It really does pay to go paperless

The business world is marching towards a paperless future. Companies of all shapes and sizes are clearing their desks and wheeling out the filing cabinets, pushing the envelope towards innovation rather than the mailman.

Why? Well, as our new eBook and our upcoming event, your business saves more than money when you go paperless end-to-end with eSignatures.

Indeed, the paperless movement is reaping environmental, productivity and reputational benefits as well as bottom line savings. It’s why any business keen to retain a competitive edge can’t afford not to ditch the paper contracts, invoices, purchase orders, sales agreements and all those other business documents that were previously printed on paper.

Here, we summarise the key findings in the eBook, It Pays to Go Paperless.

Payout #1: It saves you time

The first ‘payment’ you’ll receive when you go paperless is time. That is, you’ll have more of it and, crucially, business transactions will be finished faster. Going paperless accelerates sales cycles and improves win rates; and frees up your team’s time to focus on growth, not chasing signatures.

Here are some of the tangible time savings our customers realise:

• Domain now takes two minutes, instead of 20 minutes, to process contracts

• Sales ITV has slashed five hours of document processing time per sales agreement

• EzyAccounts is saving four hours of admin time per franchisee agreement

When you add up the number of contracts and agreements that businesses like these process every week or month, the time savings are huge.

Payout #2: It saves you money

The hard dollar savings that an eSignature solution like Docusign delivers can be counted up in a number of ways. Consider the cost of paper, printing and postage; also consider the cost of storage for all those paper documents (plus the cost to your business if those documents were accidentally destroyed in fire or flood).

Then there are the less tangible but equally valuable financial gains that come with eSignatures – such as sealing deals faster (which brings new income into your business) and saving all that aforementioned time (which reduces your admin load and frees up staff for other tasks).

For these companies, which have all gone paperless, the figures speak for themselves:

• Microsoft has saved $7.5 million annually by going paperless with Docusign

• Randstad is saving over $1 million annually (as well as one million pieces of paper)

• T-Systems is saving $36 per agreement

To get your own $$ saving, use this handy calculator.

Payout #3: It saves the environment

Unfortunately, paper continues to play a big role in many workplaces – at the cost of our planet. From deforestation and burning, to the production of paper, the environmental impact of a ream of paper cannot be underestimated.

And so much of it is wasted. While paper usage in the average business grows by 22% per year, nearly half of the paper that’s printed gets thrown away. In the US, more than $120 billion a year is spent on printed forms that go out of date in just three months. What a waste!

Going paperless means that your business is doing its bit to make a difference. It helps generate business value, too, with today’s consumers – and your new recruits – really valuing sustainability. People today are willing to pay more for products that are proven to be more environmentally friendly.

Payout #4: It saves your reputation

Finally, going paperless is great for your brand. Tying in with the sustainability message above, going paperless also proves that you’re a forward-thinking business that cares about the customer (and staff) experience.

By going paperless, you’re making it easier for customers to interact with you. You’re also making it easier for employees to become more productive. The speed and convenience of eSignatures – plus the mobile-friendly nature of Docusign – can truly be transformational when it comes to how people perceive your brand.

Want to learn more?

Register for 'Paperless Business' - a live event where we'll show you how going paperless can save you time, money and trees.