Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the corporate world has seen a pronounced move towards digital. It has benefited most enterprises, guaranteeing flexibility and reducing the risk of interruptions due to unforeseen circumstances.
But how does that digitization trend apply to small and medium-sized businesses?
According to a recent Cisco report, the Covid-19 pandemic has sped up digitalization among 70 percent of small companies. Still, only 24 percent of these small businesses have reached the advanced stages of a digital transformation.
This is why we need to ask a very important question – will document scanning and imaging benefit SMEs? The short answer is yes. Here are some of the most important reasons why a move to digital documentation isn’t just a good idea, it’s mandatory.
Document Scanning and Imaging Provide Powerful Money Saving Options
SMEs usually lack the financial resources that large corporations operate with. This is one of the key reasons to embrace digitization.
Document scanning helps companies save money and even enhance their revenue generation streams.
When digitization is completed, document management and maintenance costs go down. In addition, a digital archive saves lots of space and makes it possible for many companies to move to a smaller office without sacrificing efficiency and comfort.
There’s one more very important financial stimulus related to scanning and digital transformation. A digital archive increases efficiency and productivity. As a result, it can contribute to better customer service, enhanced client satisfaction, and revenue maximization.
According to a 2021 report, 71 percent of small businesses survived the Covid-19 pandemic by going digital. Effectiveness, money-saving, and new revenue-generation opportunities all played a role.
Remote Access
This is an obvious benefit, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. But it’s very important and deserves a bit of elaboration in the context of SMEs.
Document scanning and imaging form the backbone of a digital archive. Once a scanning project is completed, the company will typically choose cloud-based document storage. Cloud-based documents can be accessed from any location that has internet access. Additionally, they’re very scalable and users only pay for the resources that they need and employ at that particular moment.
Remote access is vital for online businesses, freelancers, and home-based enterprises. Operating from an office or a corporate venue can be way too expensive and inefficient for startups, small enterprises, and freelance professionals. Cloud-based documents simplify team collaboration, no matter where workers are located. Needless to say, this kind of flexibility is incredibly beneficial for SMEs and companies that employ new work models free from a centralized location.
Improved Opportunities for Going Paperless
Paper-based processes are expensive, excessive, and cumbersome. They’re a major burden for all businesses and particularly for SMEs.
Document scanning and imaging provide opportunities for the introduction of other digital processes. Eventually, they can lay the foundation for going all the way paperless.
A digital transformation isn’t a futuristic idea to dream about, it’s something that can readily be employed and completed today.
With a digital archive, companies can start getting rid of paper-based HR processes, invoicing, legal documentation, and even everyday communication.
Many paperless solutions can be integrated with each other, contributing to smoother processes. Eventually, all vital processes will become less dependent or completely free from paper. For such a radical change to happen, the current paper-based archive will need to undergo a major transformation. That’s possible through the completion of a simple scanning project.
Sustainable, Scalable Growth
As businesses grow, so does their documentation.
Maintaining a large, paper-based archive is a very expensive endeavor. Not only that, it’s also wasteful and ineffective. Retrieving documents from a paper-based archive can be a time-consuming process that decreases productivity and prevents knowledge workers from engaging in strategic processes.
Through document scanning and imaging, small businesses can focus on sustainable and scalable growth.
A scanning project creates a paperless archive that can easily expand as the company grows. The employment of additional resources is far from expensive. Also, there’s no downtime or a learning curve linked to the growth. Every operation continues occurring in the way it has so far. The cloud-based archive is simply expanded and streamlined to match the current needs of the enterprise.
A final thing we need to mention is that professional document scanning can be tailored to the needs of any company, regardless of its size or the industry in which it operates.
Professional document scanning (whether onsite or not) is accessible, cost-efficient, and resource-preserving. Service providers like the Scan N More team will always provide a personalized quote in line with the needs of the company and the project specs.
Even if you operate a small business, you should consider digitization right now. The sooner you get started with this transformation, the more money and time you’ll save.