Paperless office: how to make the switch successfully

You can’t have an office without paper. Or at least, that’s how it used to be. Pens, ring binders and post-it notes were once an integral part of any office. Those days are gone. Now, many things are purely digital, and this is increasingly becoming the norm. That’s why the time is right to switch to digital solutions. Cutting down on paper is a very straightforward step in that direction, but also an important one.

What exactly does paperless office mean?

The concept of a “paperless office” is simple: getting rid of paper in everyday office life completely. This applies to all documents: from invoices and delivery notes to job applications and notes. In the future, everything will be purely digital. For this to work, you’ll need viable digital solutions for the following processes:

• Transfer, storage and archiving of data and documents
• Document signing

Why have a paperless office?

Going paperless isn’t something that will happen overnight. First, you need digital alternatives to paper. These need to be tested, selected, purchased and integrated into your work processes. This will only work if employees appreciate what going paperless is all about, and actually view the new tools as progress.

This switch will take time, but it’s worth persevering. Why? Because a paperless office:

• saves money
• is good for the environment and promotes sustainability within your company
• simplifies work processes because data is stored centrally and can be accessed wherever you are
• increases productivity as data can be located and shared quickly
• promotes teamwork and makes it easier to work from home.

What’s the best way of going about this move?

Depending on how big and complex your company is, the switch to a digital, paperless office can involve a lot of work. Allow enough time to make this switch. And remember: take a step-by-step approach. Simply ditching paper altogether overnight won’t work. Identify specific work processes or areas you want to digitize. Next, you should ask yourself the following questions:

• What software should I choose?
• Is your current hardware good enough and ready for digitization?
• How and where should the data be stored?
• How can I empower my employees to keep pace with the switch?

The answers to these questions will give you the right framework to take action. Your decisions should also be in line with future digitization projects. A far-sighted approach is vital when it comes to your employees. Changes are often met with scepticism, and it’s not uncommon for new digital tools to be met with resistance at first. Employees may have more work to do because they’re not used to the tools, and so the overwhelming benefits get overshadowed. This is why it is so important to convey the benefits. The best way to go digital and paperless is by triggering cultural change within the company.

Take the first step with e-bills

If you decide to modernize your company with digital solutions, this raises the question: where to start? Electronic invoices are a good option. Digitized invoicing processes will quickly have a positive impact on your company, and don’t require much investment to implement.

Switching to e-bills will have a positive impact on your company in all sorts of ways:

Get started as a partner with PostFinance

You’ll need a partner to switch to digital invoices. PostFinance’s invoicing solutions give you access to the largest electronic invoice network in Switzerland. And that is really important. Why? As an eInvoicing provider, PostFinance makes sure you are able to network with other companies, whether as an invoice recipient or sender.

Find out more about how B2B e-invoice and eBill work in our article “E-bill and eBill – the differences”. Here you’ll see which digital invoicing solution is best suited to your company.