Complaints From the Non-Paperless

Once your business has adopted an effective document management software infrastructure, it can be easy to forget the simple issues that used to plague the everyday lives of the average employee. After all, technology stands to improve nearly every aspect of a company. Whether it’s reducing the pressure on the bottom line caused by purchasing paper and printing material or adding back the massive amounts of time once wasted sifting through filing cabinets, it’s clear that eliminating paper from the office is the key to reduced costs and productivity.

These gripes may seem like familiar eternal struggles for those still seeking workplace effectiveness. In reality, going paperless can provide new electronic document workflow that will change the way it does business and banish these complaints forever.

“The printer’s jammed!”

Whether a company is still using them or not, everyone can relate to the frustration of a jammed printer slowing the productivity of an average day at work. These machines often gum up the works in the middle of a major printing job that could be important for an upcoming meeting or client session. They can result in lateness or a less than professional appearance through no fault of the employee. The same goes for copy machines to an even larger degree – this can result in a repairman coming in and causing the office quite a hefty expense before staff can get back to work as usual.

“I take my notes on paper!”

Standard note-taking is where employees are most reluctant to give up their precious notepads. Of course, the need to record information during meetings hasn’t decreased, but paperless tools and applications can make this a lot easier. PC Magazine contributor Jill Duffy offered some of the many advantages we can glean from transitioning note-taking to a document management software program:

• Reorder the priorities on an existing list without needing to start all over
• Automated to-do lists and calendar updates that reduce reliance on one’s own “inner computer”
• You can search your notes for important keywords
• It’s possible to revisit old notes and lists at any time to track any perceived progress

Security and the ability to reflect and update older lists could save the average employee time to use productively on the job.

“I can’t keep up with paperless!”

Another source of anxiety for some is that paperless requires consistency in scanning and sorting information. Productivity blog Be More With Less pointed out that this is a necessary component of any effective system. Maintaining electronic workflow requires the tools and diligence to scan paper receipts and notes to keep a system effective, but this saves time in the long run. The paperless software is doing its job when a staffer doesn’t need to rummage for a crumpled-up document weeks later.

To avoid these common gripes, let paperless change the everyday culture of your business.