Paperless Board Meetings: Expert Tips and How To’s

  • By: Josh Palmer
  • August 18, 2022
How to Go Paperless with Digital Board Books
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Going paperless with digital board books simplifies the process, keeps documents more secure, and helps organizations cut costs and improve efficiency.

A traditional board book typically includes cumbersome reams of paper filled with tons of data and information that make it difficult for board members to review and grasp quickly before a board meeting. Not to mention the administrative hassles involved in preparing, creating, distributing, and managing those traditional board books. 

Amid constant business disruptions and workplace uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses are reconsidering traditional processes and adjusting to digital solutions like virtual board meetings and digital board books. Utilizing technology, automated solutions like OnBoard’s Agenda Builder can help simplify operations. 

Let’s take a closer look at how easy it is to go paperless with electronic board books and gain better efficiency. 

Who Uses Digital Board Books?

Frankly, traditional paper board books are costly and time-consuming, especially in this digital age. Consequently, to effectively navigate the modern business environment, many organizations are increasingly implementing electronic board books from large to medium-sized corporations.

Organizations that use a digital board book include but are not limited to: 

  • Nonprofit organizations 
  • Learning institutions  
  • Financial institutions 
  • Professional associations 
  • Local public institutions  
  • Intergovernmental organizations 
  • Federal and state government authorities 
  • Public/state corporations 
  • Health care facilities 
  • Portfolio companies 
  • Homeowners and condo associations 
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Why Go Paperless With Electronic Board Books?

Boards benefit from more than just technological efficiency when using a digital board book. Below are 10 benefits of going paperless with an electronic board book

1. Time-saving 

Preparing paper board books is a time-consuming operation for administrators. Board members also spend countless hours reviewing them before a meeting. However, with an electronic board book, board directors can review the information in real time and instantly share it with other meeting participants. 

2. Cost-effective 

A digital board book is economical in the essence that it frees up a lot of time, money, and manpower involved in the preparation and running of the meetings. For instance, the costs of distribution, printing, photocopying, among others, simply go away. 

3. Instant Access to Documents 

Meeting files, often a bulky, thick stack of papers,  no longer create a physical burden. Instead, with the convenience of smartphones, laptops, and tablets, you gain immediate and 24/7 access to digital board books with just a few clicks. 

4. Simplified Process 

Board book preparation and distribution have never been more streamlined than now. Secretaries and administrators are no longer expected to manually gather, print, photocopy, and distribute meeting materials to board members. 

Instead, a board portal and digital board book automates and simplifies preparation and distribution to allow admins time to concentrate on achieving other organizational objectives. 

5. The Digital Age 

In a world where almost everyone is digitally connected, it’s no surprise that younger professionals (Gen-Z) and their Millennial counterparts increasingly prefer digital tools and automated solutions. Even so, all workers, regardless of age, tend to welcome new technologies to streamline operations. 

6. Workforce Productivity 

Imagine trying to reproduce board books to incorporate last-minute meeting agenda changes. Honestly, updating paper board books was a draining and demotivating task for administrators. The development of electronic board books allows a smoother flow and better accuracy while ensuring documents stay up to date. 

7. Enhanced Security 

Physical paper board books can easily get stolen, damaged, or lost. They may even get corrupted with misleading information if they fall into the wrong hands. Going paperless with electronic board books is more secure since digital papers are usually encrypted and protected with additional layers of security. 

8. Better Meeting Organization  

From live presentation tools to supporting extensions, a digital board book is an all-inclusive tool with features that allow better organization and effective board meetings. The platform facilitates the creation of effective meeting agendas and management of the meeting. 

9. Easy to Track 

Thanks to action-item trackers and other collaboration tools integrated into an electronic board book, monitoring user activity is a no-brainer. From document authorization access to meeting attendance, it creates accountability and improves audit and document safety. 

10. Environmental Concerns 

Amid the need for sustainability and the demand for companies to embrace green initiatives, going paperless with digital board books has never been more important. Less paper consumption and reduced carbon footprint make your organization environmentally-aware and responsible. 

How to Easily Start Using Digital Board Books

Follow these tips for implementing a successful transition into a paperless digital board book: 

  • Strategically prepare to discard documents: From scanning the physical papers to disposing of the paper documents, you need prior preparation. At OnBoard, we make the entire process easy by automatically generating paperless documents and organizing them in digital files. 
  • Explain the reason to the board of directors and other stakeholders: To remove all possible roadblocks, you need to involve nearly every concerned party. Make your board directors and other stakeholders understand that it’s a well-informed decision that benefits the entire organization. 
  • Put stringent measures in place: Board members and committees should generate reports in electronic formats so they’re easily integrated with the digital board book. This allows easy access to documents on electronic gadgets such as smartphones and laptops. Also, be sure to encourage applications and software for automation purposes. 
  • Implement proper training: Before implementing any new technology, it’s always advisable to train your staff, including the board of directors, so everyone is adept with the software. From demos to product guides, training is imperative for seamless adoption of the electronic board book. 
  • Roll out: After setting the stage, you should roll out your digital board book. Remember, properly following the initiation process is instrumental for an effective rollout. Eventually, the company and board of directors will relish the benefits of going paperless with your board book. 

Go Paperless With OnBoard!

As you can see, going paperless with digital board books isn’t that difficult. You stand to enjoy many benefits as an organization, including cutting costs and improving your efficiency and productivity. And using and storing documents on a cloud-based platform is better and safer than maintaining physical documents at your workplace. 

If you’re ready to go digital and paperless with your board book, request a free trial of OnBoard or get in touch with us and see how we can help you step up your meeting agendas and minutes. 

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About The Author

Josh Palmer
Josh Palmer
Josh Palmer serves as OnBoard's Head of Content. An experienced content creator, his previous roles have spanned numerous industries including B2C and B2B home improvement, healthcare, and software-as-a-service (SaaS). An Indianapolis native and graduate of Indiana University, Palmer currently resides in Fishers, Ind.