The Paperless Office: Why It Hasn’t Happened (And Why It’s Going To)
In our ongoing endeavors to better understand how the world uses and perceives digital documents, we conducted a survey. We thought about asking around the Nitro offices, before realizing that doing so would have produced a less-than-impartial (and probably biased) data sample; so we decided to go to the pros.
We contracted TNS, a global, independent market research firm to go out and quiz 1,000 adult Americans on our behalf, in a survey all about PDF files, digital documents, and paperless practices.
Needless to say, the results were shocking — both in the conventional (literal) context as well as in the “passing out from the sheer quantity of data sense.”
So, we brought in the awesomely talented guys at Column Five to distill all that data into one easily digested and conveniently shared infographic. Major props. It’s the first of a series we’re working on with them, and we’re pretty stoked with how it came out – watch this space…
Click on the image below to view it in all its glory.
Survey Methodology (AKA, required legal stuff)
This survey was conducted online, within the United States by TNS via its Express Online omnibus product on behalf of Nitro. The survey took place from September 29-October 2, 2011, among 1,000 adults ages 18 and older, using individual methodology.
10 Comments
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This may be easier to achieve in urban areas. My company is located in a rural area and only a fraction of the workforce is computer literate. Our remote locations only got Internet access two years ago. It will be a decade or more before we get anywhere close to paperless.
Hi there,
Yes that can definitely prove difficult with such a minor aspect of the workforce working with computers It’s definitely still possible but like you said, might take some more time than in urban areas.
Cheers,
Spence Jenkins
Marketing Coordinator
For home use, I am a long ways towards complete paperless. All of the information that I consume online is never printed. I have the odd occassion to print off forms to submit to government organizations and others. I use print services for my printing needs without having a printer at home.
I am an attorney and I went paperless 1/2 way through last year and 100% this year. I will be going back and scanning in all the files from last year and probably back another year. I helps that I have been computerized for the last 30 years, even while others were using typewriters (remember those things?) This will be good for me and my clients in so many ways … quicker for me to find their file when they call, less clutter on my desk, no shredding necessary, and I can keep the files forever (I’ve been shredding everything older than 7 years … won’t have to do that any more) Wish other attorneys would join me … I still get lots of meaningless letters in my mailbox that could easily have been just emailed to me.
When I started my first ‘proper’ job after university in 1976 I was told “we aim to have the paperless office within five years”: figures show that the consumption of paper increased dramatically with the introduction of the personal computer. This was highlighted by a TV advert a couple of years ago in which somebody walks up to a man using a PC and asks “I found these on the printer; are they yours?” to which he replies “I don’t need them now because I’ve found this comparison web site”.
I think one of the best things I ever did was to install Primo PDF so anything I wanted to keep I could ‘print’ to disk and only transfer to paper when I needed to carry it with me and then knowing exactly what it would look like and how much it would use!
1. I’ve been using electronic mail now, I can’t remember when I last bought a postage stamp
2. I read all my new items on line now and have not bought newspapers for at least 5 years..
3. I don’t own a printer. Sold my printer 3 years ago. Use only PDF files now.
4. I subscribe only to on-line magazines. No paper magazines.
5. My grocery store issues plastic bags. Not sure it’s better. Don’t have re-usable cloth bags.
6. Most form…even IRS forms…are available to complete on line. My bank reports are PDF.
7. I buy and read ebooks now…Kindle, Adobe Digital Editions
8. I’ve probably reduced “something other” but can’t think what. Still have too much paper.
9. When someone develops an acceptable alternative to toilet paper, I’ll use it. Corn cobs, no!
I fit in most of the categories, but I guess it will take me a bit longer to get completely rid of toilet paper.
It’s interesting to hear how companies today are talking about being/going green. I think that the main underlying reason for companies to go paperless is due to cost savings and better alternative mediums for distribuiting information.
It’s always about the money
Awesome infographic btw!
There is NO digital device yet invented that WILL LAST as LONG as PAPER! The ULTIMATE BACKUP is paper! Technology changes too fast, too often to PRESERVE and RESERVE (for at least the next 10,000 yrs.) for future generations the VALUE that paper has over all other media! To BELIEVE in a paperless society is to believe in the “tooth fairy”….!!!!!!!!