SMEs face the problem of being buried in paperwork as their businesses grow. It could be time to consider going digital, and here are five tools to kickstart your journey towards being paperless.
By the myBusiness techblog team
One of the biggest issues SMEs tend to face as they get bigger, is the growing pile of paper that accumulates in their storage cabinets. This can pose a problem for archiving, because paper can get damaged and ink fades. On top of that, efficient retrieval gets harder and harder the more physical paperwork is added to the pile, so getting to older records could be a very time-consuming task.
The answer to this is digitising your information. Check out some of the tools available to help you kickstart your journey away from paper.
1. Digital scanners
The first step towards going digital is turning your paper records into copies you can retrieve easily through a computer. A digital scanner is a piece of hardware that will take paper documents and save a digital copy.
Often, these will save in a variety of formats, including PDF and Microsoft document files. They range from large, standing scanners that can process more documents at a faster rate, or smaller handheld devices that you can use at your desk.
In a pinch, scanning apps for iPhones and Androids will do, although these are far more tedious and low-quality than putting paper through a dedicated scanner. But for convenience, you can use an app, and many of these are sufficient for larger fonts. Check out Document Scanner (Android), DocScanner (Android and iPhone) and Doc Scan (iPhone).
2. Note-taking software
Rather than take notes on paper, which can get lost, there are digital tools to take notes and save them online, so you never lose notes again. Furthermore, as more and more information is found online, digital tools help you clip these notes neatly into virtual folders, so you don’t have to print websites out and risk losing your notes.
Evernote and Microsoft OneNote are two popular tools for this process, allowing you to take notes directly into the software. As for older, hardcopy notes, Evernote allows users to upload digital scanned copies of printed notes alongside typed notes. The Web service will process the scanned copies with OCR (optical character recognition) technology and allow you to search through scanned and (neat) handwritten notes, too.
3. HR and payroll software
One big culprit adding to the piles of company documents is the human resources department. You can imagine the stacks of paper needed to be kept and filed away coming from the hiring process. Ongoing records includes monthly salary documents and expenses, which can pile up fast!
Thankfully, the HR and payroll software industry is now mature and dedicated to the process of helping companies reduce their reliance on paper to track staff. You can rely on larger vendors like SAP and Work.com (from Salesforce.com). Some local Singapore players include Times Software, SME Payroll and KP Payroll. Often, it’s better to go with a local player because their software is customised for niche needs such as the local tax structure, making it easier for companies to migrate their paperwork over without too much customisation.
4. Digital signature-signing
Document signing doesn’t stop at just putting your signature on paper. Electronic signing allows companies to track and save documents more efficiently than with paper. For example, after signing, you can track whether your contracts have been reviewed or processed by the other party, keeping your audit trail cleaner.
Many tools are also connected to your digital identities online, making fraud more difficult. HelloSign, SignNow and DocuSign are recognised names in the industry.
5. Online faxing
While you can banish paper, sometimes you can’t get away from the old method of having to fax a document over. This would normally require you to print your document, fax it over, and dispose of your document. But that process also generates a printed record, which you might have to keep.
Rather than go through this process, you can use electronic faxing methods. These will e-fax a document over, and keep your records neat and digital so you can pull them up in future for reference.
Some services catering to Singapore include ezFAX and Freepopfax. Web suite, SingTel ONEOffice also offers an e-Fax service that you can use.