After being in the second decade of the 21st century for several years, many believed that we would be close to the paperless society that was first envisioned by scientists in 1978.
However, recent news reports have surfaced that suggest even government agencies like the VA Office have been overwhelmed with all of the paperwork their employees are trying to maintain.
Even though government agencies may still feel the weight of paper copies, there is a wide range of tools that will help to lighten the paper load in your business.
Thanks to the advancement of technologies, small, medium and large organizations can all bypass the frustrations and headaches associated with hard, paper copies, while also reducing their carbon footprint.
Having a paperless office not only reduces the amount of clutter you have to deal with but you will save more money and have a public relations message that will surely go over well with your customers and associates. Going paperless is especially great if you work in an open plan office or share coworking spaces.
The following are cutting-edge ways you can finally remove paper from your daily business operations.
Bill Paying, Taxes, and Statements
It does not matter whether you handle the accounting and bookkeeping aspects of your business or you have hired an experienced accountant with an online bachelors of accounting degree, the more you can complete these tasks online, the less paper you will use.
For example, instead of mailing in payments for bills, you can use online bill payment systems that many companies have established. Operating your business finances online will make everything much simpler to complete and verify.
You can even file your taxes electronically instead of sending paper returns to the IRS and State Department of Revenue.
Are you a merchant?
If so, you can use a range of apps similar to Square that will allow you to receive payments via your smartphone. An online accounting degree professional can help you set up these accounts if you need assistance.
Internal Documents
You can use Google Docs that will allow you to share your files with other employees or business partners without having to print them out. Google Docs is a feature that is offered free by Google, and it allows you to work on spreadsheets or documents simultaneously with your staff.
Google Docs has a feature that allows you to continuously save your work so you will not have to worry about losing any important files.
If your business has not yet embraced the Google and Gmail craze, Microsoft also offers an office suite of tools that will allow you to transition into a paperless business.
File Storage
No need to lug huge files from one file cabinet to the next. There are many online file transfer systems that you can choose from. One of the most popular ones is Dropbox.
Dropbox will allow you to create folders for employees or certain departments in your business. This will allow you to quickly download reports and other important paperwork directly to their folders, once again eliminating the need for a paper trail.
Technology has offered a range of smart tools to make your business more efficient and reduce the use of paper. Also, always remember to recycle paper that you no need to prevent placing an added burden on the landfills.
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