Oct 28, 2020
While most businesses are primarily digitized currently, many organizations still rely on paper documents for operational needs, governance, and general management. It can be difficult for some organizations to completely let go of paper, but there are a lot of benefits to digitizing your documents in their entirety, particularly if you are in the medical, legal, or financial fields.
No matter what industry you are in, however, your business would undoubtedly benefit from digitization. Here are several reasons why:
Having a lot of paperwork means more staff members to process and organize paper documents. Electronic files are also easier and cheaper to transport from place to place. With all the space where paper documents would be stored freed up, you may pay less in rent for your office space. Learn more about the true cost of paper storage.
Digitizing your business documents can increase productivity and efficiency in your business in a few different ways. It can significantly improve response time when companies are dealing with customer interactions, which will lead to more satisfied customers.
It also streamlines your operations. 19.8% of business time is wasted by employees searching for information and documents they need to do their jobs. Documents that have been digitized can easily be accessed and organized in the cloud. There are also many online tools for tasks such as invoicing, time tracking, and project management.
Keeping a lot of paper records in filing cabinets can quickly take up a lot of space. According to The Schedule, storing paper records in a four-drawer file cabinet can cost over $2000. Transforming a previous storage room into office space can do a lot to help your organization better utilize its current space.
In some cases, organizations may be legally required to keep original hard copies of certain paperwork. If you have questions about which documents you can digitize, it may be a good idea to speak to an attorney. Then all records that can be digitized can be securely shredded afterwards.
The average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper each year. Even if you recycle, it’s no guarantee that everything you are recycling will end up where it’s supposed to. Thousands of tons of paper and plastic left curbside to recycle end up in landfills.
When you digitize your documents, you won’t have any paper to waste. Having less documents to physically transport can also help you decrease your carbon footprint.
There are a lot of regulations different organizations in different industries have to face. Going digital with your documents can make it much easier to comply with these regulations. It becomes easier to provide more security with sensitive information. You’re also less likely to lose documents if they are backed up electronically.
The process of digitizing your documents may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Milner provides document management services for businesses.
Join us on Tuesday, November 10th at 11 AM EST for an informal “virtual office” webinar, where Document Management Specialist, John Lopez will discuss ways your organization can manage and automate your paper processes.
