Unlocking the Key to a Paperless Existence

While there are a hopeful amount of people who believe that America will eventually be a paperless society, a survey from Poll Position said about 56% of Americans don’t believe the country will ever completely ditch paper.

Even so, that means about a fifth of respondents do believe that the country will eventually be paperless.

As businesses start to increase their use of workflow software and electronic document management, becoming paperless may be more of a reality than many think. The key is to unlock the tools that will facilitate that goal.

Although the majority of respondents remain on the fence about the United States becoming completely paperless, Rachel King of ZDNet says the 20% who do believe paper may be on its way out constitutes a significant portion of the population.

“There are definitely plenty of other instances where paper can easily be replaced, including using Eventbrite’s mobile app rather than printing out the ticket, or even managing healthcare records and voting as these methods become more secure,” she writes on the ZDNet blog. “But many times those cases depend on people owning mobile devices, which are still quite expensive for many consumers nationwide.”

For those who haven’t been paying attention, going paperless has already started to happen in many ways.

From paperless real estate companies to electronic health care, this idea is permeating all facets of business and life.

Even the government has got on the bandwagon, as U.S. savings bonds will now only be available online and will no longer be printed in paper form. This is estimated to save the U.S. Treasury $120 million over the next five years, similar to savings that many other organizations have seen as well when ditching the cost of paper and the associated expenditures.

The companies adopting this technology tend to be the most innovative, finding new ways to increase profitability and reduce costs in a down economy.

Going paperless is a great way to help companies and individuals save money, but users may not realize the full savings they expect, or can receive, unless they stay on top of their management software and choose a service that fits their specific needs.

The benefits are not just for business though, consumers stand to gain better customer service as well as discounts through paperless methods.

“Making the switch can even save you money. More businesses are waiving certain fees for customers who go paperless,” The Associated Press reported in April 2011.

Overall, while going paperless may not occur within this lifetime, as more companies, consumers and employees see the benefits of this switch it is likely inevitable. But, having the proper tools in place in imperative to ensure that an electronic society is easy to use and maintain. ECM: the key to a paperless existence.

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