Four Possible Reasons Why Your Business Hasn’t Gone Paperless… Yet!
PricewaterhouseCoopers recently published an interesting factoid that is a plea for the paperless office; “20 – 40% of a worker’s time is wasted searching for documents!”
Many business owners accept piles of paper documents, faxes, invoices, bills, memos and manuals as just a part of doing business. However each piece of paper needs to be read, filed, retrieved and managed. All of this paper clutter is actually a sign of inefficient office processes and can impact both productivity and profit.
So why hasn’t your business gone paperless? Here are the four most common reasons:
1. Ingrained Habits
Since the office copier was invented, it was commonplace to put one on every floor and in every department. On top of that, employees have developed processes, procedures and habits around these devices that can be tough to break. The fact is, 90% of businesses that could benefit from the digital revolution are stuck with this method of printing, copying and filing! When employees understand the benefits of using secure libraries of indexed, searchable and sharable electronic information, they’ll welcome the change.
2. Analysis Paralysis
When businesses contemplate the scope of converting to a digital based system paralysis can set in. As a result this process can languish, low on the priority list! The fact is, advances in technology have dramatically reduced the time it takes to capture and manage unstructured data. Change can be implemented in stages to avoid interrupting day to day business.
3. Putting It on the Back Burner
Often, businesses will do the legwork and research the process only to realize an investment is required, so they stall; often because they believe the transition has to happen all at once. It doesn’t!
4. Cultural Barriers
Change is tough. Some people will always want their information handed to them on paper, some may feel threatened by the learning curve, and others may be territorial about their data. The truth is, going paperless simply reduces the volume of paper. It’s doesn’t mean that you’ll never use paper again!
Every business wants to find a way to increase efficiency and lower cost. While there may be initial resistance, going paperless can reduce operating costs, improve productivity, and offers a positive ROI! Give us a call today and let us show you how to take the first step!
