At the dawn of the computer age, there were many who predicted that within a decade, businesses would be virtually paperless. That vision has not yet come to pass, but as more companies have embraced the concept of “going green,” the idea of the paperless office has received new interest. There are financial rewards as well; a single file cabinet with four drawers costs approximately $25,000 to fill with paper and another $2,000 annually to maintain. If you are interested in digitizing your documents, the following five steps may help you achieve your goal.
- Do not try to digitize the entire business at once. Select the departments that offer the greatest potential for going paperless. In most organizations, it will be the human resources and accounts payable departments that can benefit most from digitization.
- Plan before you scan. Develop a system that will work for your organization, then make sure it is understood by everyone else. You will need to make sure they follow your system and understand that each department is responsible for its own scanning according to the standardized guidelines you have provided.
- Select the best document management system for your needs. Options are plentiful, but not every DMS is ideal for every company.
- Set your system up first and then address your document backlog. Once your first document is scanned, require all new documents to be digitally handled. You might need to hire some temporary help to handle the scanning of old documents if the workload is too great for your staff to handle digitizing incoming documents as well as scanning historical documents.
- Notify your customers or clients. Your changes could impact your customers, so making an announcement or otherwise communicating your plans can head off misunderstandings and unhappy clients. Your announcement should focus on the benefits that the new systems has for your customers and express your willingness to answer their questions.
Going paperless in just one or two departments initially allows you to enjoy savings in labor, space and supplies. If you need help to digitize your organization, the professionals at PhaseAlpha are ready to assist you. For more information on paperless workflows and digitizing your documents, you can send an email to info@phasealpha.com or call us at (913) 648-9200.