Do more with your documents

Does your office contain filing cabinets full of documents, lever arch files and folders? What about agreements, contracts, invoices, purchase orders, delivery notes, staff training manuals and paperwork that you just daren’t throw away in case you may need them again? Of course it does!

These papers are vital to your company and will contain masses of information about your customers, suppliers, staff training and personnel records.

But whilst they’re filed away, it’s likely that you’re not getting the most of the data they hold. There could be contact details, renewal dates and all sorts of other intelligence that, because to garner any information you’d need to go through it all manually, is sitting in wait.

And what if someone loses the filing cabinet key? What if an employee loses an original training or technical manual? What if your business is devastated by floods as we’ve seen recently for many Cumbrian businesses?
Scanning your documents and files isn’t just about storing them electronically to save time, space and having a disaster recovery backup. It’s about getting more from the information you hold.

Here’s two examples of how companies have made more of their paperwork:
• Solicitors’ case notes and files can be shared on a network between partners and associates. This speeds up the day-to-day work and saves thousands of pounds on time spent filing. Documents can also be accessed from home or on the move from our secure website. Savings will be made on paper, photocopying and postage.
• Written Personal Development Plans (PDPs) are used by many companies to uncover and develop the training needs of their staff.

However, in many cases HR departments struggle to compile the large amounts of assessments submitted by numerous management personnel that often have their own methods of reporting.

By scanning the PDPs and collating the data, we save time and money for the HR staff. The process of clarifying and detailing the needs of the workforce itself ensures that action is taken and training, where necessary, is given.

This is how scanning could help your business:
• Save time: Access to all of your documents without leaving your desk
• Save money: Admin staff spend 30% of their time on organising documents and offsite box storage can be expensive
• It’s a sales tool: Update customer records and capture renewal dates useful for contacting clients
• It’s safe and secure: Electronic backup and offsite copies kept in case of fire or flood

Contact me for a compliance sheet relevant to your industry showing what your regulatory bodies say about information stored electronically.

Steve Smith, managing director, ScanCapture.