Why and what for a paperless office?

Paper has been one of the main drivers for companies in the transfer of information between employees. However, the problems related to paper are becoming more severe every day for businesses and the environment. Document Management System programs have arrived to put an end to paperwork in the office.

Problems with paper

A typical office is full of documents, folders, and papers. Moreover, this constant movement often leads to the loss or deterioration of documents. Not to mention the lack of space to store all these papers. In this way, it becomes impossible to find any document at a given moment.

On the other hand, at our company IT maintenance Barcelona we know that the overuse of so much paper must be considered. On one hand, the environmental impact of continued consumption; on the other, the costs derived from paperwork—the materials themselves, the cost of management, storage, and distribution among the workforce.

Firms like Coopers & Lybrand or Nucleus Research have investigated the use of paper in the office. Among the most relevant data, we find that 85% of documents are single-use, 50% of these documents are copies or photocopies, and 90% of company time revolves around the distribution and searching of documents.

Document Management System

The routine of companies is currently moving towards the paperless office. Document management software provides employees a more efficient way to access information. In this way, productivity is increased and the flow of information is improved.

For a proper flow of information in the paperless office, it is necessary to adopt a series of routines. This is aimed at implementing in employees' mindset a new way of accessing documentation. To achieve this, the process towards a paperless office can be divided into four steps:

1. Selection and digitization of relevant documents, that is, choosing those necessary and scanning them to have them in a digital format.
2. Acquisition and installation of document management software on the company's electronic devices.
3. Contracting cloud space for the storage of all documents. In this way, anyone can access them via mobile or computer.
4. Introduction of new documents through the Document Management System.

In short, through these four simple steps, you can enter the paperless office. The previously mentioned studies indicate that this ‘new office’ reduces the time spent on filing and searching for documents to a third, halves the costs, and also increases by about 40% the ability to respond correctly to customers.