9 tips to reduce paper in your office
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Written by Karen McDonald
We started talking about having a paperless office in 2013 when I bought a stand-alone scanner.?We were tired of the hassle of filing volumes of paper, the archiving, and the storage dramas. By and by, we were reducing our paper – but what tipped us over the line of success? Changing to a .pdf editor that we all felt really confident using.
The paperless office can be a tale of 2 extremes - but don't let this scare you from adventuring into a realm that can really save you both TIME and MONEY!
When looking at the paper-based office vs the paperless office, there are two extremes:
?Most businesses sit somewhere in the vast space between the two extremes.
We hear the term paperless office regularly.?What does it mean??How can it benefit us???How can we move towards it without turning our business upside down?
Here are nine tips on how to get there without having a nervous breakdown in the meantime!
1.??????Invest in a good scanner
Good doesn't mean expensive!?In my office, we have 5 devices that scan to a computer.?3 are part of multifunction devices, and 2 are standalone scanners.?Which one does everyone love?
The expensive stand-alone scanner is universally hated.?The only reason it continues to survive in our office is because when it works, we can put "patch codes" between separate documents, scan them all at once, and hey presto, we have a pdf for each separate document.??For more info on patch codes:
The scanner bought for 1/3 of its price scans beautifully!?Shame we haven't found out how to use patch codes with it!
Scanning a single page from our HP all-in-one printer is the quickest and easiest.
When out and about, most smartphones have the ability to scan and save with ease.
?2.??????Editable scans
Ensure the scanner software you use will scan as searchable PDFs.
Avoid savings scans as photos as much as possible as they are NOT searchable.
3.??????Have a good online filing system
Having a good online system that everyone understands means you can find things later.?Yes, document how it works so everyone knows ALL the rules!
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4.??????Get a good PDF editor
We had been using a PDF editor for some years; however, it had shortcomings.?
We were coming to the time for its annual renewal, so I put a post in a private group I was a member of to see what everyone else was using.?I then gave the list to my 2IC - and said - try them out and tell me what you like!??We moved to PDF Xchange, first the free version and now the paid version and hey presto, all our work papers magically started being done on screen!?We didn't even make a conscious decision to try to do this!
5.??????It doesn't have to change in ONE day
It is all well and good to challenge your comfort zone; however, you will need to find things later.?There is no win if you feel your online filing is a black hole!
The?most important part is to get your online filing system working properly, which will build you the confidence to use it more and more.?If you know where to find things, then that builds confidence really quickly!
?6.??????Online Accounting Systems
Most online accounting systems will allow you to attach documents to transactions.?Investigate how to efficiently use this feature.?It can be done quickly and easily, if it seems clumsy to you, then there is probably a quicker way of doing it - just ask!
?7.??????What to do from your phone
Be careful what you do from your phone!?Many of us do as much as we can from our phones; however, after watching a client painfully operate her cloud accounting system from her phone, we moved to the computer, and she was amazed at how much time she saved just firing up the laptop to do the "I have more than a dozen transactions to process".
?8.??????Shredders
Shredders have become important in the paperless office.?The last thing anyone needs is a confidential document flying out of the rubbish into the wrong hands.?I had the great fortune of finding an old Fordigraph workhorse shredder on eBay for $50!?What a marvellous investment! It gobbles our masses of paper in minutes!?
The other alternative is a Shreddex bin!
?9.??????What about the old records?
Old records are a cost-benefit question ……?how much labour does it cost to scan old files vs the cost of paper storage?
If you have storage in place already, you could look at the "starting from today option":
?If you have to move your storage location - you could hire a team of students or air-tasker people to scan your archives and then shred them.
Your thoughts?
How have you moved towards being paperless????What fears do you have about letting go of paper? Tell us where you are on the paper/paperless journey.