There is no easy way to calculate the true cost of not having a document imaging system; however, many businesses migrate to electronic document imaging because they understand the need to increase efficiency, especially in an economic downturn. Check out CPA.CITP Timothy Shortsleeve’s article, “An Efficient Profit Motive,” for a checklist of factors to consider when implementing technology for improved business efficiency.  When applying Shortsleeve’s checklist to the paperless office, the concept is simple: the time savings that goes along with deploying a paperless taskforce has been proven to successfully increase workflow.

In order to really understand the need, not to mention value, of going paperless in any office, the Journal of Accountancy interviewed Fujitsu Senior Director of Product Marketing, Scott Francis, about the long term benefits of scanning.  In his article, “How to Calculate the Real Costs of Production,”  Scott mentions the affects document imaging technology has on a company called Stambaugh Ness, one of the largest CPA and Business Consulting firms in Central Pennsylvania, and how the deployment of eight ScanSnap scanners helped them to dedicate more time to their customers’ needs by streamlining their path to a more productive work place.