The Implications of [Just] Paper

When it comes to shifting a business from paper to digital solutions, there is often trepidation experienced by management and other decision makers within an organization, and rightfully so. Fearing a new process, especially in light of government instruction, is an understandable response to the topic of digital solutions.  Nevertheless, transitioning to a process that utilizes digitization and digitalization are much easier than one may think, and in the long run will end up saving you money.

Most well-designed digital solutions put customer experience at the forefront of software development, as they invest significant time and resources into useability and onboarding strategies. Further, software in today’s “right now” consumer-services driven marketplace almost demand new technologies be easy to implement, learn, and use. These digital solutions are offered in a variety of sizes and capabilities, which can be tailored to meet the needs of organizations of any size.

But why change?  Is it worth it?

Take paper for example. Paper can be easily misplaced or destroyed, can be cumbersome, and requires a large amount of overhead.  A 2021 article from Iron Mountain titled “5 Benefits of Going Paperless in the Workplace” identifies “The average office worker still uses 10,000 sheets of paper each year, or a stack about 3 ½ feet tall. In fact, if you stacked up all the paper used by U.S. businesses every year, the pile would reach halfway to the moon”.

When considering 10,000 sheets of paper, which breaks down to approximately 41 pages of paper per person per day, an organization that requires multiple office staff, processing paperwork from multiple sources, transporting a number of products and materials will spend a significant amount on paper alone.  Add on the additional costs printer toner, equipment maintenance, electricity, salaries, and benefits, and the costs quickly add up.

Not enough? Digital means green:

According to Alberta.ca, “97% of climate scientists now agree that human activity is responsible for most temperature increases over the past 250 years” (Alberta.ca, 2021). What is more concerning still, is the rate at which these environmental changes are happening. If not acted upon at large scale, the effects of the changing climate can be devastating, and lead to global catastrophes.  Companies like Payload Technologies are working with Oil and Gas companies to help reduce carbon footprints, and emissions. Payload’s team has been able to harness field ticket data and use analytics to calculate carbon footprints.

Digital is safe:

“Safety during an incident involving dangerous goods is our utmost priority. That is why we are continuously working to improve safety for Canadians and first responders who play a critical role in an emergency”.
– The Honourable Marc Garneau, Former Minister of Transport

Emergency responders face daily situations that require critical thinking, quickly identifying threats and risks, and identifying which lifesaving technique or tool to deploy. According to Transport Canada, there were some 108,371 personal injuries resulting from collisions on Canadian roadways, with nearly 2% of those resulting in fatalities in 2018.Payload developed a paperless TDG solution, wherein they offer a dedicated web portal specifically to first responders. Once logged in, first responders will have access to relevant information that may not be physically available in the case of an emergency where vehicles cannot be reached, or paper is misplaced or damaged. Once signed in, first responders will be able to search a database by criteria such as waybill number, truck/trailer number, generator, transporter, or the status of the document (if known