Paperless Profits: A Blank Canvas For Your Office Outgoings
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will have heard about paperless offices by now. In a world where we’re all doing what we can for the environment, this is somewhat of a business staple. Now, instead of dealing with reams of paper all over the shop (or office), most managers are taking to tech with their filing systems. All the better for saving the trees and showing you’re a company who cares.
If that’s not motivation enough, consider that paperless operations can also save the life of your business finances. Yes, you did read that right. In fact, doing away with paper can help to get your finances under control in a whole host of ways. This is fantastic news for any business, especially those who are starting out. After all, every penny counts when your outgoings struggle to outstrip your profits. With that in mind, then, let’s consider the different ways a move like this could save you money.
Saving on stationery costs
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that cutting paper means cutting costs on stationery. In an office environment, there’s a chance a vast amount of your income goes this way. So, eliminating that need is sure to take a lot of weight from your shoulders. On the one hand, you won’t need to buy endless packs of paper anymore. And, given that an estimated 45% of the paper used in offices goes in the bin, that’s a definite plus point. But, the saving benefits don’t end there, either. Without paper, you won’t need things like pens, staples, or even folders. You won’t need printer ink or even printers. And, let us not forget that you won’t need filing cabinets to keep everything in. When you add up all those costs, this seems like a no-brainer. Over the course of a year, you’re looking at a whole load more profit and a whole lot less expense. You could even transform that infamous stationery cupboard into something which boosts profits. Perhaps you could use it as a separate office for concentrated work? Or, you may want to use the space to increase your production. Either way, your profits could soon soar as a result.
Saving on more efficient systems
Of course, you can’t just do away with paper and not put an alternative in place. Instead, you need to consider more efficient, computer-based filing options. Lucky for you, there are plenty of possibilities here, and a load of them stand to save you money. For instance, computer-based invoices mean you can track and keep on top of payments. With the right system in place, you can automate all invoices to make sure that you never lose a payment again. With a P2P system, you can even automate things like your expense claims and outgoings. You can head to companies like DataServe to learn more if that appeals to you. Computer solutions here also allow you to work on a remote basis, thus ensuring you don’t lose money for time spent out of the office. As if all that weren’t enough, going digital with filing ensures that your whole team can save time. They won’t have to rummage through endless drawers of paper to find what they need each day. Instead, they can just type a file into the computer and get it straight away. And, if your staff aren’t wasting time, they can become more productive, and thus make more money for your company.
Aside from systems like these, going paperless could see you saving with online banking. Once upon a time, payments involved long queues at the bank, and waiting times for money to enter your account. Such systems were clumsy and left room for error along the way. Even as things have evolved, paper statements mean waiting around, and sometimes even paying a paper fee. By comparison, a paperless office can make use of online paperless capabilities. Instead of waiting and not being able to get your finances in order, this will allow you to sign on and see how your things are progressing whenever you need. This will also enable you to see as soon as a customer doesn’t pay on the expected date, and allows you to take action before that loss becomes a problem.
Saving on time
We briefly touched on time in the above point, but this is also a benefit worth a mention on its own. As a manager, you probably hate paying staff for menial tasks which don’t lead to profits. Sadly, this is often what happens in offices which use physical filing. Aside from having to waste time finding files, your staff may need to traipse from one side of the office to another to collect a customer account. Or, they might need to waste time printing endless invoices. As if that weren’t enough, they would then have to spend time packing and mailing them. It’s tedious, and you could say it’s a colossal waste of time. You do away with the need for all this when you take paper out of the equation. In fact, if you automate your processes, a half hour job could be completed in less than five minutes. You don’t need us to tell you how much that would free up your profit potential.
Saving on the need for office space
On the extreme end of the scale, going paperless could reduce your need for an office altogether. After all, offices are often only necessary because they’re where all those files are kept. But, if you automate, there’s no reason you and your team can’t work remotely. And, given that commercial space is one of the leading expenses companies face, this is worth bearing in mind. Even if you still want an office base, allowing staff to work remotely some of the time can save on utility bills. If this happens a few times a week, you’ll probably have made a pretty significant saving by the end of the year.
