As a small business owner, you already know how daunting and seemingly endless paperwork can be, but also that it is an inevitable part of any organized, successful business.
There are many reasons why it’s beneficial to reduce paperwork, including:
- The Environment: It’s better for the planet because you’re not wasting paper and killing trees.
- Cost Effective: It saves money because you’re saving on paper, printer, and ink to print things out, not to mention your time to print and file physical copies.
- Easy Access: It makes filing more accessible and streamlined when information can be accessed digitally.
- Better Organization: Manually arranging each file leaves them at risk of human error and being misplaced. Storing and sorting data online is just a click away; data is organized as required.
- No fear of loss: With all the options for electronic file storage, including handy tools like a cloud server. There is no fear of losing necessary paperwork or files in a fire or other natural calamity.
Today, I am here to share ways that you can reduce paperwork in your small business so that you spend less of your time shuffling through stacks of paper and more time running your business.
Get Technical
A small business owner can use technology in many ways to save time and reduce paperwork.
- Send automated emails when someone signs up for your newsletter, books a service, or completes their payment.
- Send out automated customer satisfaction surveys once the service is completed to pinpoint areas that need improvement and help ensure future business.
- Set up bookkeeping apps like Quickbooks to automatically import transactions and sync with other multitask apps like ServiceWorks.
- Set bill payments on automatic
- Create electronic documents and forms for recurring jobs like onboarding new clients or training employees.
- Set customers up with auto billing and maintenance services.
Pro Tip: Sit down and list areas in your business that could reduce paperwork and automate electronic forms and filing. Then, take the necessary steps to eliminate the excess paper clutter.
Go Paperless
Paperless billing and statements from banks, vendors, and utility companies are the modern way to reduce paperwork. You can view your statements, bills, and history online whenever you want, and you’ll receive less physical mail. This is much better for the environment. With less waste and distraction because you won’t be fumbling through opening envelopes and paper cuts!
While creating paperless accounts, consider setting your bills up on autopay. You’ll eliminate a pile of paper from your desk, save time paying bills each month, and not worry about paying late fees again.
Pro Tip: Keep tabs on your financial bottom line with the help of accounting programs like Quickbooks. Keeping tabs ensures you have enough money every month.
Streamline Filing Processes
Small businesses can generate vast amounts of paperwork because they think that client or other information must be stored in a manila folder filled with documents and locked away in a filing cabinet only to take up space and get misplaced. This thinking also contributes to unnecessary paper waste, clutter, and confusion when something is filed out of order.
Let’s start by reframing our thinking around things like client files. Instead of keeping hard copies of digital documents, look for ways to reduce the amount of paper and store everything in easily accessible computer files, which is more environmentally friendly and allows you to have everything you need when needed.
Fortunately, software apps like ServiceWorks store essential client info, including most names/addresses/phone numbers, family member names, service history, and any notes like equipment type or client preferences.
Pro Tip: Remember to back up the files and your computer often and on a thumb drive or other external drive, as well as the cloud.
Choosing the Right Software
Look for multi-purpose software that can integrate with other software apps to get the most bang for your buck. Programs like ServiceWorks can do everything for your office. It can handle online client scheduling and customer satisfaction surveys automatically sent out after the service is complete, even an in-depth client filing system, and so much more.
Combine it with a program like Quickbooks, and you’ll have an entire system to manage appointments, book time, and generate invoices with automatically recurring payments. You don’t need to spend hours tracking down paperwork and ensuring invoices have been sent out. ServiceWorks handles all the details so you can repeatedly make every invoice and payment.
File this Away
I hope you’ve found some practical ideas for reducing paperwork for your small business. Implement some or all of these ideas and notice some positive impacts on your business and the environment!
While you’re at it, why not give ServiceWorks a test run with their 14-day, risk-free trial? ServiceWorks has many features that can reduce paperwork and save money, including storing client info, online client scheduling, sending out customer follow-ups and satisfaction surveys, and reminders about service appointments. How efficient!
