Team Paper or Team Digital? This is where opinions differ
Top tips on staying organised in a digital world
Some people still prefer paper, while others are more than happy to be free of filing and shelves full of folders. Our Customer Advisory Council is divided, with valid reasoning backing up both camps. We’re of the opinion that the future is digital. It might take a bit of getting used to, but it’s possible to stay organised in a digital world. You might even find that you end up being more organised than ever. We have some top tips to help you go paperless.
Are members of our Customer Advisory Council on Team Paper or Team Digital?
As a family:
- Thomas B. from Ormalingen has a strict folder system:
“I find it much easier in a family with children to print out statements and go through them on paper rather than scrolling online. I file receipts by person.” - Susanne L. from Bettlach ditched folders ages ago:
“As a family, we have so many invoices and statements that we’d be filling folder after folder. With everything being stored on the customer portal over the years, I can access records whenever I need them.”
As a legal guardian:
- Heidi N. from Döttingen needs physical paperwork:
“I take care of my parents’ payments for them. I’d lose track if I didn’t have everything on paper.” - Mike S. from Basel couldn’t cope with huge stacks of paper:
“I’m the legal guardian for people who need care and receive a lot of invoices. I’m happy that I don’t end up with paper copies of everything.”
For payments:
- Peter F. from Aesch heads to the post office:
“I pay my bills in person at the post office and I don’t want to hand over my smartphone to the staff there.”
(Sympany recommends: Use a payment method that doesn’t involve any fees.) - Ursula K. from Solothurn pays in a matter of clicks:
“Since eBill was introduced, it’s even easier to go paperless. When I get a notification on my smartphone, I open the app, check that the invoice is correct and confirm the payment. It’s as simple as that. Plus, Sympany stores all the documents for me.”
For authorities:
- Ruth L. from Basel sends and receives letters:
“I have to submit documents to the authorities every so often, but I don’t have a printer. Receiving all the papers through the post is by far the easiest option for me.”
(Sympany says: Even authorities tend to do things digitally these days. They accept paper, but it’s not the only option any more.) - Nicole W. from Eptingen has switched to PDFs:
“Now that you can do almost everything online, I never need to print out documents any more. You can even sort out your taxes online now and upload your receipts as PDFs. This means I don’t need a paper cost overview any more either.”
How to stay organised in a digital world
- mySympany is here to help with lots of great features
You don’t necessarily have to download your documents because you can view them any time in mySympany. You also have the option to print them out from there if you need to. They’ll be accessible for the duration of your policy (from the moment they’re available in digital format) and even a few years after it ends.
mySympany offers a number of features to help you stay on top of things:
- People overview: You can view the insurance policies and paid benefits for each family member on the mySympany home page.
- Payment overview: Under ‘Invoices’, you can view all the invoices your family has received. You’ll be able to see which bills have already been paid and which are still outstanding along with any reimbursements you’ve received.
- Filters: You can find all your digital documents under ‘Documents’. You can filter your documents, for example by type (policies, invoices, tax certificates, etc.), or choose to view just your unread documents.
- Notifications: Under Settings > Documents & Notifications, you can update your notification settings so you receive an email or push notification when you receive new documents. That way, you won’t miss anything.
- Don’t worry about accidentally clearing your notifications if you’re using the app. You’ll see the number of notifications next to the app icon. This will let you know that you’ve received new documents or messages, so you can log in and have a look.
- Log in instead of filing
We don’t always log in straight away when we receive notifications, so it can be easy to forget that there’s something requiring our attention. Why not make it a routine? Perhaps you’ve always sorted out your paperwork and filing once a week. Instead, you could try logging into mySympany twice a month to see what’s new. We’d suggest you log in halfway through the month and again at the end of the month. This way, you can check your monthly premium invoices and any benefit statements you receive in the meantime since these need paying within four weeks.
- Use eBill
eBill is used for electronic billing. You receive invoices directly in your online banking – and that’s also where you pay them. You’ll get an eBill notification when you receive a new invoice. It only takes a few clicks to check and pay your invoices. And you don’t have to worry about missing an outstanding invoice. You can always check under ‘Invoices’ in mySympany and on the eBill portal in your online banking. You’ll never miss an invoice. Give eBill a go here: Demo portal >
Direct debit is another convenient paperless payment method.
- Create folders
Do you prefer to download your digital documents? You can easily set up a digital filing system. Create folders to store your documents in whichever way works best for you. You could have a folder for each policy, each person or each invoice type. Or something else entirely that makes sense to you.
Be brave!
Going digital doesn’t have to be difficult. If you do ever get stuck, you can find plenty of help in the mySympany FAQs.
Other advantages of mySympany
- View copies of invoices from service providers: Lots of hospitals and doctors bill Sympany directly. They have to send you a copy of the invoice so you can check it. Many service providers use their own platforms to send you invoices securely. But you have to register with them and log in separately. Sympany makes all received invoices available to you in mySympany so you can access them all in one place.
- Contact customer service: Want to ask a question about a document? Simply select ‘Messages’ in mySympany and write to us directly. Messages are encrypted, making them even more secure than emails.
- Submit invoices with ease: You can upload invoices to mySympany or use the photo tool on the app. Once you’ve submitted an invoice, it’ll automatically appear under ‘Documents’ later on.
