If your company processes lots of paper, you probably have a big opportunity for cost savings. Paper is one of the first places to look at when you want to find potential cost savings.
Why? Because paper offers so many cost saving possibilities, such as:
- printing cost (paper, ink, and supplies)
- cost of printers (hardware and maintenance)
- special forms creation cost
- paper handling cost
- distribution cost (postage, shipping materials and people productivity)
- processing time (there is a cost tied to the time required to deliver the paper)
- paper storage cost
Find big pockets of paper in your company and you may have the ability to reduce costs in several ways.
Often, it requires technology to eliminate paper and that’s where we come in. Here are some of the technical solutions to help you eliminate paper:
- software applications
- scanning and imaging
- programming data interfaces
- creating digital files rather than paper documents and reports
- , , , even using duplex printers to print on both sides of the paper
Ask your clients and yourself a question, “Is this report or document actually needed, , , or would a digital file be just as effective?”
I’ve run little tests at times by stopping a report that we questioned was actually needed or used. Be sure you have senior management support when you do this to prevent problems. Often, you find no one notices, , , if they do and they need the report, they ask about it.
Look in your desk and file cabinets. How much of the paper that’s in there has been accessed in the past 12 months? Probably very little of it. Wouldn’t it be much better if all of this information were in digital files which would be much more accessible and require so much less space to store?
Getting the idea?
Be creative and look for ways to reduce or eliminate paper. Your company will benefit tremendously.
ITLever™ 