthy goal. Once your plan is in place, install the software and set a scheduled date to implement changes. Many employees, even those who are resistant find the switch provides greater convenience than paper files.
One of the ways to make the reduction is to start sharing memos and documents electronically. Programs allow employees to all have input with ideas. Documents that must be sent to other companies are saved as locked PDF files to ensure they are not changed.
Take steps to reduce the amount of mail you receive. Ask that companies no longer send catalogues. Switch to electronic banking and pay bills online. Use electronic banking to provide direct deposit of your payroll to employee's accounts.
Files can usually be stored electronically as well. Over time, this becomes much easier. While you may want to consider scanning older files for storage, many experts recommend leaving them as they are unless you must access them on a regular basis.
Eliminate the need to print and fax documents with an online fax service. Such services send incoming faxes directly to the employee's email inbox, where they can then be saved to the appropriate file. Enable each employee to digitally sign any outgoing faxes.
Group presentations can be done using electronic files instead of sheets of paper. Eliminate the need to ask everyone to turn to the goldenrod page. Some programs allow the participant to use a smart-phone to make notes directly on the presentation material for later reference.
Make sure all data is being backed up regularly before making the switch. While most offices already have this plan in effect, it becomes even more important. Work with the IT department before the planned date to make the switch. Ensure they are prepared to provide the support required for this type of change.
While you can greatly reduce the paper used, you may still find a few items that cannot be stored electronically. For example, you will want to keep track of original notarized documents that may be important. However, you can eliminate much of the waste associated with doing business and conserve many natural resources by implementing a recycling plan.
In many businesses, a paperless office is a worthy goal. Once your plan is in place, install the software and set a scheduled date to implement changes. Many employees, even those who are resistant find the switch provides greater convenience than paper files.
About the Author:
Loris F. Anders is an office management specialist focused on optimizing workflow processes in document management. If you would like to learn more about going paperless, she recommends you check out Docufree
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