Many businesses get very stuck in their ways in the manner in which they operate. This can lead to them having working practices that either aren’t particularly beneficial to the company, or are actively holding them back. One such issue is that of documentation. A huge number of SMEs that could benefit enormously for having fully digitised documents, choose instead to continue with paper files that are difficult to manage, time consuming to organise and complicated to work with. Here are six great reasons that every SME should switch over to digital documents.
1. It’s naturally scalable
One issue that can be a real challenge for SMEs is planning for the mid and long-term future. Every business wants to imagine that they will grow and be successful, and they may have plans to expand as time progresses. Of course, some businesses will match their projections, some will stay the same size, others will become bigger than they imagined and, sadly, others will contract.
“Space and storage can be a real issue for any business of this size, as having more than you need is a pointless expense, while having too little can slow down growth. However, having digital documents is naturally scalable – they can be stored on cloud storage where you only pay for the space you need.“ Sussex based document scanning and storage specialists, Images Online.
2. It’s a space-saver
Space is a big deal for SMEs. Physical premises are undoubtedly one of the largest expenses for the business, so a company really cannot afford to be wasting any space. And yet this is what every company that stores paper copies of its documents is doing. If you work with a large amount of documentation this will need to be stored, often in boxes or even large cabinets. In some companies, the documents might even take over a whole room.
The space that is currently being used for paper documents could be repurposed to allow for a more spacious and airier environment for staff, or even to provide room for additional employees. Digital documents stored on the cloud take up no space.
3. It’s easy
An aspect that holds back many businesses from converting from paper to digital documents is that they believe that the whole process of switching over will be complicated. No business wants to engage in activity that is going to lose them important working hours or create a headache for staff members.
But the truth is that the changing to digital documentation is easier than ever before. It is now possible to work with outsourced companies who will digitise your entire documentation with scanning services. This can all be conducted at times that will cause minimal disruption to your business.
4. It’s more secure
Another great advantage for choosing to switch to digital documents is the opportunity for a more secure system. With factors such as the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it has never been more important to keep business data secure. But if you have paper copies of personal details, trying to keep track of them can be a real challenge.
Once you have documents digitised you only need to worry about investing in high quality cyber security to keep your data safe.
5. It’s greener
Many businesses are interested in being eco-friendly. If your SME is still in the habit of printing out all of your documents, using up a significant amount of paper, then you should really look into digital documents as an opportunity to embrace a paper-free office. Modern businesses can operate easily without paper and if you commit to digitising all of your current documentation, this can provide you with the motivation to begin working with a full paper-free office.
6. It saves you money
Of course, the bottom line is important to any SME, but digital documents can actually save you money in the long-term. Reducing your storage costs, as well as simplifying the resources that you need to locate and retrieve records can have a huge impact on finances. Additionally, you will likely find that digital documents actually improve office productivity, as instead of employees having to spend time searching for documents, they can simply find them digitally.