The world is progressing forward as the technology is changing at a very rapid pace and it has provided us the ways by which we can shift from the old paper-based system to the paperless office. But going paperless is neither a piece of cake nor it is a one day transition. It is a slow process that cannot be completed in a week or a month. Most of the large firms have set up paperless offices but many small businesses are still reluctant in adopting it.
Paperless office system has got great benefits for small businesses.In this article, we have mentioned the seven reasons that why the small businesses should move to apaperless office system.
- Environmentally-Friendly:
In the paperless system, all of the data is stored in a digital format so paper reels are not required during the data storage process. Hence, this results in less use of paper which is an environment-friendly approach.
According to The Daily Green, about 25% of the landfill waste comes from paper. The research also says that if the United States cuts the use of paper in offices by just 10% then it would prevent the emission of 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases. This figure is just for the paper. Other than the paper, ink cartridges are also used extensively. If we count in the production and disposal of ink cartridges and the energy that is used by printers then you can assume that how dangerous it is for our environment. Therefore, going paperless not only saves the environment but also establishes your reputation as a pro-green business.
- Cost Effective Solution:
Apart from the environmental benefits, the paperless approach provides great budget advantages for small businesses. There are many other things that are associated with paper such as ink, printers, postage and other supplies that are required by the paper-based offices. Hence, the cost of paper and all other things associated with paper makes the paper-based system costly. Also, physical space is required for the storage of the paper documents which in turn consumes money.
By implementing the paperless office, small businesses can save a lot of money that can be then used for some other purposes. In this way,businesses can generate more revenue. So, choose this budget-friendly solution for your business and save money.
- Easy Access:
Going paperless is the process by which all of your official documents are saved in digitized form. Hence, the need to search the cabinets for finding a certain document is automatically eliminated. You can locate the required document in seconds. Moreover, you can also store your files on different cloud storage devices and your files can be accessed easily at anytime and from anyplace.
The best way to digitize your documents is to store them in PDF format. PDF files are searchable and also consume less storage space so you can store these files easily on cloud storage devices. You can convert the files that are in another format into PDF by using an online PDF converter. For example, for generating the PDF from PPT you can use any online PPT to PDF converter such as Classic PDF.
- File Organization:
Paperless office makes it easier to organize the files. It consumes a lot of time to organize the paper based files. You may have shuffled the files in a cabinet. Is not it a hectic task? On the other hand, the digital file system is easy to organize and search. As stated earlier, by using PDF format you can search the files within seconds.
Hence, saves time and effort and increase the efficiency and productivity of work.
- Fewer data errors
It does not mean that there is no chance of errors in the paperless office system. There is always a probability of error in any system. But if we compare the paperless office with paper based office then the chances of error are very less in paperless office. Moreover, the documents are written in digital format so the misreading of the document due to poor handwriting does not occur. There are fewer mistakes in digital files as compared to paper files. Therefore, the less error-prone data leads to happier clients.
- Backup plan:
The digital files can be backed up easily but it is not possible to get a backup plan for the filing cabinets full of files. If any disaster happens such as the fire erupts and you do not have a backup plan then you can lose all of your data.
Therefore, it is always necessary to have a good backup plan. The digital files can be backed up easily in a cloud. So, in case if you lose any data, you can get the copy from the cloud.
- Enhanced Customer Service:
Moving from a paper-based system to a paperless office does not just save money for you but it provides great customer service benefits also. The paperless system allows you to respond to the queries faster. Furthermore, you can also solve the issues quickly and can also access the information easily. All of this result in an enhanced customer service which means that your customers will be happy with your services and they will come back to you. If the customers will be satisfied with your services then they will also recommend your business to others. Hence in this way, your business will grow.
Keeping in view all the reasons that are mentioned above, it is proved that the paperless office system can provide great benefits to the small businesses. If you have a small business, then we will recommend you to shift all your paper based data into PDF format. PDF is a universal format and offers great security. You can also convert the other digital files into PDF format. Such as the PowerPoint presentations can be converted into PDF by using PPT to PDF converter.
If you have any other reason for shifting to a paperless office, please share with us in the comment box below:
