Is it Time to Ditch Paper?

Imagine having 24/7 access to any report, schematic, form or online resource both in the office and in the field. Automatic document encryption, advanced e-signature functionality and mobile email and internet access are just a few of the myriad high-tech benefits available by going paperless.

According to Florida based DocuPhase, here are some of the alarming stats about paper use and the cost to business.

• • Every year, $25-35 billion is spent in the US on filing, storing and retrieving paper
    
  • The average annual cost to maintain each 4-drawer filing cabinet is $1,500.00
  • An average of 4 weeks is lost each year waiting on misfiled, mislabeled, untracked or lost
    documents.

A quick search on Google will net you endless articles explaining the advantages of going paperless.
These range from time and cost savings to improved quality control and real time data. It is fair to say that the concept of paperless operations is relatively well understood in today’s digital savvy business class. The benefit of going paperless seems obvious with reasons such as:

• • Save time in accessing and transmitting documents while in the field.
  • Increase your operational mobility and document security.
  • For professionals working in the oil and gas industry looking for an advantage over the competition, increased productivity and efficiency when outside of the office and in the field.
  • 24/7 access to all types of documents including reports, schematics and contracts both inside the office and out in the field.
  • Automatic storage and back-up of all documents.
  • Fax documents from anywhere and at anytime.
  • Give colleagues access to documents that have been saved on a secure server from any computer connected to the internet via password enabled user access.
  • Collect e-signatures.
  • Take notes or draw up diagrams.
  • Increase your operational mobility.

So why chose to move to paperless? It seems it benefits all involved in an organisation or project. Mobile devices within the oil and gas industry really can transform business processes, making the workplace safer, more efficient and a better managed environment.

The new challenge companies face is selecting the right software for their operation and how to implement that software.