It’s easy to feel like you need the newest and latest app, device or software available when you’re looking to solve an issue within your business. But those digital “quick” fixes may not always be the smartest or most efficient answer to your problem.
Try as we might to do away with it, old, reliable paper will always be there when ease and familiarity is needed, or just wanted for that matter. Paper remains a stalwart in even the most technological of industries.
Why do businesses still use paper?
With all the technological advances we see on a regular basis, why do so many businesses still hold on to the use of paper?
Internally, your employees may prefer working with paper. A recent workplace survey found that 80.5 percent of employees like the feel of writing with pen and paper. The same survey also found that more than 60 percent choose taking notes by writing instead of digital means, and that more than 71 percent feel that they remember information better when they take notes by writing.
Externally, you may work with clients or partner with other businesses who conduct business with paper. Instead of going the possibly dangerous route of trying to make your clients change to fit your strictly digital business processes, accommodating your clients can help make things easy for them.
Two industries where paper is still king are legal and financial. If you have any dealings with either of these industries, which most or all businesses do at some point, you will continue to encounter paper contracts and documents.
What are the advantages of using paper-based records and systems?
Affordability
One reason to choose paper over digital is reduced upfront costs. There’s no need to purchase any expensive software, and no need to pay towards training to get all employees up to speed on the new software.
Simplicity
Another great advantage of using paper is the fact there isn’t anything more familiar and less intimidating than paper. It’s easy! No need to spend time, and money, learning how to use and teaching others to use the new system. Paper is straight-forward. Cut and dry. Black and white. Literally!
Familiarity
And because it’s so familiar, when time is of the essence and you need to reliably and quickly retrieve or enter data, what’s faster than writing it down? Not trying to find and open an app and get to the right screen. Not waiting for the page to load due to a glitch or lag in the wifi.
Reliability
Or have you ever tried to locate particular records digitally, but can’t think of the right keyword to input. Or maybe you’re not as familiar with the software and find yourself stuck. Depending on your situation, you can’t afford to be “stuck.” The advantage of paper records, when kept up to date and organized with binders, is that they are more reliable in cases like this where you know what information you need and exactly where to find it.
How do modern businesses still use paper?
We hear the phrase “go paperless” so much that we assume that most businesses have gone entirely paperless these days, but the data shows that this isn’t necessarily true.
According to studies conducted by Wakefield Research and Infotrends, most businesses continue to rely on paper for their daily business processes.
- 73 percent of owners and “higher-ups” in companies with less than 500 employees print around 4 times per work day.
- For 5,000 or so pages a month, companies may spend up to $27,000 every year on document-management systems and maintenance.
- Much of a business’s paper use happens around onboarding, invoicing, and printing notes, especially in the accounting, legal, and human resource departments.
In conclusion, paper is still here. And in 2021, it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Even in the “digital age,” paper-based systems continue to help today’s businesses boost productivity.
There are many ways that using paper can be beneficial to your employees, your clients, and your business as a whole. If you’re looking for ways to organize and store your documents, Binders Inc. has a variety of quality binders and other office supplies to keep your business running smoothly.