What steps do we need to take to achieve a paperless office?

To be realistic, a paperless office can probably never be realised but a ‘less paper’ office most certainly can be. However, there are several factors to consider when setting out to reduce the amount of paper generated and stored as there are several ways of achieving this.

First of all, it is important to work out the volume of paper which comes into an organization by mail, the volume of emails which are printed and filed and the number of documents which are generated in house, printed off and filed. Whilst a scanner will be necessary, the volume of paper to be scanned will determine the type and cost of scanner required.

Emails, for example, do not need to be printed and scanned as they can be saved into a document management system directly in their native format. Likewise, all documents generated in house can be filed electronically without having to print and scan. The only paper you can’t control is what comes in by post. If the volume is low all that would be required is a small desktop scanner which several people can use.

Other technology such as the digital pen can also be considered, particularly if your business involves the completion of forms. If a form is written out using a digital pen, the data can be automatically captured as well as an image of the form as soon as the form has been completed, rendering the original paper copy redundant.

For further advice and guidance on reducing the amount of paper in your office please call The IPC Group on 08081 45 46 47.