As South African organisations reach the mid-year mark and review how their records are stored, retrieved and protected, Paper Trail is drawing attention to the role that structured Document Management Software plays in keeping information organised across a business. The Johannesburg-based provider, part of Egis Software, builds tools that help companies move away from scattered paper files and disconnected folders towards a single, searchable record of the documents they rely on every day.

Paper Trail operates from Highlands North in Johannesburg and works with organisations across property management, fleet services, retail, travel, banking and manufacturing. Its platform is built around the idea that a document is only useful when the right person can find it quickly, act on it, and trust that it has been handled correctly. That principle sits behind the company's approach to Document Management, which combines scanning, indexing and workflow so that information does not sit idle in a drawer or an inbox.

Why records management matters now

Many businesses spend the middle of the financial year assessing how well their internal processes are holding up. Remote and hybrid working has made it clear that teams cannot depend on physical filing rooms or a single office to access what they need. A well-run document management system gives staff a way to reach approved records from wherever they work, while keeping a clear trail of who viewed or changed a file. For sectors that carry regulatory obligations, that visibility is not a convenience but a requirement.

Paper Trail addresses this by turning printed and digital material into content that can be searched in full. The platform uses optical character recognition and barcode recognition to read incoming documents, along with image enhancement and page separation so that scanned material is clean and correctly ordered. Once captured, files become part of a repository where they can be found by their content rather than by remembering where someone happened to save them.

A platform built from practical modules

The company groups its capabilities into focused modules that reflect the real tasks businesses face. Electronic Content Management handles the organisation of digital assets, while dedicated hubs cover specific work. LeaseHub manages lease documentation and tenant screening for property teams. PeopleHub supports the employee lifecycle for human resources functions. CreditorsHub automates accounts payable, and TravelHub collects supplier invoices using OCR and robotic process automation. PaperTrail Sign adds an electronic signature option so that approvals can be completed without printing a page.

This modular design means an organisation can start with the area that causes it the most difficulty and extend from there. A property manager might begin with lease records, while a finance team might prioritise supplier invoices. In each case the underlying document management approach is the same, which keeps the experience consistent as more of the business comes on board.

Automation that saves working hours

Paper Trail states that its automation is designed to save hundreds of working hours by removing repetitive handling from everyday processes. Instead of routing paperwork by hand, staff define a workflow once and let the system move documents through approval, storage and retrieval. This reduces the small delays that build up when a file has to be located, copied or forwarded, and it lowers the risk of a record being lost or duplicated along the way.

The company supports its clients with 24/7 assistance and customised training, so that teams are able to use the platform in a way that suits their own structure. Named users of Paper Trail include IHS Property Management, FirstRand, FNB and Standard Bank, reflecting the kind of document-heavy environments the software is built to serve.

Looking ahead through the second half of the year

As businesses plan for the remainder of 2026, the pressure to manage information responsibly is unlikely to ease. Compliance expectations, distributed teams and the sheer volume of documents flowing through an organisation all point in the same direction. Paper Trail positions its software as a practical way to bring that material under control, so that records stay accessible, auditable and secure without adding manual work for the people who depend on them.

Readers can find full details of the platform and its modules on the Paper Trail website at https://www.papertrail.co.za/.

About Paper Trail

Paper Trail is a South African document management software provider based in Johannesburg and operating as part of Egis Software. It offers electronic content management, document automation, workflow and records solutions through a set of focused modules, helping organisations in property, finance, travel, retail and other sectors capture, store and retrieve their documents in one searchable system.

Media Contact
Paper Trail
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +27 11 880 4411
Website: https://www.papertrail.co.za