From 2002 electronic signatures have been legally binding in New Zealand.

So, when was the last time you signed something? It should have been 18 years ago.

Why? Because there is no need to be printing off documents to sign them, only to scan them and upload them to your cloud storage.

We have got to stop wasting paper and time, and start improving our productivity and saving the planet.

 

Why are we wasting so much paper?

It’s interesting, isn’t it? You read that and went, ‘well I don’t think I’m wasting that much paper. I sign contracts, I read reports, I send faxes, I take notes, all important things….’ and then it clicks, doesn’t it.

You can do all of those things digitally.

And sure, you’re used to writing your notes by hand or signing important documents by hand, but you were also used to walking and riding bikes before you learnt how to drive. You were also creating 100-page reports before you made a PowerPoint. But now you don’t.

Things change.

So why can’t an office’s habits surrounding the use of paper change as well?

People often argue it’s because of legacy processes in industries such as law and auditing. But if we try and focus on the parts we can change, like how often we fax, what we print off, how we can reuse documents we actually have to print, etc. then I’m sure we can find a number of ways we can improve.

 

How can we reduce the amount of paper we use?

Without going into the long list of obvious changes already touched upon above, I want to focus on workflow software.

Workflow software is something your business can implement in order to streamline a bunch of processes to increase productivity. It’s great because it’s a simple, collaborative, and digital tool that will hopefully increase your staff’s output and happiness.

Some examples are Zapier, Monday.com, and our solution Appranet.

 

Appranet

Appranet is a mobile app designed for any business to be able to digitise their processes.

I’ll quickly explore the selection of great features that all help increase productivity and reduce paper-use:

Digital Forms, Manuals, and Product Brochures
Convert all of your paper version of the above to digital versions on the app that will sit in your pocket and take up much less space as well!

Contacts
Store all of your team’s contact information in the app to save having to fumble around with lists and business cards

Message Board
Quite literally a digital message board as opposed to a physical one – great for placing news about events and for the team to interact whilst moving around.

News and Events
Basically a digital calendar! We all know that one person in the office with a physical calendar. Ask them how many days they write on and how much of it they actually use!

Gallery
Don’t ever print photos again, this isn’t the 90s. Store them online and download them when you need them.

Custom Pages
Got an idea that wasn’t mentioned above? Make your own custom page and prove you’re the best at going paperless!

It’s important to remember that going paperless isn’t a one-off decision. And sometimes,

It’s a commitment to increasing productivity, reducing waste, and streamlining work activities.

We know you can do it!