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Going Paperless
Going paperless (or at least reducing the amount of paper you consume) isn’t impossible,
but you have to approach it with a logical plan in place. This section looks at the business
realities of making a no-paper switch. We also look at the technical side of what you need to
do to get paper out of your organization’s life.

Organizational Realities
The paperless office requires more than buying some scanners. You and others in your
organization have to sign on, mentally, to the idea. If you decide to go paperless, there are
some realities you’ll have to embrace:
• It won’t happen overnight You simply cannot expect to make the transition
immediately. You can start by scanning existing paperwork and then expand to
incoming paperwork. But for some people, even if the document is scanned and
filed away electronically, there is still the urge to have a hard copy somewhere
onsite.
• “Paperless” isn’t an absolute When we say “paperless” what we really mean is
less paper. You can take a big bite out of the paper problem by scanning all the
documents you have filling up filing cabinets. You can direct incoming faxes to be
automatically delivered to your computer. But not all of your work can be paperless.
Some of your clients or business partners will still want their interactions done via
paper. Plus, there will likely be some tax documentation that needs to be maintained
as hard copies.
• You have to sell it Not everyone likes change. Marge in human resources has been
filing new-hire paperwork the same way for 25 years and she’s not about to change
her ways—unless you effectively explain the beauty of the new system. Employees
have handled paper since their first jobs, and it might be hard to get them to change.
The best thing you can do is educate them about the benefits of being paperless, and
understand that it’ll take some time for everyone to come around. Give it time.
Marge will get there.

Once you go paperless (or as paperless as possible), realize that less paper is the tip of
the iceberg. You’ll save money in the cost of printing, mailing, shipping, and storage. But as
you proceed with the system, you’ll realize other benefits:

• Less time looking for lost paperwork
• The ability to access most documents in seconds
• The ability to access all your documents from home or satellite offices
• Freed-up real estate in your office as filing cabinets are moved out
Changing Over
Dealing with a world devoid of paper is easy once you get your system down and in place.
All you need is to scan your paperwork and save it to your network. A good scanner and a
system for storage are the keys to success.