The Common Characteristics of a Paperless Office

The paperless office is still a concept some people are hesitant about, despite the various technologies available to implement it.

Invoice automation has made tasks within the accounts payable department easier, and document management software helps businesses organize paperwork digitally. Offices can utilize these resources and other strategies to make the transition easier for workers.

Feedback and direction

Whenever making a huge change in a company, it’s important to find out what is difficult for employees and what isn’t. Anonymous surveys allow staff to feel comfortable sharing how they feel about a process and their involvement.

They may say that they need more guidance on a certain aspect of the transition, or that they don’t understand what advantages digital documentation can provide. This gives advisors the ability to step in and make staff feel more comfortable and ready for the new system.

Digital sharing

Forbes recommended companies give workers the direction to share files digitally from the very beginning. Document management software helps workers collaborate and view files remotely.

Employees don’t have to go searching for a report in a messy filing cabinet anymore. Demonstrating the benefits of this method can also give them the drive to use it daily.

Automation

Invoice automation is available for the financial department of any company going paperless, and the results it produces are apparent.

“People aren’t spending time trying to search for things. It’s online and easily accessible, so, from an efficiency perspective, it’s absolutely fantastic,” Jim Secord, CEO of accounting start-up Kashoo, told Inc.

“From an invoicing perspective, we issue an invoice via email and they pay electronically, so there’s no check being cut, coming back. You get paid a lot faster,” he added.

When automation is put in place alongside electronic workflow, it creates a smooth system. Workers are better able to access documents and have more time to accomplish other tasks.

Scanning and conversion

Paperless offices implement long-term processes such as document conversion. An enterprise has to determine what’s worth keeping and what can be destroyed completely.

This is a workflow system that all employees have to get used to for digital documentation to be successful. Document management software can index and tag scanned reports and paperwork so they can be searchable on the platform.

The concept of the paperless office helps more than companies looking for better systems for their office space; it also benefits the environment. When paperless processes are implemented, it gives advantage to not just the employees, but the world around them.