This Is How the Paperless Office Works. Modern Technology Instead of Unnecessary Paper Consumption.
In this article, we show you how to successfully transition to a paperless office and provide you with useful tools for this purpose.
Do you also know statements like "Paperless working means that I move the paper from my desk to yours"? Then it's high time we speak in plain terms. Because this is not what we mean when we talk about a paperless office, but it refers to the use of modern technologies to save valuable resources.
In this article you will find out what the disadvantages of paper-based processes are, what importance the change to a paperless office can have for you and your colleagues, and what a paperless office actually is. We will then tell you how a paperless office works and what advantages it has. We also have for you a step-by-step guide and other helpful tips for digitizing your office and tell you which software can help you achieve a paperless office. So don't hesitate to use digital notepads and write along.
1. What are the disadvantages of paper-based processes?
Even though the disadvantages of paper-based processes are obvious, we want to summarize them again briefly.
On average, each German consumes 244 kilograms of paper annually. This not only involves high costs, but also environmental damage. The production of a single DIN A4 sheet requires 10 liters of water - in combination with the need for wood for production, this results in a high consumption of natural resources. In addition, the formation of toner particles and toner dust during printing can pose health risks for you and your colleagues.
In addition, there is the high time expenditure of paper-based processes. The usually inefficient and slow process of paper-based processes costs you the time you spend filing, passing on documents and approving documentation, unnecessarily much money. Furthermore, the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has found that more than 60% of data breaches in companies can be traced back to paper documents.
A non-digitized office thus demands its tribute in the form of environmental damage, inhibited productivity, possible data breaches as well as health damage. With the transformation to more digitization in office life, you can counteract these negative points.
2. This is the significance of the switch to a paperless office
But what would it mean for you to say goodbye to paper-based processes? First of all, it means a farewell to tried and true methods, to a "That's how we've always done it" and thus the adoption of new, previously unknown working methods. These include that you can automate manual processes in paperless work and invest your time wisely in other projects. This is done through the use of a document management software, which can create unified workflows across departments.
All necessary information and documents are digitally available to all participants, which can speed up decision-making processes. You are no longer dependent on your bosses coming to the office and signing a document - everything works remotely. This enables you to act faster, which could result in advantages for your company. Existing paper documents can be digitized and indexed, so no information is lost. Saying goodbye to masses of folders also has the advantage that your office cabinets will be significantly emptier.
3. What is a paperless office?
The definition of the paperless office is self-explanatory. You use only digitally supported, rather than paper-bound processes for implementing your internal and external company processes. You no longer have to spend time punching, folding and filing, but have all information readily accessible online. In most cases, a cloud solution is used for this purpose.
However, switching to a paperless office is not a day's task, but should be approached gradually in order to retain all necessary information and give your colleagues the opportunity to slowly get used to the new procedures.
4. This is how a paperless office works
Now we come to the exciting part - how a paperless office works. For the implementation you need a cloud system, which forms the basis for your paperless work. Pay attention to the compliance with data protection according to the DSGVO. As soon as you have digitized your previously used documents, the task of structuring begins, so that everyone can access all important information at any time. Agree with your colleagues on a uniform digital filing system and on how you want to name different documents. If everyone handles this differently, the transformation process can quickly backfire, as the filing of your files then becomes unclear and non-transparent. You should document the chosen structure in order to make it easier for new colleagues to enter your paperless office.
Then you can get started, because delivery notes, invoices or protocols can be accessed with just a few clicks. It is no longer necessary for employees from other departments to leave their workplace to make a copy of your documents that they need for the task, as all components are already available online. Also, you don't have to search for your folders anymore when a colleague has borrowed them, because you have the corresponding papers at the same time, without having to create additional copies.
Click, click, done.
This is what a folder structure for the document storage in your company could look like.
5. These are the advantages of a paperless office
In case the advantages of a digital office are not obvious to you or you want to present them to the decision makers in your company at a glance, we have listed them here for you:
- Cost savings due to reduced printing costs
- Quick access to all documents
- Space and material savings
- Access to documents is possible simultaneously and from anywhere
- Enables flexible and mobile working
- More efficient teamwork
- Environmentally friendly thanks to less paper waste
- Employees can use their working time more efficiently
- More order at the workplace
- Future-proof work and process design
- Simplified communication and improved flow of information
- Reduction of process costs through automations, standardizations and optimizations
- Safe storage and backup of your documents
- Linking with other software is possible
- Improvement of customer experience through faster processing
of concerns
6. Step-by-step guide to a
paperless office
If you are convinced
of the benefits of the paperless company, you can use this step-by-step guide to digitize your office.
- Assess the current state: How are your processes currently running? Go through this from start to end. Where do they start, how are information captured, how are they passed on and stored? At what points in your process do you notice increased potential for errors and where are you perhaps making it unnecessarily difficult for yourself? At what points are there interfaces to other programs?
- Define the target state: After the analysis of the current state, determine which steps you need to adjust first. What conditions must be met in order to optimize your workflows with the help of a paperless office and
- Choose a cloud software: The documents for your paperless office should be stored best in a cloud. This enables you to have availability everywhere and the corresponding backup of your data.
