The world is constantly evolving and modernising, and going paperless is the ultimate in modernity for a business in 2017. Start-ups should be looking at every avenue they can go to be competitive in today’s market. Going paperless as a company isn’t just about doing something for the environment, but doing something for the efficiency of your company. Imagine all the space you can free up at work if you don’t have filing cabinets stacked with documentation around the office?

There will always be an element of some paperwork in the office, but changing the way you do things and taking advantage of online programmes to take the workload will do your business so many favours. Moving your accounting from ledgers to programmes like these can change the way you manage your finances. Using Microsoft programmes where you can take advantage of filtering lists in Excel to manage your purchase orders and track office equipment can mean your paperwork that was once strewn around the office, is now in one place. Shifting toward a paperless office is very attractive for efficient business practices, and if you need some ideas on how you can make your office paperless, check out the list below:

• Reducing clutter is the prime reason most businesses prefer to run a virtually paperless operation. It’s not a secret that even the smallest of businesses generate large amounts of paper and even with the levels of recycling you can do, some of the documents are too sensitive to simply be shredded. Filing systems that are antiquated can be a huge security risk for data protection. Online systems that are password protected are better for a company to manage. Data is secure, clutter is lessened and a company can run much more smoothly.
• Businesses that think about the environment are ones that tend to go further and stand out to customers. Customers are attracted to businesses that think about more than just their own outlook and if you have a paperless office, you are putting a positive spin on your company and what you do. You’re doing your bit for the environment simply by cutting back on the level of paper you use for the office.
• Automate your processes that are the most time-consuming for your business. There are systems like this for payroll purposes, invoicing clients etc that mean you are spending less time worrying about scanning in paperwork to your online cloud and more time on the parts of your business that actually need your attention.
• Another way you can ensure you are going paperless is to opt for online payments where you can. When you receive company bills via email rather than post, you are able to separate your online billing and paperwork into files that can be encrypted, meaning that you are keeping sensitive information out of the office and onto the online cloud.

Going paperless can do wonderful things for your company and educating your employees on the best programmes to use to stay paperless will serve you well.