A paperless office is a goal for many sustainable companies. It is not only better for the environment but also for every employee. It is much easier to find all necessary documents by typing their info in a searcher than by looking for a piece of paper in dozens of cabinets. However, digitizing your office can be a challenging time for your company.
Fortunately, here, you will find a lot of information on how to move to a paperless office in 2021. You can be sure that digital transition will make your office even more efficient!
You can learn why it is so important to implement a culture of scanning every document, encourage your employees to take digital notes, invest in trustworthy software, and many more.
Set up Fax to Email, Work to Eliminate Fax Machines
The next step on your way to a paperless office is to eliminate fax machines. The good news is that this process has already started! It is highly likely that you don’t use fax machines in your company, and this is great news.
However, it is important to have an alternative for your employees to send their documents. Therefore, you should set up fax to email. This feature will help you eliminate faxes completely in the office.
Of course, if you want to take this step gradually, you can first learn how to fax from a printer to eliminate fax machines first, and then move to online faxing. Whatever you prefer.
Create a Digital Culture
Digitalization is a culture, not just technology. And like every culture, it has to be created from scratch. First of all, your employees have to understand that the change is for the best.
After all, they will not want to use new technologies if they don’t believe in their usefulness. So, try to convince them that a paperless office is not an unnecessary burden.
Show them how much time and money they will save!
Take Digital Notes
Educate your colleagues on how to make notes on their PCs or tablets. The most convenient way is to use digital notebooks like Evernote or OneNote.
However, many other apps can be used as well: Google Keep, Apple Notes, or even Microsoft Word. It depends on your employees’ preferences.
Training can help them switch from paper notes to digital ones. But thanks to the virtual office tools, you will need to invest less time in training sessions.
For example, if you want to equip your office with a virtual whiteboard, you can find a lot of platforms that allow you to share your ideas with colleagues and track who has seen which idea and when.
This will save you a lot of time! Besides that, you can also look for a platform that allows you to conduct lectures online and communicate with your colleagues via chatbots or video meetings.
Invest in a Specialized Software
If you want a more comfortable virtual office, you can also choose specialized programs and applications for employees’ work.
For example, if your employees are journalists or writers, you can provide them with professional writing software.
Use tools like these to simplify how your employees write on their PCs and tablets. The same applies to designers who use Photoshop in web design projects.
You can also invest in the software to track your employees’ work. Such software allows you to track your employees’ time on particular projects, see when they spend the most time working, and get all necessary reports.
So, you will be able to plan your business better and hire more employees if necessary.
Provide Access to Cloud Storage
The next step is to equip the office with cloud storage. Many companies argue about whether they have to use Dropbox or Google Drive. But you can choose one of them together with another cloud storage software.
Each of these services has its own advantages, so you can simply import data from one service to another.
For example, if you are an Apple user, you can use iCloud to back up all your files and documents. However, if your employees have Android devices, you can set up a Google Drive account.
This way, you will be sure that all your data is safe and easily available, no matter what device your employees use.
Use QR Codes for Scanning Documents
The last tip we want to give you is to introduce special QR codes and apps for scanning documents. There are many different QR apps on the market that your employees can use to scan files and send them as PDF via email.
The best part about this method is that the whole process doesn’t take much time. Your employees don’t have to wait for a scanner to work. There’s no possibility of getting paper jams and your workers can scan with their mobile phones or tablets, wherever they are.
Conclusion
With the ongoing digitalization and environmental awareness, more and more offices do everything possible to cut down on paper usage.
Implementing such paperless solutions will not only help save the trees but will also improve the workflow and efficiency of your employees.
And sure, changing your current paper culture may take some effort. However, as you can see, it’s much easier than many people think.
By making simple adjustments like using online fax services, taking digital notes, or providing access to cloud storage, you’ll be able to make your office paperless in no time.
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