In aBBC news feature from 2012, the author pointed out that despiteexisting for 40 years as a concept, the widespread reality of anentirely “paperless office” had yet to materialise. The averageadministrative worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper a year, and 6800 ofthem are considered to be a waste. But there are some ways you candrastically reduce your reliance on paper printouts for businesspurposes. As well shrinking your carbon footprint, the followingpractices can lower overheads and spur greater business efficiencyoverall.
Promotional materials
Nobody likes receiving spam, but if you’re looking to inform existingcustomers of new products or offers, then a well-designed, relevantemail campaign is the way to go. Services like MailChimp and AWeber giveyou the option of sending out emails with attractive pre-designedtemplates, segmenting recipients according to their interests.
Designing an HTML email template in-house is another option if you arelooking for greater flexibility. Always keep in mind that your messageshould have some potential value to those receiving it, to avoid beinglost amongst the noise, annoying potential clients.
Essential documents
The documents you need to send and receive for the day-to-day operationof your business don’t always have to go via post. As well as the optionof emailing Word or PDF files, companies like Google and Zoho allow forthe sharing and editing of documents online, which can be downloaded andprinted if needed.
Enquire with your suppliers and customers which of them would be happyto send and receive digital documents rather than paper. There may belegal reasons (such as requiring a paper contract with an ink signature)that they are unable to make the change. The more contacts you get onboard, the more paper you save.
Scanning and storing your paper documents online is a great way toachieve fast and easy access to the information you need. OCR (Opticalcharacter recognition) software can convert scanned images into textfiles, to enable search by word or phrase. Cloud-based storage solutionsmean that you can grant secure file access to employees and clients,wherever they are based.
Notes and reminders
Paper is an inefficient and wasteful method of keeping notes andreminders. There are free programs such as Evernote and Onenote that doa much better job. If you already have a Google account with Gmail, thenconsider setting up reminders in the calendar app.
The option of searching by word or phrase and setting up timelyreminders is far superior to rummaging through piles of paper and oldnotebooks.
Rethink business practices
Re-organise your workflow and business practices to cut out paper usage. Think about what documents you generate or notes you make at each stageof your workflow. For the most part, switching to a digital solutionwill save you time, money and headaches.
Rather than referring to a notebook or sheets of paper when working,consider investing in another monitor. Dual monitor setups are standardin many modern businesses and have become accessible in recent years.
How SwiftCase helps
SwiftCase is a powerful business process management platform that candrastically reduce the amount of paperwork your company produces. Automatically generate digital invoices, statements, proposals and moreat the click of a button. Securely store all of your business documentsin the cloud. Make notes and reminders that are always attached to therelevant tasks for easy reference.
If you’re interested in a free, no-obligation demonstration,get in touch today.
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