Companies are always on a constant lookout for ways that could make their work efficient and more productive. Documents management is the first and most effective method to achieve that aim. Thus, offices scan papers to digital format to improve access and save space.
Panini.com comes in handy by manufacturing excellent scanners to aid in the process of document scanning in businesses. They produce the latest digital versions available scanners to ensure you have documents that will be viable and useful over a long time.
While scanning documents is beneficial, digital materials may have a shorter lifespan than paper materials as software and hardware transform every three to five years. Digital materials are records and some records require retention periods. These periods may exceed the technology lifespan required to use and display them, thus businesses should look into some issues as they launch scanning projects.
Ask the questions below before digitizing records in your business
Before launching digital scanning projects of documents in a business, look into the following questions. If the answers to the questions turn out to be negative, scanning might not be the best use of business resources at that particular time.
- Are there no better digital versions available? Before using a particular digital version to scan documents, a business should ensure the latest for the longevity of use. Using an old version could mean that soon it will be phased out, rendering it useless.
- Does your business plan on carrying out scanning of the office of record?
- Are the materials historically unique or in formats different from the digital versions available? Ensure that you maintain the originality while scanning documents at all costs; otherwise, you might decide to have them in paper form.
- Will the material be disposed of in less than one year according to the retention schedule? Scanning the documents will not be necessary as they will be disposed of soon, which will be a waste of the business resources.
With document scanning in your business, you will achieve better storage systems, greater security controls, superior efficiency, and easier retrieval of documents. The tips below point out how the digitization of records proves to be beneficial to your business:
- Centralized storage and updating
Scanned documents can easily be store in one location where they are easily accessible. Thus, all employees know where to access the information they required without going through a lot of hustle. Since all information is centralized at a specific place, updates are made visible to all workers with minimal effort. It is less complicated for employees to trace updates as both the old and new files are easily accessible.
- Quality security
Documents in the form of papers are vulnerable to lose, disasters, and even data theft. The digitally stored information is highly protected against these threats as the manager can monitor accessibility through password protection. Document scanning gadgets such as check reader machine ensure financial reports, pricing projections, confidential records, and client information are stored safely away from possible security breaches.
Many data protection software is available in the current technology to put greater access controls on your digital data. There are even ways to monitor which user accessed a particular document at what time. Digitization ensures easy and cost-effective data backup making digital documents free from the risk of disasters like floods or fire.
- Office space is saved
Papers storage implies arranging rows and filing cabinets that require constant maintenance, which is extremely tedious. Document scanning allows you to save up all the space occupied by paper documents and use it more effectively. Scanning can even eliminate the requirement for a large office, and using a smaller one reduces your rental cost. An environment where employees are buried under piles of papers and folders makes them frustrated about their job, which kills their morale. On the other hand, employees working in a less cluttered environment feel more satisfied, and their morale is boosted.
- Easy sharing
Co-workers can easily share digitized documents; thus, project teams and workers can conveniently share important business records enhancing collaboration. A business can also easily share digitized documents with its clients and external parties efficiently. Sharing documents is more beneficial to companies with a large client or employee base working at different locations due to collaboration.
- Time-saving
Storage of documents digitally helps save time that is required for filing, printing, and arranging papers. It is even more essential since employees do not waste time looking for a document in a pile of papers. Research states that most employees working in environments where paper documents are used averagely spend 50% of their time looking for documents. Digitization of documents makes document retrieval an easy task that is achieved in a few clicks. Thus, the business can put the saved time into revenue-generating activities, which enhances the business’s productivity.
Bottom Line
Document scanning makes a business environmentally responsible as it cuts down consumption of ink, stationery items, and papers which reduces carbon footprint, enhancing a greener planet. Thus, document scanning is crucial to streamline your work processes and improve your workplace productivity. An environmentally responsible business also attracts clients since it has an impressive reputation.