How to Boost Productivity using Online PDF Tools
PDFs are efficient, secure, and universally compatible.
This makes them ideal for document safekeeping, online contracts, and much more.
While they are efficient on their own, with the use of the right online PDF tools, you can make them even more beneficial for your business. You can use them to:
- Protect your data
- Share files on projects
- Save space
- Easily access and edit
- Make it accessible to a broader audience
Still, this takes a bit of research and some adaptation. The end result, however, is always worth it.
With that in mind and without further ado, here’s how to boost productivity using online PDF tools.
Table of Contents
Easy and fast PDF collaboration
PDF files have made document and contract work more manageable than ever before. This can be a significant time-saver for people in HR or those juggling between many different contracts (like freelancers). Instead of going to the mail or undertaking a complex procedure, you must fill and sign.
This also automates the process of collaboration. You can create a contract, fill in the form, and allow others to complete it by adding elements of filling in the blanks.
The procedure is simple. You download a contract template and alter it to match your situation. Then, you send the link to the other party. They fill in the blanks and add their electronic signature to the contract. After this, the contract is complete and downloadable (in PDF form, of course) to both parties.
This is a common use of PDF in the modern business world, and many different platforms and SaaS tools offer the feature. Today, such tools can revolutionize the collaboration between remote teams.
You can even scan and fill out physical forms using your phone or tablet. All you need for this is a basic tool like Adobe Acrobat. This can further streamline e-signing, which is great for hybrid work environments.
Split and merge PDF files for easy document management
Document management is a significant challenge in administrative work. The ability to merge PDF files can help archive them more efficiently. It helps create better information resources by altering existing files and better organizing them.
Email communication is another reason why this is so important. Some email platforms will limit the number of attachments you can send in a single email. Well, by merging it all into a single PDF file, you’re actively solving this problem.
A single file is also a lot simpler to back up. Losing files due to file corruption may leave you without sensitive data without you even noticing. It might take a while to figure this out, but keeping everything in one file (with many backups) is a failsafe method. Data corruption is a serious threat, and you need a way to fight it.
Secure remote accessing
The modern workplace has evolved past anything we’ve seen in the past. While the traditional option of working from an office environment is still there, we also have the concept of remote work. Some people work in a hybrid environment, where they can work a couple of days per week from home. Moreover, people working from the office can sometimes use their personal devices (BYOD).
In other words, the modern workplace is more about efficiency and convenience than formality and format. Sharing and remote access are necessary for all these different working models to function. This is something you can get with online PDF tools.
Traditionally, PDFs were non-editable formats. Still, with unlocking tools, team members can easily edit these files. Unlocking the file requires a password. This way, the creator of the PDF can control who can access it. This is essential from the standpoint of data security.
On the same note, unlocking tools usually have a reliable security system. Role-based access and a robust firewall are in place to provide users with maximum protection.
Smooth digitalization
If you plan to transform physical files into a digital format, online PDF is the most efficient way. Even today, physical documents are standard in the business world. Sure, digital tools are eco-friendlier and more convenient. Nonetheless, a strong traditionalist current in the business community won’t go away anytime soon.
With the right tools, you can take advantage of the optical character recognition (OCR) feature. This is software capable of recognizing text even in handwritten notes. The potential behind this is incredible. Not only can this helps with signature verification, but it can also transform your handwritten notes into a digital format.
Rummaging through files will also become a lot less arduous. Just think about orientation in a handwritten note or a printed-out file. Sure, hours after you’ve printed/written them, it might not be a problem. How about in a week? What about a month or a year? With OCR, you can use ctrl+F and look for the phrase you’re looking for (or the closest phrase you remember).
Timesaving and easy customisation management
While PDF is probably not the first format you associate with time management, it can be quite efficient in this task. You can turn the right PDF template into a to-do list quite effortlessly.
Even beyond that, some PDF tools will provide you with a template for every opportunity. This means you will save hours upon hours of work on creating custom formats. Simply downloading the suitable template and customizing it for the occasion can turn a two-hour job into a 15-minute one. All these templates are printable, which also translates into the world of physical documents.
The next time you need this same template, you’ll know exactly where to find it. That’s the best thing about administrative work; when done right, you can easily automate it with templates. Here, no format exceeds PDF.
Online PDF tools can make your document management easier
In the end, PDF is just a format, and these tools are just that – tools. It’s not about what they can do; it’s about what you can do with them. Still, with each passing day, these tools, and the technologies behind them are becoming more sophisticated. Also, they are adapting to provide specific benefits to the modern workplace (which is becoming increasingly remote). As such, they are more than worth considering.
By Srdjan Gombar
Veteran content writer, published author, and amateur boxer. Srdjan is a Bachelor of Arts in English Language & Literature and is passionate about technology, pop culture, and self-improvement. His free time he spends reading, watching movies, and playing Super Mario Bros. with his son.