How many pages have you printed out at your office? How much has your company spent on ink or toner? Do you have to go through packets of information during meetings on a regular basis? Is your hand developing carpal tunnel from constant writer's cramp?

If so, you don't work at our office, where everything (yes, everything) is done electronically. We don't have to struggle with cases of copy paper, or paper jams, staple removers, 3-hole punches, or "PC LOAD LETTER" (whatever that means). We do have two printers against the back wall, but they're extremely outdated and dusty. Here's why we never use them…

Paperless Project Management

At Fueled, our web and app development company, there are a ton of projects being worked on at any given time. Each product requires an entire team of individuals, including developers, designers, account managers, and product managers. Most of our designers are over in London, which makes organization a requirement.

Pivotal Tracker is a great way to delegate tasks, confirm their completion, and prioritize your goals. On top of showing a visual representation of your team's progress, it also graphs out the big picture of your productivity, which is useful for finding a healthy pace.

Paperless Communication

What is project management without excellent communication? Obviously, everyone uses e-mail to some extent for long, detailed messages that can be easily documented. There are many times, however, where other communication methods are necessary.

Skype is an easy way to add the human element to an overseas call (and makes people much easier to understand), while allowing you to chat with up to 10 co-workers at once--if you pay for the premium package, that is. Apple EarPod headsets are ubiquitous around here, as they provide a cheap way to get clear audio on the other end.

For a quick text message or video call, we have Google Hangouts, which is available in any Gmail account, as well as Adium. Hangouts even comes in smartphone app form, allowing you to communicate from any WiFi or 3G-enabled location. Using these tools, you might find yourself sometimes sending a chat to the person sitting right across the table.

For more widespread communication, Honey allows co-workers to pass on messages. They can be work-related (e.g., the status of a project, tech news, etc.), or completely pointless ("Look at this cool picture of a burrito I found!"). It's kind of like running your own version of Reddit.

Even for phone calls, we have a VoIP service and a Google Voice number for employees. Not only does this separate personal and company calls, but Google allows its users to manage voicemail messages online. You can also record a custom greeting on your computer.

Paperless Working

You can guess that our technical staff uses software, like XCode and Adobe Illustrator, to execute their projects. Our marketing team does a lot of writing and contacts different companies to publish articles and press releases. For word processing and spreadsheets, we trust in Google Docs. Almost identical to Microsoft Office, we have our equivalents to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Paintbrush.

The main difference with Google Docs, is the ability for multiple users in different locations to edit a document simultaneously. You can watch as your colleagues highlight, delete, or add in new content, and complete your work twice as fast. If the rest of the team is not working with you at the moment, there is an option to leave comments in the margin. When your co-workers check back later, they can either resolve the issue, or start a mini conversation to debate the correction. In either case, you will be notified via e-mail when your input is needed.

Instead of having to attach a file in an e-mail, and worry about the file size, just send a link to the document to allow access to others. Perhaps best of all, is that Google saves everything automatically. No more losing your work!

If you have large work files, such as photos, videos, or audio, you can use Dropbox to upload them to the cloud. This eliminates the need for SD cards, CDs, or external hard drives.

Paperless Accounting

Receipts and paper invoices are a thing of the past. Corporate expenses at Fueled are paid via ExpenseCloud. This web service allows you to manage virtually any bank or credit card payments, convert currencies, figure out taxes, translate mileage into gas money, and analyze your company's spending habits by category. ExpenseCloud also works with a mobile app, allowing any CEO to stay on top of things.

Freshbooks is used to create invoices and bill clients for our work. Like ExpenseCloud, data is stored online, but the accounting capabilities are a bit more comprehensive. And yes, there's a mobile app. Any accounting that must be done in-house is worked into a spreadsheet on Google Docs.

Harvest is a tracking tool to manage billable hours. Whether meeting with a client, programming a mobile app, or designing icons, our employees no longer need to spend too much time mapping out their work schedule. This also eliminates any disputes regarding overtime or credit for completing tasks.

Paperless Payment

Who has time for adding up work hours, mailing out paychecks, or hiring a payroll department? Exactly. That's why we use Bill.com to manage and distribute payment for employees, and Echosign to fill out PDF versions of W-2 forms, complete with a digital signature. Companies who rent out our office space pay via Square, that white credit card reader that attaches to your iPhone.

Venmo is a peculiar service that we've had some fun with. It's for making small payments, such as lending money for lunch, or getting your superiors their morning latté. There is also some social networking capability, so your good deeds will not go unnoticed. Perhaps this app would help resolve some arguments when your buddies try to forget your contribution to the office lottery pool.

Paperless Meetings

Meetings and conferences don't have to consist of briefcases full of documents. Every single one of our 9 conference rooms is equipped with Apple TV, which allows us to stream from an iOS device using AirPlay. This means that, when we want to showcase a completed app, or something in progress, we can see exactly what the user experience will look like on an iPhone or iPad. Our presentations often display when the speaker is pushing a button, swiping to another screen, or flipping to a landscape orientation.

Of course, our TVs can also be used for PowerPoint presentations and videos.

A common hassle in any office is booking a conference room. Even those who already operate in a paperless environment may be spending a fortune by using iPads, mounted on the front of the room, to call dibs. At Fueled, we go a step further by using the Get a Room service. Operating similarly to Google Calendar, Get a Room uses a grid to create events and hold your territory, without being cluttered by other stuff in your schedule.

How We Do It

Who has time to research all of these different products for their office? How do you know which is the best choice for your needs, or the most environmentally friendly way to de-clutter your space? That's where Bestvendor.com comes in. It's our go-to source for finding what works for Fueled. Searching by category, you (or an intern) can go through a catalogue of software, web services, or subscriptions that might streamline your business. Need a less boring way to analyze the market? Try KISSmetrics. Standard legal documents? LegalZoom may be right up your alley.

Once you make all of these decisions, you'll probably want to get all of your new employees acquainted with the company system. There are many ways to do this, but Fueled uses a customized Wiki. In our "onboarding" section, there is a series of steps to get set up as a part of the family. Instructions on how to create an e-mail and Skype account, obtain a phone extension, and submit billing information are included. Screenshots, and links to external websites may accompany some of the more complex instructions, making the Wiki as foolproof as possible.

Aside from accomplishing tasks and providing a one-stop shop for all of Fueled's resources, our Wiki also introduces everyone to our unique culture. Every new employee, for example, is required to write a haiku on their first day.

Especially in the tech sector, it's unlikely that you'll be doing a lot of printing or scanning. We can't remember the last time we did any of that. Some industries, such as healthcare or law, may be old fashioned or underfunded, leaving them accustomed to hard copies. Any office, however, can find at least a few ways to save money in the long run by using less paper.

Author Bio  
This article is written by Jeremy Rappaport  from Fueled, an award winning mobile app design and development house based in New York and London.