Gone are the days where businesses had to rely on paper with entire floors taken up by stacks of paperwork. Most businesses have already switched over to entirely paperless systems – but there are still plenty of businesses who haven't.
If you're still wasting space and time on paperwork, maybe it's time to join the revolution and make the switch. Here's how to take your business paperless.
Do Away with Invoices
The first thing a paperless business needs is an electronic invoicing system. Do away with paper invoices first: They are one of the most common ways in which businesses heap up paperwork unnecessarily.
There are plenty of open source invoicing systems out there that won't cost your business a thing, and can keep track of any invoices sent out. Advanced options like keeping track of which invoices have been paid (or seeing payments at a glance as a graph) are also available.
Use E-Signatures
Contracts and agreements can also be a notorious culprit for paperwork heaping up. E-signatures mean that contracts are easier and faster to sign, and you can switch over to paperless contracts entirely. It can also offer more security than traditional signing agreements.
Incorporate Instant Messaging
Internal memos and notes are another common source of paper wastage for most businesses. There are many easy ways for businesses to communicate: For one, an internal instant messaging service can help to get memos out faster, meetings arranged with the click of a button – and it'll cut out most of the need for paperwork between employees.
Again, there are many secure and open source instant messaging options out there.
Embrace the Cloud
Any business that wants to go paperless should be embracing the use of cloud services. There's often a huge need for data storage – and it has to be secure. Choose a reliable cloud provider and you'll be able to store vast amounts of information with the need for zero space – and the best thing about storing information to the cloud is instant, searchable access through records that would have otherwise taken months.
Convert and Archive
One of the largest obstacles for business that want to make the switch to paperless systems is the issue of archiving the stuff that's already there. Reliable document management services are available throughout the internet – and they can help you to sort through existing documents and get these backed up on your cloud servers.
It's easy to get lost in old paperwork. With the use of a document management service, you can lessen the punch of the conversion considerably.
Regular Backing Up
Any business that has recently switched to going paperless should keep in mind that it's not just older records that will need to be backed up. Newer records are just as important – and the best way to keep track of these newer records is by making sure that you have a regular backup schedule. This can usually be synchronized with your current cloud server to make it an easier, automated process.