Late to the paperless party? 4 reasons why you should jump on board

Fax machines. Couriers. Printer jams. These paper-based activities are all relics of the past. Today’s forward-thinking, sustainability-focused businesses know that work gets done faster and better without paper.   

Indeed, industry experts have been writing about why businesses should go paperless for over five years now. In the early days, the thought of getting rid of paper – particularly for companies steeped in the tradition of printing and filing every single document – could feel somewhat overwhelming. And it did take some time for companies to make the switch. 

But, once companies switched, there was no looking back. And today, the paperless office is the accepted norm. Any business that’s late to the party risks getting left behind.

Here’s why you can’t afford not to go paperless

1. You need to prove your sustainability credentials

We recently wrote about why building a more sustainable business is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a business imperative. Companies that rank well on ESG metrics generally outperform the market.

Going paperless is an important step on the path to becoming a more sustainable business. If you’re still using paper in your workplace, then you’re contributing to deforestation and the excessive use of resources in the production of paper. Not to mention the environmental impacts of printing documents. By becoming a paperless office, you’re signalling your intent to do your bit for the environment.

2. You need the ability to act intelligently, and fast

Say you urgently need to clarify a clause in an important business agreement before finalising a big deal. Consider the time and effort it takes to rifle through a filing cabinet. Compare that to a swift search of a digital folder. Getting rid of paper means digitising your agreement process, which opens the door to speed and efficiency.

What’s more, eliminating paper is a fundamental step to take if you want to start leveraging the powerful benefits of AI and automation in your business processes. For example, many companies are embracing AI and ML to streamline and optimise the process of creating and analysing lengthy and complicated contracts. Such transformations simply wouldn’t be possible if every important agreement is stashed in a filing cabinet.

3. You can’t ignore the cost savings

In today’s volatile economic climate, every business wants ways to save money. The savings a solution like DocuSign delivers can be tallied in a number of ways. Consider the cost of paper, printing and postage; also consider the cost of storage for all those paper documents. Also add up the financial gains that come with digitisation – such as sealing deals faster and reducing administrative overheads. 

4. You’ve got a reputation to uphold

Let’s face it. Paper-based contracts and agreements are a pain in the proverbial for all involved. Your customers, partners and suppliers don’t want the hassle of having to post documents back and forth – today, they’re used to seamless, one-click digital experiences they can execute on the go. If you don’t deliver on their expectations, they’ll soon see your company as a bit of a dinosaur. And, in today’s hyper-competitive environment, it’s not something you’d want to risk.

The best bit? It’s easy to make the switch

It’s never too late to join the paperless party. To get started, think about one paper-intensive process that you could digitise in your business. Use a free trial of DocuSign to transform this one process. Then, once you’ve started with one process, you’ll soon be motivated to flick the switch on more. Before you know it, paper will be a thing of the past.