The ratio of file drawers to person was 8:1 in the old space and will be 1:1.8 in the new space.

• The total number of file drawers was reduced by 1,169, a 78% decrease.
• We purged, recycled and/or digitized 6.06 million pieces of paper--that's 89% of what we started with when we originally dusted off the file cabinets, many of which hadn't been touched in a decade. Apparently, our employees, once they actually looked at the document, no longer felt the “just in case” moment was coming.

Those are interesting stats, but I'm sure you're asking—what do they mean to me? Well, if your company occupies real estate, and almost all do, consider this:

• By digitizing our files the rentable square footage dedicated to paper storage was reduced from 5,630 square feet to 1200 square feet.
• The 4,430-square-foot reduction results in an estimated total cost savings of more than $2-million over the 10-year lease term.

If that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will.

Now getting back to productivity, once files are digitized the information becomes searchable and accessible with a click of a button, saving employees valuable time and improving overall work performance. With a little training, anyone who can use a smart phone or a tablet can learn to access files on-the-go. Sharing documents—over a network, the cloud, or email—is also enhanced as the process is as simple as a few clicks.

Finally, another obvious benefit to going paperless is it creates a “greener” workplace—saving trees, reducing pollution and producing less waste. During our digitization process, we recycled approximately 924,800 pounds of paper, sparing the lives of 413 trees. And with our go-forward commitment to electronic documents, will continue to significantly reduce CBRE's paper use for years to come.

Key Factors to Improve Effectiveness

Throughout this process, there were a lot of lessons learned, many of which we are sharing with our occupier clients who are, or will go through, similar transitions. A few of the keys to success we found are:

• Required Desktop Tools.Every work station is equipped with two computer monitors and a laptop docking station. Dual monitors allow employees to open documents simultaneously and work efficiently, as well as reducing the need for printing. Server capacity, a critical component, was also increased on-site.
• Scanning Standards. CBRE scanned all documents with Optical Character Recognition to enable employees to search by keywords and locate documents in a matter of seconds. Not surprisingly, this solution is easier and more mobile than the traditional “paper pile” in the corner.
• The importance of effective change management strategies.We began the digitization process in the last six months of our old office in order to have the system in place before moving. This allowed employees time to become comfortable with the technology and adapt to new work habits, while having the security of a traditional system in place.Heading into the move many employees knew they could move themselves since they are fully electronic.

• Cloud Storage Solution.A cloud-based Enterprise Content Management solution is critical for enhanced mobile document access as it is far easier than the traditional network login. CBRE is working with Box.net as their solution offers great flexibility—synched files, shared folders, controlled security, etc.—which can be tailored to meet the specific needs of an employee, team, or business unit.

Like with any major change, there will always be detractors and those who prefer the status quo, but the majority of our occupier clients, if they have not already converted, are seriously considering the compelling reasons to transition to a paperless work environment. The increasing pervasiveness of mobile technology is the market force driving all of us in this direction, whether we like it or not.

Berick Treidler, national director of CBRE Strategic Advisory Services, is based in CBRE's Downtown Los Angeles. Treidler has been an active leader in the design of CBRE's new Corporate Headquarters space, providing oversight in multiple aspects of the change management process, including leading a committee dedicated to document digitization and management. He has been involved in commercial real estate consulting and appraisal since joining CBRE in 1987. The views expressed in this column are the author's own.