3 steps you need to take now to start going paperless

Do you want to go paperless in the office? Moving toward a paperless office is better for the planet and better for business. Many companies are going paperless to reap both the financial benefits and to deliver better customer experiences. Both your customers and staff are likely to be supportive if your organisation takes steps to become a paperless business.

In today's climate, consumers expect to complete agreements digitally and may feel companies that use of paper forms are outdated.

How to start with going paperless?

There is no doubt that going paperless is beneficial. Follow these three easy steps, and your organisation will soon be heading towards going paperless.

1. Embrace the cloud

Of the thousands of documents printed each day, many are thrown away the same day they are printed. Printing out emails, duplicate copies of forms to be signed, duplicate copies of paper for team meetings or printing emails is wasteful and unnecessary.

More and more companies are embracing the cloud, which helps you to store digital documents effortlessly, and share them across desktops, tablets, and mobile without a hard copy in sight. Many companies are now familiar with the likes of Microsoft's OneDrive, Box, and DropBox. DocuSign eSignature allows users to retrieve documents from a number of cloud storage services, including Evernote, Microsoft OneDrive, Egnyte and Citrix ShareFile.

Google Docs has more than 1 million paying customers, and it's easier to go paperless with Google Drive. Docusign has now launched Docusign for Google Docs to enhance customer productivity. Templates are available to streamline everyday workflows, including a standard mutual NDA template.

2. Educate staff to enable a paperless culture

One of the best ways for companies to go paperless is to weave it into the culture of their organisation. 40% of office waste is paper, with each member of staff wasting 680 grams of paper daily. Having digital tools available is one thing, but staff may need to be motivated to use them.

Understanding the implications of paper usage and the paper industry's impact on the environment can go a long way. Paper production is the fourth leading source of greenhouse gas emissions among domestic manufacturers.

Going paperless can have a direct benefit for staff. Filling out forms manually and keying information into databases increases the opportunities for error and slows the pace of business. With electronic signature software, the process is more efficient, and the risk is removed, which gives a faster, more accurate process. eSignature features like Web Forms and dynamic document creation can significantly streamline data collection and processing.

3. Choose a GDPR compliant eSignature solution

If your organisation goes paperless, it's important to be GDPR compliant. Valid consent must be explicit for data collected, and companies need to be able to prove customer consent to opt-in.

When you search for a digital solution, it is important to review and analyse approaches to global regulations and contractual commitments. Docusign holds the highest level of certification available; assuring global information security across data centres, digital platforms and operations. Electronic signature legality is well-established in many countries, including the UK, EU, and US, making it a secure and compliant choice for businesses.

Here are quick tips for going paperless and implementing Docusign eSignature from customers:

Identify a change champion

• "What I've found works well is to identify someone in the department that gets the value and have them drive the project. The message lands a lot stronger if there's someone other than IT promoting it." – Lead IT analyst Gareth Fuller, Pentland Brands

Start going paperless in one area and then roll out to other departments

• "Rather than trying to roll it out for every use case in the organisation just as a point of principle, think about where you are going to get the best value, in the shortest amount of time." – Chris Standley, Vice President of Trial Technologies, Worldwide Clinical Trials

Use digital technology to help your team go paperless

• "See how processes are working around documentation and if they are efficient or not. For me, it's a no-brainer. Electronic signature will happen in most countries, and developed countries should implement it as quick as possible." – Business Development Director Javier Rubio, BBVA Switzerland

Just get started, the time is now

• "Just do it. When I look back, I realise we should have rolled out the implementation faster and not been so hesitant." – Nicole Hennig, Salesforce Project Manager, Treatwell

Find out almost everything you need to know about going paperless. For businesses looking to streamline their entire contract process, Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions can further enhance efficiency and reduce paper usage.