Today, it is more important than ever for organisations to focus on developing sustainability initiatives in their workplaces to reduce their environmental footprints.

While we encourage them to take measures such as planting trees or implementing recycling initiatives, we think it is also important to note that going paperless with automation technology is a great way to go greener.  

Technology such as MetaViewer’s Touchless Invoice Processing solution reduces the need for paper use within accounts payable, human resources and other departments that historically process substantial amounts of paper.

Touchless Invoice Processing and other paperless processes route documents through workflow steps without the burden of paper. Typically, routing and approving documents would involve passing paper around the office and printing, scanning, copying and filing it. However, paperless processes use a set of evaluation rules to determine whether a document matches corresponding documents in the system and meets the regulations that they run against. If it meets all the business rules, it will be routed to the right employee and indexed in their Microsoft Dynamics enterprise resource planning solution. If the document does not fit the rules, a human will be notified to reconcile it manually. 

Going paperless also supports green initiatives by:

• improving efficiency and accuracy so that documents do not need to be re-printed when they are misfiled or lost 
• eliminating paper waste by digitising processes and procedures, as well as storing information electronically 
• decreasing the need for office supplies, including folders, ink, paper, stamps, envelopes and other stationery 
• reducing energy costs associated with printing and scanning 
• creating an opportunity for a reduction in paper waste per person by making employees more efficient, leading to improved employee retention  
• avoiding the use of courier and delivery services by automating and digitising routing procedures.  

Whether organisations choose to start with basic document management software or go a little more advanced with solutions like Touchless Invoice Processing, they can rest assured that a paperless investment will not only help them to be more efficient, but also reduce their environmental footprints and support their sustainability efforts.  

Alyssa Putzer is the marketing communications specialist for Metafile Information Systems 

This article was originally published in the Summer 2022 issue of Technology Record. To get future issues delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription.

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