For years and years now we’ve all been told that digitizing both personal and work documents is the way forward. However, having said that, ridding yourself of the paper habit is easier said than done, especially if you’ve been reliant upon it for a number of years now.
Business is a cutthroat world and, as a result, people seem to be wary and cautious of new techniques. This ‘stick to what you know’ philosophy, although useful, has its limitations and can actually hold a business back.
It’s only natural that you would have reservations about making your company go entirely digital; especially after you’ve been so used to paper for so long. Change, of course, rarely comes naturally, and when it does come, it’s very rarely cheap.
However, like it or not, the digital revolution is starting to come our way. In fact, in America, President Obama recently pledged $30 billion in his stimulus package to digitize medical records. If companies on this sort of scale can digitise their records, then small scale companies can easily adopt, even though there are severe time constraints in place. But, what are the positives of going digital, and why is it suddenly all the rage?
The Green Approach to Business
One way that many businesses are starting to take advantage of digitization, is a green or eco approach to business management. As the 21st century progresses, we are seeing more and more companies take a concerted effort to make their businesses more environmentally friendly.
By ditching paperwork entirely, these businesses are reducing their carbon footprint in both the long and short term, while also using it as a launch pad to sustain other eco drives and efficiencies.
Speed Up Business Processes
Paper might be convenient because you know where it is and you know that it won’t let you down through a technical glitch, but it is also incredibly time consuming for your employees, leading to huge efficiency issues.
Whereas it could take your employees forever to find a relevant tax return, it could take only a matter of seconds to pull up over a year’s worth of records if it was all digitized, saving you time and, more importantly, money.
So, by digitizing you can save time, money and make your business more eco friendly, so why aren’t more companies doing it?
Make Sure You Dispose Safely
Sadly, many businesses are incredibly wary of making the shift from paper to digital as they’re unsure about how to dispose of their paper records safely. Obviously, the safety of this data once it has been digitized is paramount, and it is essential that it is destroyed properly.
The fear of not doing this properly, however, shouldn’t be a barrier to digitalising, as there are simple measures that you can take to ensure it works. If push comes to shove, you can even bring in an external company to do this, leaving you safe in the knowledge that every preventative step has been taken.
Finally, many seem to be concerned about the management of such a project, but once more this can simple be outsourced to any company offering a document management service, such as TNT business solutions.
To conclude, digitizing can save you time, money and staff resources, but yet many companies are still keeping their paper records. It’s understandable that you may be wary of this process, but it’s ultimately for the benefit of your business, and you’ll never look back once you’ve made the step. If you’re unsure how to do it yourself, simply get an expert in to help, you’ll be amazed at the difference digitizing can make.
Photo credit: Ashley Fisher / Flickr