- Decide for a document management system: Compare different providers and clarify with them which points from your wish list their systems can implement for you. You should not make any compromises here. Such a document management software is meant to streamline and automate your processes. It is therefore the heart of your paperless business processes.
- Start digitizing your documents: With the introduction of your new software, you also need to switch your processes from paper to digital. Set up a folder structure, define the names for your documents and store them accordingly. By indexing your documents and tagging them with the right keywords, you simplify their findability.
Pay attention to the correct naming and indexing of your papers directly when digitizing them.
- Integrate automations: Automations through the use of your new software can save you work and time. If it offers interfaces to other tools that you use, establish the corresponding connection to minimize manual transfers and the associated risk of errors.
- Shift your communication to digital channels: This does not mean that you should no longer speak personally to your colleagues. But you can for example map the vacation coordination, running slips, telephone notes, time sheets or protocols directly on the PC and without unnecessary prints. Of course, you can also integrate messenger programs like Microsoft Teams for example, to digitalize the coordination with your colleagues.
- Digitalize your mail: Even if you have digitized your office work and workflows, you will still receive documents and letters by mail. You can either digitize these yourself or have this step performed by an external service provider.
- Remain consistent: In the beginning, it will be unusual to deviate from your familiar patterns, not to print out documents anymore and to make arrangements in other ways. Remain consistent at the points at which you wish for the "known" back and take the new path with you. You will soon recognize the advantages of the new way of working and won't want to miss them anymore.
7. Helpful tips for digitizing your office
You want to go a step further and learn more examples for your paperless office, whether private or in the company? Then why not try paperless notes. By writing these for example in note apps on your smartphone or computer, you have access to them at all times, can change them and they remain clear. You can also replace your desk calendars with the calendar function from Google and other providers. Since you can control the access rights to your calendar yourself, only those colleagues will get insight who really need it, because for example you work in the same department and represent each other.
The planning function directly shows you which time slots are free for the people who are to come together for a personal or virtual meeting. This way, you can coordinate appointments quickly and easily. In addition, selecting the right document scanner is important for the success of your paperless office. It should be quickly ready for usage and be operable without great technical know-how, so that all colleagues can use it. With more complicated devices, it can happen that those colleagues who are not so tech-savvy shy away from the implementation or assign colleagues with scanning, who are younger and more digitally savvy. However, since progress in digitalization should be carried by all employees, a smooth process is necessary.
8. This software helps you achieve a paperless office
Certainly, while reading this article, you have thought of some examples where too much is printed. Maybe your own desk is full of stacked piles of paper. No matter where the biggest piles of paper exist in your company, paperless work must run through the entire company. Otherwise, you will probably meet little understanding from your colleagues who have to change their learned routines and adopt the new way of working.
Here the motto applies - what applies to one, applies to all others as well. Of course, you must first choose a point where to start. There are many areas where you can take the first steps towards paperless working. Here you can for example use your project management or the accounting. When coordinating a project, where several colleagues, possibly even from different departments, who are located in different places, are involved, you can quickly achieve good effects by digitizing your information. The other involved people do not have to wait for you to copy and send them the information, but can work at the same time at different locations on the same thing, without influencing the others. This way, you will achieve a higher satisfaction among the participants and you can complete your projects faster.
If you work for customers who know several contact persons from your company, these will receive the same information from each of these persons, if they ask about the current status of the project. The faster completion also has a positive effect on the experience that customers associate with your company.
In order to achieve this, you can use a project management software. On OMR Reviews you can find user experiences and reports on different project management software such as:
Also, introducing a document management system is suitable to ensure a uniform storage of the required documents. We can recommend the following document management software to you:
Now let's move on to the next area of application where a process digitalization through a paperless office can give you a work relief. In your accounting, many different documents are received each day that need to be processed: offers, delivery notes, invoices, wage payments, time sheets and payment reminders.
To check quickly and uncomplicatedly whether the receipts of payment match the invoices issued or to ensure a transfer of the hours worked for customers into the accounting of the employees, you can use the previously mentioned document management or a accounting program.
On OMR Reviews you can inform yourself about the advantages of different invoice tools. These include, among others:
These systems can be networked with your other used tools in most cases, so you don't have manual transfers that cost you time again. The intelligent networking of the various software allows you a real work relief in many different areas of your company.
9. More clarity thanks to less paper
Once you have gotten rid of the paper chaos that has accumulated over weeks, months and years and have gotten used to the new procedures, you will never want your office to be not digitaly organized again. The better networking with your colleagues, the faster availability of information from any location and the savings in time and resources will convince you to keep your new procedures. The document management software that suits you will not only clear your desk, but also your head. This allows you to focus on the really important tasks and create real added value for your customers and your company.
Carolin ist freie Redakteurin bei OMR und mit ganzem Herzen Autorin. Als Brand Managerin war sie bereits bei verschiedenen Unternehmen aus der FMCG-Branche für das Marketing zuständig. Währenddessen hat Carolin berufsbegleitend Ihr Studium zur Marketing-Betriebswirtin abgeschlossen.
