There are some paper-heavy industries that use a lot of paper in day-to-day operations. Real estate, for example, uses a lot of paper for mortgages, rental agreements, letters of intent, and property management forms. It’s just part of doing business. With the Internet of Things, digitization, DocuSign, and electronic signatures, the need for paper in the business world is shrinking every quarter. The disadvantages of paper-based processes are real and highlight how unnecessary paper is becoming.
Paper Is Susceptible to Damage
As anyone who’s left money in their pocket then washed and dried it knows, paper can be damaged. There is a risk in keeping paper files. They can burn, they can turn yellow and brittle, or they can be destroyed by water. The physical risks associated with paper don’t exist with digital files, as they can’t be damaged physically.
Increased Supply Costs
Paper is a monthly expense and, depending on how much you use, it could be a big one. Buying reem after reem of paper takes away from the bottom line every month. Going digital will remove that fixed cost and free up money for new employees, new equipment, or an increase in the marketing budget. Digitizing files is a one-time cost, but the savings will last forever.
Storage Space Is Needed
Filing cabinets, files, boxes of paper, and stacks of old papers need space. Entire rooms and floors are dedicated to paper files and their storage. All that information can be reduced down to bits of data and stored on an in-house server or in the cloud. Either way, it means more space for your business to grow.
Editing Is Not Easy
Have you ever tried to edit a hard copy of anything? It’s not easy and is a practice that will likely become largely extinct. Editing on paper means making photocopies of the original and using white-out to remove the offending words. It is so much easier to edit a digital copy—highlight, copy, paste. Done. No one can deny the speed and convenience of digital editing.
Limited Collaboration
Collaborating between people and departments on paper forms is difficult. When multiple teams are working on the same project, sharing and editing information is critical. Many hands will have a part in the final product. Digital documents make it easier for different people to make changes and send them along to the next group.
When you decide it’s time to scrap the paper, contact ScanStrong LLC. We are at the forefront of document scanning in California. We will walk you through our process every step of the way.