The CRM Science headquarters (A.K.A. The Cube) has no filing cabinets. No printer/copy/fax combos. No Post-itⓇ notes. No boxes upon boxes of copy paper and ink cartridges.
It’s something that surprises employees who are new to the idea of working without paper. However, they quickly find that it’s a more efficient way to work.
Embracing a Paper-Free Work Culture
CRM Science is saving trees every day internally, and our clients are empowered to adapt a paperless structure through Salesforce technology. The lab coat team embraces the paper-free revolution by combining the use of cloud-based applications and avoiding printing documents that can be viewed, stored, or signed electronically.
CRM Science Vice President of Operations Laura Assayag said the company has avoided the use of paper when possible since the company was in its infancy.
“It’s easy to keep everything organized when it’s stored electronically. There have been so many times that I need a printed document from home when I’m in the office and can’t access it,” said Assayag.
Beyond limiting the use of paper internally, CRM Science provides solutions for clients who want to ditch the filing cabinets and paper-driven processes in favor of unified systems on the Salesforce platform.
Utilizing the Salesforce platform is an inherently forest-friendly way to manage business operations. Forms printed on paper are replaced with mobile applications. Records are stored securely in the cloud rather than in filing cabinets. And reports can be seen on any device that can access Salesforce.com.
Salesforce exceeds global industry standards to ensure everything stored in Salesforce clouds are secure. According to Salesforce Co-Founder Parker Harris, "Nothing is more important to our company than the privacy of our customers' data." In fact, the company is so dedicated to data security that they created Trust.Salesforce.com, which provides transparent status details on service availability, performance, security, privacy, and compliance to instill trust and confidence.
Thoughts on Working in an Environmentally Sustainable Office
For the many Salesforce veterans on the lab coat team, working from a paperless office is second nature. However, CRM Science employees who are newer to the team learn to adapt to the paper-free lifestyle very quickly.
Here’s what some newer members of the team said about their experiences with paper at work:
Angela Michael
Office Manager
“I have worked for paper-heavy companies in the past and managed print operations, so I have seen the the costs and inefficiencies associated with paper usage.
If a company does not implement print protection on their machines, large amounts of copies are often mistakenly printed and never even used. And, some people prefer to read printed copies of documents versus using a computer monitor, so they will print large print jobs that are only going to be used once and then discarded. Many of those printed documents contain sensitive information, which requires more resources for properly destroying or storing physical copies.
Now that I’m working at CRM Science, I have learned to be less reliant on printing. I really utilize my skills to organize my work, and I use online tools like Trello, Jira, Google Drive, and Slack. It also allows me to keep all my work in an easily accessible place so I can find and share it.
My productivity and time management is more efficient. And, the office has a cleaner, streamlined look because we do not need filing cabinets, folders, printing machines, or anything like that. Not only are we helping the environment, but it allows the company to cut costs and be more productive in our day-to-day operations.”
Taylor Kingsbury
Technical Lead/Salesforce Developer
“When I was a college calculus professor, I would print 90 problem packets a week for my students. It was a good way to help students follow along with the problems I was working on, but it required a large amount of paper.
Since my field of work has changed, I haven’t had to use paper at the rate I was when teaching. Going paperless is important to me. It means doing my part, however small, to increase sustainability.”
Nick McMullen
Jr. Salesforce Developer
“In my previous job, we needed physical backups of documents and projects in case of an audit. This means every time a document changed, it would be printed and filed. Misplacing a physical document would cause confusion and chaos.
Every year, there were new ideas for the filing methods. We would devote time and effort to reorganizing our eight filing cabinets, which would inevitably fall back into disarray after a few weeks. It was very time-consuming to work this way, and we already had a cloud-based backup system for all of our work.
I got really good at taking notes at that job. I was constantly walking around with a notebook and a pen to take notes when I was given tasks.
Coming to CRM Science and using Trello for the projects was like waking up in heaven. I can ask questions about tasks on the task assignment card, and I no longer have to carry a notebook around at work since everything is waiting for me online.”
Ambre Juryea-Amole
Marketing Specialist
“During my first week at CRM Science, I reached for scratch paper to sketch a graphic before creating it in Adobe Illustrator. After searching for paper and coming up short, I noticed the white board hanging on the wall. So, I sketched my design on the white board and went along with my day.
I have had a few instances since then where I feel like I need paper to complete a task, but I always find a workaround.
CRM Science is the first company I have worked for that doesn’t have printers and filing cabinets. It took a little time for me to get used to it, but now I understand how advantageous it is to work without paper. I don't think I could ever”
Join CRM Science Salesforce Consultants
CRM Science as a whole values sustainability and preserving the natural environment. Our team minimizes the environmental impact of day-to-day operations by finding innovative ways to reduce waste. If that sounds amazing to you, join our team of Salesforce consultants, developers, and experts!
