5 Paperless Office Solutions

As a sustainability consultant working with small businesses, going paperless is often a sustainability concept that is easy to grasp and implement in small business. It is also rewarding because employees and management learn sustainable processes as well as see results.

A long term benefit is that incorporating sustainable business practices of going paperless re-orients thought processes and business approaches to view other areas of the business with a sustainable mindset. In addition, the sustainability concepts learned at work are often implemented at home expanding eco awareness beyond the workplace.

Following are some paperless office solutions offered in our business sustainability consulting:

Zumbox is the first all-digital online alternative to the traditional paper postal service, and if you have a street address, you can already start using it.   Note, Zumbox is not email. It is based on permanent street addresses.

allEtronic is a service that allows businesses of any size to provide their customers with paperless receipts. allEtronic provides a software add-on or “patch” to retailers’ existing Point of Sale (POS) software so that they may utilize the paperless receipt service. For the consumer, allEtronic promises a secure means to receive, store, track, and access information about their purchases from participating businesses through a single, centralized location on the allEtronic web site.

CRM, Customer Relationship Management, is definitely the Swiss Army Knife in the business plan toolbox for small businesses committed to increase sales, improve efficiencies and build a sustainable business.   The benefits of small businesses using a CRM system to build business sustainability include the development of better relations with your prospects, customers, and stakeholders.

Document Management Software: Look for a web based document system that meets your compliance, workflow, document management, online forms, and portal delivery needs. Other attractive features include detailed history tracking, audit reporting, version control, and scanning/capture capabilities.   The benefits you can expect are numerous: increased productivity, eliminate storage space, reduce expenses, work remotely, increased security and better disaster recovery protection.

Becoming a paperless office can be part of a sustainability plan or be an independent environmental action taken to reduce the business' carbon footprint. Take the Paperless Challenge! For strategies and tips to becoming a paperless office, download our white paper here.