The Paperless Pinnacle

Fast forward twenty years and movement towards the paperless office has finally gathered momentum. Technology is starting to deliver on expectations.

Disparate organisations around the globe are implementing digital workplace transformation strategies. The first important step is to go paperless. Today’s workforces are increasingly working digitally and remotely. Paper does not accommodate this modern reality. Now business information needs to be available on-demand anywhere, anytime. Going paperless in this landscape is the first, non-negotiable step in a digital transformation.

Gartner’s 2018 Digital Disruption Strategy Model notes that 76% of Chief Strategy Officers (CSO) agree that their digital business transformation is less than 50% complete. Standing in the way is mountains of paper records. Going paperless and digitising existing and future documents can sometimes feel like climbing Mt Everest.

The effort is worth the rewards.

• Faster, more accurate customer service. When customer service manuals, invoices and customer records are available digitally, customer-specific answers and solutions are available with a click, anytime, anywhere. Regardless of the interface, be it sales, tech support, finance or customer service, customer satisfaction drives revenue with loyalty and referrals.
• Improved workflow efficiencies and productivity. Paperless deals with information as it is created. Real-time means no downtime and double handling. Human error is less likely to corrupt records. There are now generations in the workplace that only recognise a digital world; processing paper is for dinosaurs.
• Better use of money, space and resources. Take the example of New York’s Metropolitan Transport Authority that made the commitment to get rid of paper-based bus schedules. Schedules are now available only through download or via the MyMTA app. This simple change is on-track to deliver savings of more than $550,000 per year. (CBS New York¹)

_{¹ https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/08/19/mta-paperless-schedule-queens-city-councilman-barry-grodenchik/}