Become A Paperless Office … Except For This Print Magazine

I was recently quoted in this  article about running a paperless office. It’s not too related to email marketing but I do despise clutter and, as a company, have fully embraced web-based / SaaS solutions. You can read the full article from the August 2008 edition of MyBusiness Magazine or the relevant bit inline here:

Paperless Office

Joe Colopy doesn’t like a lot of paper floating around the office. That’s why Bronto Software, his Durham, N.C.-based e-mail marketing company, has done away with its dependency on filing cabinets and invested in technology that helps employees not only reduce the need for paper–but also work faster. “The days of people carrying briefcases stuffed with every document and contract they need to work with are over,” says Colopy, Bronto’s CEO. “Today people can access everything they need online with a computer.”

Transforming your business into a paperless enterprise may seem like a daunting task, but it starts with just a few small adjustments. For Bronto Software, the path to reducing paper use started when the company began uploading hard copies of old documents onto a central server. Soon, the new filing system evolved into a way of doing business.

Without tons of paper shuffling around the office, Bronto Software is “wildly more productive,” Colopy says. The company largely communicates with clients through e-mail, and as a result, their information can be accessed quickly by employees–no matter where they are. “We used to have what I call the dentist’s office method of filing, with manila folders for every client,” Colopy says. “Now it’s all organized on the server to make it usable and accessible for everyone. If our employees are traveling, attending a trade show or visiting a client, it provides the flexibility they need to keep their clients happy from the road.”

Besides helping Bronto offer clients better customer service, cutting paper use has helped the company maximize its resources. “Since we moved everything online, it’s really helped us grow the business,” Colopy says. “The No. 1 expense for us is people, so if we can make them more efficient, we save money and serve our customers better.”