By Jocelyn Ian
Every business owner by now should be aware that there are real benefits to digitising documents and moving towards digital processes rather than relying on physical and paper documentation. There will always be the need for some physical documents in every line of work, but the days have long gone where you need to create physical documents every single day and for every single task, building up a deposit of materials (most of which you don’t even really need to keep). Apart from the odd original documentation for employment purposes, invoices and bills, and other items of registration etc. there is no need to maintain a process of physical document creation.
The first thing to consider is the type of data that you actually create and store at your company, and what format it can currently be found in. If you have stacks of paper documents, filling up drawers, cupboards, and rooms in your office space, have a think about how much better the place will feel without the clutter, and how more cost effective it will be to use that ‘dead’ space that only has one use currently – storage. There are all sorts of paper documents created and delivered to an office every single day, no matter the industry, and things can work so much more efficiently and smoothly if an electronic version was created instead.
If you think about it, many documents, including emails (and important email attachments), work documents, spreadsheets etc., are already in digital form, and filing in a way that groups information relating to individual clients or in other types of classification and categorisation, is really difficult to achieve in physical form.
Once you understand exactly where all of your physical documents are currently stored and the thoughts behind how they are initially created and/or delivered to your workspace, you can begin to imagine the process improvement that digitisation can bring. Starting from the next day is always a good first step to make, even if you have not yet tackled what to do about all of the physical documents that have already been created and stored. Start as you mean to go on and digitise paper instead of creating more physical copies, starting from tomorrow.
By digitising your documents, you can also restrict access to certain electronic files and gain more control over the management of all documents that your company creates and stores. This helps for those companies with plenty of sensitive data and delicate information, and locks away information that should only be seen by certain eyes.
Moving towards digital document management instead of a paper-based approach might seem like an arduous and long-winded task, and without the correct support it can be. That is why you should look for the assistance of a document storage solution, as well as a confidential shredding service. That way you can ensure a smooth process of document storage for key documents, a regular disposal of paper waste in a secure and efficient manner, as well as a shift towards digital document creation and long-term digital management that helps to smooth processes and make your entire organisation more productive and profitable.
