Living in the digital era is taking its toll – everyone seems to take advantage of the incredible advancements in technology. So, why wouldn’t you do the same with your documents? We all know how exhausting storing thousands of paper records on shelves or drawers is, and not only is it time-consuming but also ineffective. You have a strong chance of not finding specific documents when needing them the most.
If you don’t know what document digitization implies, don’t worry, we’re here to learn. It means converting physical data into a digital format so that you can easily find and access them wherever you’re and whenever you need them.
This article explores some of the most significant advantages of going paperless, and we hope they’ll convince you to move into the digital realm:
Cost Savings
Being constantly in need of physical storage can be costly. And it’s not like papers remain in the same amount. On the contrary, more and more documents keep coming daily or weekly, and the storage options are limited. That’s why one of the biggest benefits of document digitization is that it enables you to save money without much effort and is way more worry-less. And once you free up that space for paper storage, you can transform it into a conference room, for example.
Paperless documentation can also help you lower energy costs because you’re no longer forced to print hundreds of papers every day. You don’t even have to worry about delivery costs because you can send digitized documents in a matter of seconds – they’re just a click away.
Data Security
You know how important protecting your data is, but it isn’t easy to do that with physical papers. Privacy is crucial, especially in a business environment, and it’s not like you keep secrets from your employees or coworkers, but sometimes documents cover sensitive information. So, it would be best to control the level of security by storing them in the cloud.
Moreover, document digitization reduces the risk of data leaks, which means your files are unlikely to be stolen or hacked. Consider protecting them with a password to gain much more control over who can access them. From now on, confidential information regarding customers, finances, sales, marketing strategies, or patent documents can be stored safely.
You should also know that physical papers are more likely to get damaged. Businesses usually have to keep evidence of ten-year-old documents, which is a lot if we think of how the passing of time affects everything. But now, you can keep your files safe and sound with the help of digitalization.
Reduced Risk of Loss
We already mentioned that going paperless helps you keep your documents safe, but it’s also beneficial when it comes to losing. How many times did you accidentally throw some crucial papers or lose them? After all, it’s human, but document loss shouldn’t be a problem – not anymore. With document digitization, you can store your files in multiple locations to ensure you can’t lose them if you or someone else delete them unintentionally. Even if you delete important files from the cloud, don’t panic. You can recuperate them quickly because storage clouds usually have a recovery option.
Improved Sharing Experience
As you can see, digitizing your documents comes with many advantages. Another reason you should go paperless is that you can ease your sharing experience, which means you’re no longer forced to scan physical papers, save, and transfer them. But before sharing your files, it’s crucial to make sure they’re in an accessible format. Some people use devices that don’t allow them to open any format, so it would be best to send your clients or business partners your content in a universal format.
Consider using a PDF tool, such as PDFChef, to easily convert any document whose format may not be available for everyone. PDF files are also smaller in size, which makes them the perfect choice when running out of data storage space. Remember, though, that this doesn’t affect the quality of your documents. PDF is also compatible with non-text elements, so you don’t have to limit yourself to only words when sharing your business ideas. Therefore, forget about any format change and opt for a PDF tool to share essential data with your team members, customers, and business partners.
Environmentally Friendly
One of the most obvious reasons to digitize your documents is to reduce the risk of environmental damage. You probably think that some papers cannot hurt anyone, but they’re threatening the environment when produced on a large scale. And we’re not talking only about the collection process but also the manufacturing one. Just think about how many documents you have to print and transmit daily. After all, any business implies papers. You can reduce paper waste by digitizing your records because you’re no longer forced to print every document for distribution.
Plus, handling digitized data is way easier, given that you can access them anywhere and anytime. So, saving both time and natural resources is now possible with document digitization.
Increased Productivity
Digging through paper documents can be downright stressful and ineffective. Your employees can spend hours managing documents instead of doing something else like, for example, working on marketing strategies for improving customer experience. Document management is by no means an easy job, and if you think that it’s impossible to spend so much time doing this, it’s not true. Learn that some workers are exclusively dedicated to document administration and search – that is a full-time job, and it’s exasperating and unnecessary. But you should no longer worry about paper-based document management – not in the digitized era. Technology has come to your aid with so many solutions to reduce the time spent on and eliminate the costs of manual document processes. For example, you can store your files in a cloud, like Dropbox, and manage them successfully from there.
Last Words
You no longer have to rely on paper-based documents to keep evidence of the important data in your company. Now, with the progress in technology, possibilities are unlimited. We hope our insights into document digitization will convince you to go paperless.
