A paperless office is an office that aims to be paper-free. This means that all documents, forms and worksheets are swapped for electronic versions that staff can access from their computers and online. This process of turning paper documents into digital files is known as digitisation and is becoming a widely used method in workplaces around the world. A paperless office allows employees to access all the files that they may need at the click of a button and allows them to pick up their work from almost anywhere. Learning how to transition to a paperless office will kick-start your business towards a more efficient workplace.

Why are offices going paperless?

Digitisation and going paper-free has a number of benefits for any workplace. The production of paper causes deforestation which is incredibly harmful to our planet- the forests that are lost and turned into paper are an essential part of life on earth. Each year around 1.85 million tons of the paper that is created ends up as waste and contributes towards our ever-growing landfill sites. By transitioning to a paperless office, companies are starting to reduce the amount of paper that is produced and wasted each year which helps towards creating a greener future.

Going paperless will also save your employees huge amounts of time that they would usually spend frantically searching for documents- instead they will all be available in one simple folder. Digitisation will free up space in your offices and will boost your security by keeping all important documents password protected. In a paper-free office, you will not have to worry about leaving confidential documents lying around or losing private information. Everything will be at your fingertips.

The recent pandemic has opened people’s eyes to the importance of being able to access the office digitally. This article will introduce you to the best ways to transition to a paperless office in 2021.

How to transition to a paperless office

The idea of becoming completely paper-free may seem out of reach at first. Many offices have been relying on paper documents for years and simply can’t imagine a time when these aren’t a staple feature of the workplace. Any office can undergo digitisation if you think outside of the box and invest in new software and technology that will help ease the transition to a paperless office. When going paperless, start with the basics and slowly implement new ways of working that reduce your paper use.

Finding the right software

The software that you chose to use will be one of the most important aspects of your paperless office. You need to find software that is reliable, efficient, affordable and easy to use. Good software will help the whole process to run smoothly and it is one of the first things that you should look into when digitising your office.

The software that is used in paperless offices can cover everything from document management, printing and even accounting. Finding one that covers everything is often the best solution because it means that all tasks can be done in one place, in the same way. This also makes it easy to resolve any issues that you may have, as you will only have to deal with one software. Spindle Document Management is a great example of software that can help you with a variety of office tasks. The software works alongside Sage and allows you to have total control over all of your documents, whilst keeping them organised. Software like Spindle Document Management can help with invoices, outgoing document distribution, incoming documents and can be used on the go on mobile devices making the documents accessible from anywhere.

Financial administration is a large contributor to office paper documents. Luckily, software such as Credit Hound can be used to digitise these tasks. Using digital software for your finances will also help to maximise efficiency and pick up on outstanding payments faster so that you don’t have to chase anything around.

Remove printers

If printers are scattered around your office, it will be easy for staff to find themselves printing unnecessary documents that could be otherwise sent or stored online. To reduce the amount of printing that is done in your office, you could make printers less accessible. Maybe just have one printer located in the manager’s office that could be used for unavoidable printing jobs. It is surprising how much people tend to use things just because they are there, if you take away printers, your staff will undoubtedly turn to digital alternatives.

Educate your staff

One of the best ways to ensure that your paperless initiative is maintained is by educating your staff about the benefits of digitisation. You can expect staff to get flustered when you start to make changes around the office so, educating them about what you are doing will help to ease this and also might encourage them to think of their own paperless solutions.

Invest in training

Proper training will ensure that all systems in your new paperless office run smoothly and will help employees to feel confident working in the digitised environment. Technology is a great way to increase efficiency and help global warming however, it can at times be complicated to use and problems do occasionally occur. Many software companies will have on-call support services that you can access if in need and being fully trained could help you to avoid complications altogether. You should make sure that all staff members are confident with the software and understand how the paperless office will work.

Here at Draycir, we make products that are both efficient and versatile that will help to improve your business. All of our software is simple to use and we have teams of expert support that can help you with every step of the process. Our products are constantly developing to be the very best for office digitisation. If you would like to know more about the excellent products that we offer you get in touch with our team today and we can discuss how to transition to a paperless office.