Time is money. I’ve heard that saying most of my life. Fun fact – It’s attributed to Benjamin Franklin – who knew? It was true almost 300 years ago, and it’s still true today.
“Remember that time is money.”
Benjamin Franklin’s essay “Advice to a Young Tradesman” appeared in George Fisher’s 1748 book, The American Instructor: or Young Man’s Best Companion
At bestmacs, we understand the frustration that comes when things don’t work the way they’re supposed to (gotta love the morning after a tech update, am I right?), things that steal our time, dollars, and sanity, and things that simply don’t work at all. We’re a small business navigating the bumps, same as everyone else. Like many companies out there, when we discover ways to save money and reclaim precious time, we do a happy dance. Over the next few weeks, the bestmacs team will share some of our favorite tips that will hopefully help you join us in the dance.
Tip #1: Wave Goodbye to Paper
If you remember nothing else from this blog, remember this: paper is awful! Yes, we’re computer people, so that may sound a bit biased, but bear with me. Paper is inefficient, not secure, and saps people and dollar resources. Here are some paper facts:
- It has no data validation – there is no backup
- It’s not secure – there are no encryption options with paper unless you consider a sealed envelope encrypted (and if that’s the case, I have some nice swampland in Florida you might be interested in…)
- It’s not searchable – unless you love digging through stacks of paper searching for a document you may never find!
- It promotes double handling – ever been to a doctor’s office and they ask you to write down your address on multiple forms – or write down your insurance card info even though they just scanned it?
- It must be distributed – mailed, walked over, paper airplane delivery – all of which take time and people power
- It must be stored – which fits better in an office – large filing cabinets or a small computer?
- It must be destroyed – shredded, burned, beamed up by aliens – no matter your preference, we’re back to people power required to deal with it
- It IS a great coaster – one of the best coffee and food spill absorbers out there (watch out, Bounty!)
- It kills trees – lots of trees that would much rather pepper the earth with green leaves blowing in the breeze on a beautiful summer day
We aren’t paper-haters, but we do know that there are ways to streamline processes, making things faster, safer, cheaper, easier, and more convenient for companies, their teams, and their customers. By shifting from old-fashioned paper to computerized systems, businesses save time and money by eliminating the challenges listed above, and customers no longer have to fill out endless paperwork to simply see a doctor!
It might seem overwhelming to think about shifting into the 21st century; the good news is that bestmacs has been guiding companies through seamless transitions for more than 20 years. When you’re ready to break the paper addiction, we’re here to help. Next week, we’ll dive into cost savings in the world of IT with tip #2: Go Remote.