Studies have shown that the average office worker uses as much as 10,000 sheets of paper a year. Where does all that paper go? It’s thrown away, filed away, shuffled among co-workers, and shipped around in slow, costly, delivery processes. So, going paperless has some real advantages, and here is just a few examples…
First, it eliminates hard dollar costs. Not just the cost of paper itself, but things like storage and mailing, and the cost of using valuable office space for filing cabinets.
Paperless information can be searched and retrieved much faster, without leaving your desk. Filing and retrieval is reduced from minutes to seconds – a real productivity gain.
Plus, it’s easier to share information. Not just because files are electronic; A paperless system supports collaboration tools like check-in/check-out, document version control, email archiving, and remote access.
Even more, in a regulated environment, a paperless document management system reduces risk because you can find documents immediately, control access, and record history.
You can also automate business processes. Electronic notifications, document workflow, and approval steps can be used to automate everything from invoice approvals in accounting, to employee evaluations in Human resources.
Finally, there are advantages for business continuity. Digital documents are more easily backed-up, and can be made available quickly in the event of a disaster.
Together with our partner Kodak, ColumbiaSoft discussed and demonstrated some paperless benefits recently in a webinar that highlighted Kodak’s Capture Pro scanning software together with the Document Locator document management system. If interested in going paperless, you’re welcome to check out a recording of the seminar to learn more.
