Contracts. NDAs. Compliance forms. Customer files. Receipts. They’re all documents, and most companies have vast quantities of important information – up to 90% of a business’s data, in fact – stored in hardcopy form. And managing all those physical documents can be a challenge. Document scanning services can help, and this guide will highlight some key benefits.
An Introduction to Document Scanning Services
Before examining some of the main benefits of scanning services, it’s important to have a clear definition of what they are. In essence, document scanning services are simply when a specialist IT firm takes care of a business’ scanning on their behalf.
The firm’s team will visit the business’ location, gather up their documents, and scan them into the system. This is all carried out according to high standards of security, ensuring that relevant rules and regulations are met and that the documents are treated with care and respect.
Key Benefits of Scanning Services
Like any other form of IT services, scanning services will cost money. However, with so many benefits, these services can essentially pay for themselves several times over. Here are some of the best benefits and key reasons to consider an investment in document scanning for your firm.
Saving Space Around the Office
In a typical office, documents are stored in filing cabinets or rooms. Those cabinets take up a lot of space, causing increasingly cramped working conditions for employees. And, as the number of documents increases over time, the issue only gets worse.
Just like how a move to the cloud can save small and mid-sized businesses tons of space, digitizing your documents can also open up lots of room around the office. As documents get scanned and saved, their physical forms can be shredded and safely disposed of if they’re not needed.
With the cost of office real estate on the rise in many states, every square foot counts. Freeing up some room could give you space for other office hardware, like extra workstations or a copier.
Saving Huge Amounts of Time
Here’s a frightening statistic – a Silicon Valley study found that workers can spend around two hours daily looking for documents. That’s a colossal amount of wasted time, and workers can easily grow frustrated and lose morale as they spend ages digging through filing cabinets for a specific form.
Document scanning services can completely prevent that problem. Once all your business files have been digitized, they can easily be sorted and organized into relevant folders. That way, whenever employees need to find something, they can just search for it on the digital system.
Not only can that save countless hours over an average year, but it can also boost workplace morale. With workers not having to waste their time rummaging around in filing areas, they’ll be able to focus on more important and fulfilling tasks.
Boosting Productivity While Saving Money
Ultimately, every business wants to be as productive as possible. But there are so many little things that can slow down your employees’ work rate, including document-related issues. As explained in the previous point, workers can spend ludicrous amounts of time searching for papers, for example.
Going digital with document scanning services changes the game. With workers wasting less time, they can get more work done in the average day. Productivity rises, profits increase, and the business does better as a result.
It’s the perfect solution for businesses that feel bogged down with outdated paper filing systems. And, in today’s hyper-competitive world, that boost to productivity could be the difference-maker to keep your company afloat.
Improved Audits and Compliance
In many industries, audits are essential. If you work in a field where you might be subject to a certain audit or discovery demand, you need to be able to provide the relevant documents in a rapid and efficient manner.
Unfortunately, if you’re still making do with an outdated, paper-based document storage system, you may struggle to comply. It can be difficult and immensely time-consuming to locate the precise papers you need, and failed audits can have dramatic consequences.
Once again, document scanning can make all the difference. If you have all key documents scanned into the system, finding them can take a fraction of the time. Plus, with digital versions of important files, there’s far less risk of key papers going missing or getting damaged.
Better Preparation for Potential Disasters
Imagine if there was a flood or fire in your office. Or some other natural disaster that destroys your documents. Or even a break-in, where thieves and intruders steal company files. Would your business be able to cope with that?
Well, even though they’re not pleasant to think about, disasters can strike without a moment’s notice. And they can wreak absolute havoc on any business, wiping out years of information in a matter of minutes.
However, if you happen to have your documents scanned and stored safely on computers, hard drives, or the cloud, even natural disasters won’t be able to stop you. You’ll easily be able to recover any files that have been damaged or lost in no time at all.
Ecological Advantages
Scanning isn’t just handy for improving your business’ day-to-day processes. It can help the planet, too! In fact, going paperless has a range of ecological benefits. And any business wanting to “go green” or cut down on waste should certainly consider digitizing its documents.
Each office wastes tens of thousands of sheets of paper every year, on average. By switching to a scanned, digital document database, your workers shouldn’t go through as many sheets or create so much waste.
Invest in Document Scanning Services Today
It’s clear to see that document scanning services can make a serious difference to any business. Space, money, and time can all be saved in vast quantities, and companies can become significantly more productive. Plus, the whole process can be quite quick if you employ the right firm.
So, if you feel your business could benefit from digitized documents, get the process started today. For document scanning services in Burnsville, Twin Cities, Fargo, Duluth, and St. Cloud, Metro Sales is ready to help. Contact us to learn more about our services and schedule your scan.