Want To Make Your Company Paperless? 5 Questions To Answer First
Posted on: 7 July 2021
Do you want to help your office become a paperless office by using document scanning? Before you jump into this huge, and often complicated, task, you should sit down with your team to find some important answers that will help you design the right system. What questions need to be answered? Here are five of the most important.
1. How Are Files Organized?
Begin your journey by considering how files are already named and organized. Many companies choose to emulate their physical files when planning their digital files. Think about how you access files. Do you look for client names, transaction dates, salesperson names, or jobs? The closer you can keep your scanned documents to these rules, the easier and more efficient the transition will be.
2. How Will Files Be Named?
Naming conventions refer to how files and documents are actually named in the computer system. Files in many companies' computer directories are often named haphazardly and without a set of ground rules. Their physical files may even have a lot of variation. Before you begin scanning and filing anything digitally, decide exactly how everyone will use the same names.
3. Who Needs Access?
Who actually needs to use your new organization system? How much access will they need, and to which directories? And who needs authorization to make changes? Establishing authorization will help your company avoid unexpected or accidental changes to the filing system. It also establishes clear responsibilities.
4. What Miscellaneous Files Exist?
Not all files are uniform and easy to organize. Every office has some unusual records that aren't easily categorized. You might have one big client, for instance, whose records must be organized differently than standard clients. Or you may occasionally get unique documents, such as licensing or legal notices, that need to be kept. Identify these miscellaneous documents so you can come up with a plan.
5. What Challenges Do You Face?
Brainstorm your possible challenges with your staff before you embark. Are documents dark, unusually sized, or inconsistent? Do you have trouble finding the time to work on organization? Does your office include those who are hesitant to make this change? Will you need to hire a scanning service, and how is your budget for it? Do some files need to be accessed in multiple ways? Asking these questions means you can address them as you design your program instead of retrofitting your methods later.
Where to Learn More
Want to know more about preparing for your switch to digital scanning? Start by meeting with a document scanning service provider like Indigital Inc in your area. With their help and guidance, you can craft a new system that will take your business into the 21st century.
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