Going paperless is one of the big goals that business owners are trying to aim for now. Many people assume that it’s all about cost-cutting, but there are also marketing advantages to going paperless because it’s one way to be more environmentally friendly. It can also offer some unique advantages that will make your business more efficient, but the question is; does going paperless really benefit you with no consequences?
In this post, we’re going to talk about some of the big pros and cons with going paperless and why you might not want to consider switching right away.
Pro: Efficient Workflows
One of the biggest advantages of going paperless is that you digitize everything and will also purchase hardware and software to assist in that process. For example, you could consider using Tabscanner receipt OCR to help you scan information from things like receipts and instantly have them entered into your online database or cloud accounting software where it can be processed. This allows you to work quickly and it also enables remote working opportunities, allowing your staff to be more mobile in their work-related tasks.
Pro: Reduce Expenses
Cutting down on ink and paper purchases are always going to be a positive point. While the initial cost of switching to paperless might be high, the overall savings and reduced expenses will be a huge benefit to your company. This is one of the main reasons why businesses go paperless. However, do keep in mind that even though you won’t be purchasing as many office supplies, those cost savings might be negated by the cost of digital services that replace it.
Con: Customer Habits
There are plenty of customers out there that much prefer paper documents. For example, a business client might prefer that you give them paper invoices because they want to keep archived records of all their purchases, and some customers might prefer that their contracts are printed on paper instead of just having a digital document to represent it. As a result, you may still need to keep your printer so that you can make exceptions for certain clients.
Con: Security Concerns
Lastly, we should also remember that anything digital could pose a security risk. Information stored on the internet isn’t exactly the safest thing in the world and you need to improve your security measures by purchasing additional software, hardware or even hiring the services of experts to assist you in managing your network security. Luckily, most cloud services are reinforced with multiple layers of security to ensure that there’s less chance of your information being stolen.
Hopefully, this post has helped you understand that going paperless is a good option but it’s not a decision to take lightly especially if you’re concerned about the costs associated with it. Yes, it’s an investment that can help you save money but do remember that the cost savings will only be felt in the future when you’ve fully established the system and convinced your customers to go paperless with you.