Nearly 3.7 million tons of copy paper are used annually in the US alone, the EPA says – over 700 trillion sheets! The average US worker uses about 10,000 sheets each year. That’s a massive amount of paper! Even worse, most of it is probably unnecessary.
Many businesses recognize that digital storage is a more organized, cost-effective and eco-friendly approach than the traditional four-drawer filing cabinet. Despite living in the age of e-mail, Wi-Fi, tablets, smartphones, cloud computing, and advances in online file sharing, many businesses are also reluctant to ditch the paper trail. Old habits may die hard, but a data disaster can kill your business overnight.
Here are 4 easy ways to transition the overflowing file cabinets into an organized digital format:
- Electronic Billing – Use an online bill pay service to set up a secure online account to pay all your bills from one place.
- Online Contracts – Used by almost every type of business, creating and sending agreements electronically is very efficient. One of the best web-based services for generating and archiving digital contracts is EchoSign.
- Online File Storage - This is the best, most convenient way to send and receive files. SmartFile offers advanced security and file control over all your digital assets with features like custom branding, FTP, reporting, and unlimited everything -> users, permissions, folders, links, transfer, and more! Try it FREE for 14 Days
- PDF Everything– Instead of printing text-heavy documents, convert them to pretty PDF and archive it digitally in the cloud. A PDF printer driver is another great paper-saver and way to reproduce invoices, contracts, graphic designs, etc.
Making a small technology investment now can save your business big long-term. A well-planned paperless approach will reduce overhead costs like printing, mailing and storage space and improve productivity by making information easier to access, secure and manage.
What other tips & tricks do you have for going paperless or reducing waste in the workplace? Drop us a comment below or on Twitter!