Document Scanning Offers Effective Records Management

A recent survey of records managers and executives found that there’s a digital gap dividing many businesses from effective records management. The report, conducted by Ole Business Services, found that while 91 percent of businesses have a place to store paper records, just 70 percent have set up an electronic repository. Perhaps this is because most businesses equate document scanning with disaster recovery. Documents are often translated to electronic storage precisely because doing so protects the firm against unforeseen disasters such as flooding and fires. However, there are many other advantages to arranging for document scanning services, as we explore below.

More Consistent Regulation Compliance

Some industries are required to store documents for governmental review. For instance, a petroleum company must have records on hand to prove EPA compliance. Document scanning services often find that their customers are able to more consistently store the required documents following digital conversion. Although the Ole Business Services report didn’t mention why this is the case, we’re guessing that it’s because when documents are stored electronically, it’s easy to set up computer-generated reminders of when to scan a new round of documents.

Boost to Operational Efficiency, Departmental Cooperation and Customer Service

Here’s another advantage of document scanning, aside from disaster recovery: Documents that are electronically stored are much easier for the entire company to access. Instead of walking down the hall to fetch a reference, or calling another department or office for document retrieval, employees can simply access company documents via a central online storage system. This improves efficiency. (Of course, records managers and executives can assign various levels of document access for security purposes.) And although you might not expect it, many interdepartmental problems and customer service challenges can be solved by document scanning services. Different departments will find it easier to share documents, and customer service representatives will have an easier time providing superb service if they can quickly access customer records.

More Space

Once all of your crucial documents have been digitally scanned, you can move those bulky filing cabinets to storage. Many document scanning services find that their customers have more office space following document conversion.

If you’re considering document scanning services, Polygon is an excellent choice. We’re already experts in disaster recovery; documents are safe in our hands because we’re able to protect and scan documents as well as restore your hard copies should a major disaster occur.

[ Photo by: breahn, via CC License ]