Dematerialisation of Business Documents

Dematerialisation: beyond signature

Dematerialisation refers to the complete replacement of paper documents and processes with their digital equivalents. It encompasses the digitisation of existing archives, the native creation of electronic documents, signature and archival with evidentiary value.

Electronic signature is often the entry point, but dematerialisation goes far beyond that.

Typical scope

• commercial flows: quotations, purchase orders, contracts, invoices

• HR flows: contracts, amendments, payslips, sick leave records

• procurement flows: requests, orders, supplier invoices

• financial flows: mandates, transfer orders

• internal documentary flows: service notes, procedures

The 4 steps of a dematerialisation project

1. Map paper flows

List all documents that the company issues or receives, their volume, their stakeholders, their lifecycle.

2. Prioritise by ROI

Start with high-volume, high-friction flows: commercial, HR, procurement as a priority.

3. Choose the tools

• electronic signature

• EDM (Electronic Document Management) for filing

• electronic invoicing (progressively mandatory)

• archival with evidentiary value

4. Deploy progressively

Pilot each flow separately: testing, training, rollout, ROI measurement.

Electronic invoicing: the obligation

Since 2024, electronic invoicing is becoming progressively mandatory in B2B in France. Timeline:

• large enterprises and mid-caps: 2026

• SMEs and micro-enterprises: 2027

Anticipate this deadline by dematerialising your invoicing flows now.

Measurable benefits

• Time saving: 30-50% on administrative processes

• Cost reduction: 50-80% on paper flows

• Traceability: each document timestamped and traceable

• Compliance: automatic legal archival

• CSR: reduced carbon footprint

Retention obligations

Even when dematerialised, documents must be retained according to legal durations:

• 10 years for commercial contracts

• 6 years for tax documents

• 5 years for employment contracts after termination

See retention of signed documents.

Common mistakes

• Wanting to digitise everything at once

• Not training teams

• Choosing tools that do not interface with each other

• Forgetting archival with evidentiary value

• Scanning without OCR (documents not searchable)

Use case: industrial SME

An SME of 120 people with 50 years of paper archives dematerialised in 18 months:

• months 1-3: electronic signature (HR + commercial contracts)

• months 4-6: dematerialisation of customer invoicing

• months 7-12: EDM and internal workflows

• months 13-18: digitisation of historical archives

Result: offices freed up from 200 m² of archives, 2 FTE redeployed, 2027 tax compliance anticipated.

How Certyneo helps you

Certyneo natively covers the "electronic signature + archival with evidentiary value" component of any dematerialisation project. Integrations with common EDM systems (GoogleDrive, SharePoint, OneDrive, Dropbox), API for complex automation.

Discover the Certyneo electronic signature solution

FAQ

Is electronic invoicing mandatory?

Yes, progressively from 2026 (large enterprises) to 2027 (micro-enterprises/SMEs).

Do I need to scan all paper archives?

No, prioritise active documents (last 10 years). The rest can be archived physically.

What cost for an SME?

Variable depending on scope: 5,000 to 50,000 € for a complete project.

Expected ROI?

Generally 1 to 2 years.

Risk of losing documents?

No if archival is with evidentiary value and redundant.

Conclusion

Dematerialisation is a structuring transformation project. Start with signature (quick gain), then extend. The ROI is measurable from the first few months.

Try Certyneo to send, sign and track your documents online simply, quickly and securely.