The Paperless Approach

We all know ways we could be greener and more responsible. Some methods are simple, like making sure we throw that coffee cup in the right bin. Others, like choosing a bicycle over a combustion engine, take more effort. And then there are green technologies, like alternative energy or hybrid cars, with upfront costs many people can’t afford.

But, ideally, shouldn’t sustainable living come as easily as choosing the recycling bin? One Seacoast business owner has found a few simple ways to use technology to not only conserve resources, but to increase efficiency as well.

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance (PAI) has been a paperless business since signing its first policy in 2005, which is no small feat in an industry that’s known for piles and piles of paperwork. Their secret is really no secret at all: computers and the Internet. While these are technologies that are often blamed for impeding workplace efficiency, this isn’t a problem at PAI. Instead, the business takes advantage of a management program by a company called Applied Systems that is designed for insurance companies and allows them to use all the same documents, just digitally.

“I’m able to access clients’ documents immediately. I don’t have to go digging around in a file cabinet,” says Merwin. “In a small location, there’s no file space whatsoever.” Saving space by foregoing filing cabinets doesn’t just make for less-cluttered work environment – it saves money. Employees can spend more time helping customers and less time looking for documents, and smaller offices have smaller energy bills.

Another way Merwin has reduced his company’s reliance on paper is by getting rid of the conventional fax machine. Fax machines area sluggish and inefficient technology by today’s standards, but many people still rely on them as a primary way to send and receive documents. Merwin has replaced his company’s fax machine by subscribing to an E-Fax service. With E-Fax, outgoing files can be sent directly from a computer to a fax machine, and incoming documents are automatically converted to PDFs and integrated into the management system – no printing necessary.

“Overall, even though we pay to use the management system, it’s cheaper,” says owner Jon Merwin. “We e-mail out 90% of applications. For every policy we have to get a signed application. If we weren’t using this system, we would have to print the application, mail it, then wait for the client to fill it out and return it in the mail. With this system, all we need is an electronic signature.” 

Of course, not everyone PAI deals with is quite so tech savvy, so paper is still necessary around the office. However, after the physical documents have been scanned and loaded into the management system, they are shredded and put out on the curb with the recycling.

“I only have to buy one case of paper about every three months,” says Merwin.

Another green feather in Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance’s cap is their membership in the Green Alliance. The Portsmouth-based green business union and sustainable consumer co-op helps individuals think more about the environmental impact of the goods and services they use on a daily basis while supporting businesses’ sustainability efforts.  Through advocacy, education and discounts the Green Alliance makes green buying easy and affordable.  Additionally the Green Alliance certifies local businesses green so that consumers can know the specific details of each business’s sustainability efforts; Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance earned a 7.21 out of a possible 10 and has been designated a Bud in the organization’s Green Report Card system.  It’s a score the insurance agency is quite proud of.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this cutting-edge organization,” explains Jon Merwin.  “It’s really allowed us to tie ourselves very closely to our sustainability initiatives and collaborate with other local green businesses as well as let our customers know that we care about reducing our environmental footprint.”

Merwin shows that he takes that idea to heart through the companies he chooses to do business with. For large printing jobs, Merwin uses local company RAM Printing in East Hampstead, New Hampshire. RAM Printing is the first New Hampshire business to receive Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification and holdsa Rainforest Alliance certification as well. For in-office printing, Merwin now buys all his printer ink cartridges from Soy Print, a company that makes soy ink cartridges that are compatible with standard printer brands. Choosing to do business with these local companies supports not only the environment, but the local economy as well.

But Merwin does recognize that his paperless approach can be an undertaking and isn’t for every business.

“For a lot of agencies out there, it’s a big decision to switch over,” he says. “They’d have to scan in thousands of documents that span years. We were lucky enough to get a firsthand look at how the paperless management system worked because the agency we were partnered with at the time used one. We actually had a paperless system from the get-go.”

“It just seemed to make sense.”

Visit Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance at www.portsmouthatlanticins.com

Learn about other ways to be a green business by visiting the Green Alliance at www.greenalliance.biz