Thinking about going paperless? It used to just be a nice idea. In the past, some of the most powerful businesses could afford to go paperless, but they were the exception and not the rule. For small to medium-sized businesses, going paperless would require spending a lot and dealing with endless complications. Up until recently, it was just easier to use paper. Thanks to today’s paperless content management resources, things have changed.
Following the growing success of content management systems, getting rid of paper documents is an attainable goal. More companies are pursuing a paperless office than ever before, and with the tools and systems available, it is a painless and cost-efficient pursuit. In fact, for many business owners, going paperless takes even less effort than maintaining an outdated paper system.
Still, any workplace adjustment will take some time, and you’ll want to make that transition as smooth as possible. If you are working to make your organization paperless, here are some tips regarding your first steps in digital transformation.
Evaluate Your Current Digital Content Management
First, examine your current digital filing system. This process requires some upfront work, but it can help you save a lot of time overall. Ideally, your company will use a high-quality paperless content management system. These platforms organize your documents for you, automatically indexing and protecting digital files according to your specifications.
Regardless of your system, and before you start moving your current documents into the digital world, there are a few things that you should keep in mind.
For one thing, it’s important to have your electronic filing system organized and running efficiently. The best content management systems handle the organization for you. They let you set document identifiers, allowing you to search and access files with only a few keystrokes. The top-of-the-line platforms even help you use highly organized document security strategies.
If you don’t have this kind of digital document management system, you’ll need to create your organizational system yourself. Don’t skip this step. Organization is one of the biggest benefits of a paperless environment. It can save you a lot of time and effort, and help cut back on storage space. However, you’ll only get all of those perks if you have a great organizational system from the start.
Consider Compliance with Paperless Content Management
Next, think about whether or not your organization has any compliance concerns. If your industry operates under regulatory compliance, you must ensure that any digital content management adheres to the relevant standards. Some organizations put off transitioning to paperless documents for this reason. Their leaders worry that maintaining compliance may get stressful and complicated during the digitization process.
However, as long as you have the right content management platform, you have nothing to worry about. What makes the right platform for a compliance-bound office? A few things. First of all, the ideal platform is one that’s been designed by people who understand compliance needs. This kind of digital document management platform will have compliance factors built into the system. You should also consider upload speeds. The faster you upload your documents, the safer they’ll be. Flexibility also matters, just in case you need to make adjustments to your rules.
Once you’ve found the right paperless content management platform, maintaining compliance becomes simple because digital documents remain far safer than paper documents. One benefit of compliance in a paperless office is your ability to create automated steps to ensure procedures meet regulations. Many paperless document management software systems have built-in document retention protocols according to industry requirements. This is also true of file access, document lifecycles, and data disposal.
Examine Workflow
Now, you don’t have to digitize your entire system at once. If you try to change everything right away, your team is likely to get overwhelmed. Instead, give yourself and your team time to familiarize yourselves with the new platform.
How should you choose which documents to upload first? Start by thinking about the ways that documents move in your company. For instance, are you often sending documents out for approval? Or do teams share countless versions of a project before it is completed? The areas of your company that share the most documents are the places that stand to benefit most from paperless capabilities. If you start with these areas, you’ll see big leaps in productivity.
Choose Your Content Management Transformation Method
To pursue a paperless workplace, you need to transfer all paper documents in your organization from the filing cabinets to your digital storage. While this may feel daunting, today’s technology makes the process painless and even simple. In fact, you may already have the printers, scanners, and other tools needed for this conversion process. Consult with your rep at your content management company to discover if you can use the equipment you have or if you should consider a dedicated scanner.
Now, all that’s left is to upload your files and enjoy the benefits of going paperless, and those benefits are considerable. Not only does going paper-free benefit you and your clients, but it is great for the environment as well. A paperless platform can boost productivity, encourage company growth, and provide cost-effectiveness.
Of course, you can get the most out of your paperless office if you have the right paperless content management platform. Vasion’s content management platform is highly scalable and user-friendly, and utilizes top-tier security measures to keep your documents safe.
Cloud printing starts with the right cloud document management. With automated document storage and management, cloud printing becomes accessible, and you can still minimize clutter in your workspace.
If you are interested in hearing more about the possibilities going paperless can bring, schedule a demo to see how it works.