Five Ways to Create a Productive Paperless Office

The paperless office has been a business goal on the horizon for decades now. The idea of saving money and the environment is a laudable pursuit, but going paperless is about more than throwing out the office memos and making fewer copies. It’s a big picture shift in the way your organization operates.

In this slideshow, Laserfiche provides tips on how to avoid five common mistakes that can seriously derail an organization’s efforts to go digital. Keep these tips in mind when planning your paperless office for a smooth and painless transition.

About Laserfiche: What started in 1987 as a custom software solutions business has grown into the leading enterprise content management (ECM) software company. Along the way, they’ve reached 5 million users and developed a fully integrated software suite that helps over 35,000 organizations operate at their full potential.

Building a Paperless Office

Click through for five tips organizations should keep in mind when planning for a smooth and painless transition to a paperless office, as identified by Laserfiche.

Include End Users

Mistake #1: Implementing enterprise content management (ECM) software without ensuring that employees are on board with going paperless.

Tip: Collaboratively find a solution for using less paper instead of mandating the use of new software. Ask questions, get input and develop a strategy that benefits users.

Start with a Pilot Project

Mistake #2: Implementing ECM all at once and not in phases.

Tip: Not being able to accomplish everything at once may lead people to believe that they failed, but the opposite is actually the truth. It’s better to begin with a small goal and move on from there. Start with a pilot project in one department and build on that success in phases.

Review Your Processes

Mistake #3: Going step by step to recreate paper-driven processes in a digital format. 

Tip: The reality is that processes change when they become electronic. Before automating a document-driven process with ECM software, identify where redundancies, bottlenecks and inefficiencies occur so that you can rethink your entire approach.

Use Digital Forms

Mistake #4: Continuing to scan paper when a truly paperless office eliminates paper at every step.

Tip: Scanning paper files certainly helps organizations save storage space, but why scan when you can capture information in a digital format right from the start? Replace paper forms with electronic forms to eliminate the need for paper altogether.

Provide a Solid Structure and Training

Mistake #5: Holding onto paper as a backup.

Tip: Keeping electronic and paper copies of documents is unnecessary and inhibits ECM adoption. Implement an intuitive folder structure and train employees to name and save documents so they can retrieve the information they need later. Remember: If you can’t find it, it won’t be useful.