Paperless Forms: Research has found that almost half (49 per cent) of UK businesses are still operating a physical paper filing system, despite half (48 per cent) of businesses recognising that it is difficult to find what they need quickly and 46 per cent struggling to find the physical space to store the files.
Paper remains a popular material used in our daily domestic and working lives even as we move to a more digital world. We still produce and use more than 414 million tonnes of paper every year. In fact, Businesses are a big cause of paper waste. Around 50% of all waste that businesses produce is paper and here are some interesting stats: –
If your business is still swimming in paperwork, it’s time to consider making the transition. Paper-based forms and transactions are slow, inconvenient and unreliable. How much time do your team members waste reading, printing and scanning documents? Sometimes the forms are illegible, so you end up following up with a phone call asking them to confirm some details.
By embracing a paperless approach, you can streamline your business, increase productivity, and focus your team on more meaningful tasks like customer engagement and business development. Speeding up the sales cycle brings revenue into the business faster.
Here, we’ve outlined five benefits of going paperless in business, plus a few tips on how to start the transition for your business. We understand moving away from paper-based forms can be a big transition for companies who haven’t attempted to before, but we are here to support you, every step of the way.
Even the most organised of paper files can have documents go missing. Paper documents are easy to misplace or transport with no one knowing where they are at any given moment. Duplicate documents present just as much of a challenge. Did the client sign the current version, or the one with the change on page 3? Did the CEO grab version two or version three of the report?
Going paperless in your business means that documents and signed forms are in the same place and easily accessible. Storing virtual files on a server—locally or in the cloud—ensures the information is secure, available and that versions can be kept together.
According to the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), a significant 40% of data security incidents were attributable to paper breaches. These breaches included loss or theft of paperwork, paperwork posted or faxed to the wrong recipient, data left in an insecure location and insecure disposal of paper. This statistic shouldn’t surprise you. After all, paper is, by its very nature, impermanent.
Furthermore, paper can get damaged or destroyed. Fires, floods and other disasters can cause the business to lose years or decades of information in a matter of hours. Paper backups of documents can be expensive to produce and store. Our cloud-based form solution, ILG Forms allows you keep disasters at bay and ensures natural backups are scheduled automatically. Essential documents cannot be lost.
You can watch our testimonial video with Dale Hill which talks about how we have taken them on a paperless transformation, including NFC Tags to help with their fire checks, which means they are no longer recorded on paper.Dale Hill Testimonial
Believe it or not, paper manufacturers are some of the world’s worst offenders where pollution is concerned. According to the Worldwatch Institute, producing just one tonne of paper emits more than 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. That’s a whole lot of waste being produced for something that you’ll probably just end up throwing away later, anyway. By wasting loads of paper, your business is part of a wasteful machine that hurts the planet. If you were to cut your paper use by just 50%, you could make a real impact.
But you shouldn’t just go paperless because it’s good for the planet. It’s good for your bottom line, too. Removing paper from your office can drastically increase the efficiency of your workers. According to one study conducted by the ILM Corporation, employees say they waste up to 30% of their time searching through paperwork. By moving your employee forms, timesheets, engineer worksheets and other similar inventories online, time will be saved to ensure they’re able to get more work done.
Not only will your team get more done without paper, but they’ll also push more profitability into your business. A recent study by Cisco found that multi-channel business operations that ditch old-school paperwork in favour of digital signage and more efficient, online customer delivery systems can bolster a company’s profitability by more than 15%. By investing in new software or training protocols for staff, you’ll be able to get rid of filing cabinets to free up space, lose the printers and save a fortune on ink.
In our opinion, it’s a “win win” situation to go paper free. It’s good for the environment, cutting back on deforestation, conserving water and reducing pollution. Better yet, it’s good for your company’s finances because it will make your employees more efficient with time back, saving you money and reducing your UK taxes. Going paperless is also great for your image and from a branding perspective.
Step 1 – Set up a no-obligation call with our digital team to identify your reliance on paper
Step 2 – Review processes that are manual and could be a digital form
Step 3 – Agree on a budget and make a transition plan with a timeframe
Step 4 – Your paperless forms are up and running!
Step 5 – Start promoting a paperless culture within your company and tell your clients
You can read more about our paperless forms solutions on our website: Paperless Forms
