The Results Are In

Innovators who took the risk on document management have some good news to report: the paperless office reaps both efficiencies and savings, and on multiple levels.

QUANTIFIABLE SAVINGS

It makes sense that accounting firms want to see a measurable ROI before adopting new methods. Not surprisingly, the most obvious savings come in the form of a reduction in the use of paper.

• Save paper and time. Paperless workflows bypass printers and photocopiers, saving hours of staff time and expensive consumables. Research shows that firms can reduce photocopying by as much as 75%, allowing staff to concentrate on client needs rather than the print-copy-staple-file routine that wastes so much time. And retrieving those paper documents can waste hours each day—digital files are just a few clicks away.
• Reclaim office space. Paper-based storage solutions take up a lot of expensive real estate. From filing cabinets and shelving units to off-site storage for boxes of archived files, the cost to store paper can be astronomical.

INTANGIBLE SAVINGS

Not all savings are as easily measured as boxes of paper but are still a valuable part of the overall equation. One of the most significant is improved collaboration. Paper-based systems are inherently slow. Files make their way through the system by going from one staff member and department to another. With electronic document management, several staff members can work on a file at the same time, improving both turn-around time and the quality of the result.

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