Go Paperless. You Won’t Regret It.

From the get-go, we decided to go paperless at MoonClerk and we certainly haven’t regretted it. Did you know that the average office worker uses the equivalent of around 10,000 sheets of paper each year? Not only is that an environmental waste, it’s also expensive. In order to utilize that paper, you also have to factor in all of the associated costs such as electricity, ink, printer cartridges, printer repair, and on and on. Aside from the environmental and monetary costs of using paper, we’ve found that our lives have just become easier without paper. Everything is stored digitally, everything is backed up, everything is searchable, and everything is accessible from anywhere! Here are a few tips we learned along the way that will help you go paperless.

Receive paperless statements from service providers

Make a list of every service you currently receive paper from. This may include utilities, banks, or janitorial services. Contact  those service providers and ask that they send you all of your statements and communications via email and/or their website. Some companies, such as banks, even offer a monthly discount for people who decide to go paperless.

Scan in your documents and notes and store them on Evernote

Spend some time scanning in all of your documents and notes to store on Evernote. Online storage has become a very popular way for large and small businesses to go paperless. Simply sign up for an account on Evernote, then download the mobile app and PC/Mac app. You can also utilize Evernote to scan in hand written notes from sales meetings or minutes. You’ll be able to sync your data between your computer and smart phone. Best of all, you’ll be able to access your files any time and search them using Evernote’s optical character recognition.

Fax via email with HelloFax

Perhaps the biggest money waster in an office is a fax machine. Toss it. Not only do you have to print out the information you want to fax, but you have to waste another sheet of paper receiving a confirmation. Instead, sign up for HelloFax, the electronic faxing program that allows you to fax via their website. With HelloFax, you simply sign up for an account, link your current fax number, or choose a new one. Then scan in or upload the file you want to fax and enter the recipients details. Once the recipient receives your fax, you’ll get an email confirmation. Once they reply, you’ll receive the fax in your HelloFax account as well as your email for safekeeping.

Stop sending paper invoices every month and start billing with MoonClerk

Recent studies have shown that when business owners go paperless, they actually speed up their receivables by 17 days! Stop stuffing envelopes with invoices and mailing them out every month. Not only is it expensive and time consuming, it’s also a headache to track down your customers who don’t pay. Get rid of your paper invoices and get paid digitally through MoonClerk. You can send your customers an invoice via email and include a link to a MoonClerk payment form for them to pay. If it’s a recurring payment, we take care of charging your clients’ cards’ every time they’re supposed to pay, instead of you having to mail or email them an invoice. We handle one-time invoices just as easily. We also take care of sending them automatic receipts by email.

We’re always in the search of better ways to go paperless, so shoot us an email if you have any suggestions.

Image from Flickr user Striatic