Whether you run a business from your home or work in a traditional office, you're probably accustomed to processing and filing a lot of paperwork that takes up space. Accordingly, the thought of converting all those hard copies to an electronic medium is enough to send you into panic mode because it increases a reliance on technology that you might deem untrustworthy. Daunting as the transition to a paperless platform may seem on the surface, the good news is that it doesn't have to be done all at once.
Invest in scanners, external hard drives and fax software. These tools will enable you to turn hard-copy documents into digital content, create backup storage of your data and transmit faxes directly from your computer. You also might want to consider contracting with a records management service to store your backup files off-site in the event of loss or damage.
Educate your staff --- or just yourself --- about the advantages of moving to a paperless system. These include increasing the efficiency of retrieving data, reducing annual wear and tear on printers, photocopiers and fax machines, making shared files accessible from any location, cutting costs for paper purchases and reducing landfill waste and greenhouse-gas emissions.
Develop a file naming system that will be easy to learn and remember. At this time, you also should decide who will have password-protected access to the new electronic files as well as how often the password should be changed to thwart prospective hackers.
Assess the types and volume of documents and files that you currently have on hand to determine which ones are accessed regularly, which ones need to be retained for legal or archival purposes and which ones can be discarded. Documents that fall into the latter category and contain personal or confidential information should be shredded.
Start small. It takes time to master new procedures, and learning how to scan and retrieve documents is no exception. Rather than trying to tackle an entire room full of file cabinets in a single day, set up a designated scanning schedule of half an hour each morning or afternoon.
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