The digital world has revolutionized the office environment. Emails are sent instantly across the country while employees chat away on Jabber or Slack. Despite these improvements in technology, many offices still rely on physical, written communication to function. To this day, paper is still an essential office item. Here are a few ways companies still use paper and why it won’t disappear anytime soon.
Many Companies Prefer Written Signatures
While software platforms like Eco-Sign make it easier for companies to share official files and sign contracts or work orders, many finance departments still require managers to physically sign a document. This prevents fraud and ensures a clear line of communication between multiple channels within a company.
In many cases, financial management is both a digital and print process. A vendor will send an invoice that a department head prints, signs, and submits to the accounting team for payment. Accounting will then save a digital copy, as well. Many accounting teams rely on secure paper checks for payment processing but save a digital copy so it aligns with the invoice record. This ensures there are records in both places if the computer system goes down or print files are damaged or lost.
Physical Mail Is Making a Marketing Comeback
When the digital era debuted, marketers across the world wanted to take advantage of email. By 2018, the average number of business emails received each day will hover around 140, with employers sending an average of 43 emails per day. It’s incredibly easy to get lost in the noise, which has caused some marketers to pull back and evaluate how they connect with customers.
Some small businesses are changing their strategy entirely and sending letters to their customers. Others are taking advantage of direct-mail tools to send monthly or bi-monthly updates about sales, events, and new products. Some companies have decided not to expand their mailing strategy, but they aren’t willing to give it up entirely. It’s easier to stand out in a small pile of letters than in an inbox of 100 unopened messages.
Putting Pen to Paper Boosts Memory
Despite endless task lists and apps for remembering meetings and appointments, many people still use day planners and notepads for meetings or date keeping. Multiple studies have found that putting pen to paper can actually help memory in a way that typing can’t. This is why many students still take notes in class instead of typing them on computers. In a world with countless appointments and tasks, we need all the help we can get remembering what we have to do.
Using paper also gives people the satisfaction of literally crossing something off their to-do list, as opposed to deleting something from a spreadsheet. On a small level, this boosts morale and encourages employees to keep working on their lists.
The next generation might change how they use paper in the workplace. After all, they grew up with online payments and digital to-do lists. But for at least the next few decades, paper is still and will remain essential to any office environment.
