How To Reduce Paper In Your Office.

Going paperless is much easier said than done. Going paperless doesn’t mean having zero paper around the office, but rather reducing it to only what is actually needed. Being paperless reduces the need for filing cabinets, office space, desk space, and office supplies. By using different software tools to their fullest extent, you can go paperless, too.

Here are the five reasons to go paperless in your office today.

Simplified billing and payments

It’s much easier to send invoices to customers using a clou system. Easily accept payments directly to the invoices by integrating payment services like Stripe, Paypal, or Square Payments. By using recurring payment reminders, the accounts receivable cycle can be tightened getting payments faster.

Better use of office spaces

Depending on the size of the company, the amount of the filing cabinets, paper, ink, printers can be extensive. Reduce costs and valuable floor space by going paperless. By using cloud storage, like Dropbox, Microsoft 365, or Google Drive, you can save space in the office.

Reduce total office supplies cost

Between the printers (sometimes bought, sometimes leased), paper, and ink, having paper in the office is expensive. Cut down on this by cutting out paper. Of course, you can’t completely eliminate paper. Perhaps you need paper to send a flyer to a customer; or maybe a supplier sends you a flyer. Regardless, I can guarantee that you’ll see a difference by going paperless.

Clean up documents

If you’re fortunate to participate in an audit (financial or other), you’ll need to find every single piece of paper the auditor is requesting. It is much easier to find the documents if you can search for the title, date, and/or invoice number. First, create folders for year and then the vendor. Lastly, save the invoice in the vendor folder. I recommend using a naming convention of [Vendor Name]_[Invoice Number]_[YYYYMMMDD].

Increase productivity and focus

Isn’t there a saying about how a clear space is a clear mind? I may be slightly paraphrasing here, but it rings true with me. On those days when my desk is covered in items, I have a hard time focusing. My mind will keep trying to jump to dealing with the pile in the corner. Finally, when you eliminate paper, you eliminate the need for your employees to spend time organizing, filing, and finding paperwork. Keep it simple and use electronic filing.