Dealing with physical documents can be a nightmare for records managers, leading to stacks of papers, lost files, and inefficiencies that slow down the entire organization. But what if there was a way to eliminate those headaches? Read on to discover three common pain points and learn how digitizing your records can transform how you manage information.
Storage Space Constraints
The first pain point of records managers is storage space constraints. Physical records require significant storage space, and this space can become increasingly scarce and expensive over time as records accumulate.
Organizations, companies, and departments might have a hard time finding adequate space, which can then lead to overcrowded storage areas that make it difficult to retrieve specific files. You’ve likely experienced the frustration of trying to find a record by going into a closet or room where the records are stored and there’s stuff everywhere, and you don’t even know where to start. That’s the pain point.
How to avoid this? By digitizing those records. You can drastically reduce the need for physical storage space because now the files are in electronic format. If you have to keep the physical records even after you digitize them, you can send them off-site and have them stored with one of the big box storage companies, paying just pennies to keep them there while you’re still using the digital records.
If you don’t need the physical files anymore, once you’ve verified that all the digital records are complete, you can have the physical ones disposed of and not even have to worry about physical storage space at all. This will free up space, allowing you to use digital records and repurpose the area for something more productive than just storing boxes, files, or microfilm. Imagine using that space for innovation rather than clutter!
Risk Of Damage Or Loss
The next pain point of records managers is that physical records are vulnerable to damage from factors such as natural disasters. Fire, flood, water, and mold damage can all pose significant threats.
Additionally, physical records can easily be misplaced, lost, or stolen, especially if they’re not properly organized, labeled, or protected.
Digitization again offers a way to remove the risk of a natural disaster destroying your physical original copies.
However, even if you digitize and eliminate the physical record issue, you still need to protect the records in other ways when they’re in digital format. This can mean having multiple copies stored in different locations. If you’re hosting the records, ensure they are co-located so you have multiple locations hosting the data. Implement a backup disaster recovery plan so if something happens, like a natural disaster affecting one of your data centers, you’re still operational. This ensures you can switch to another set of your files that remain accessible even if one of your locations is compromised.
Also, when you remove the physical records from being accessed by people, you remove the risk of them being damaged, destroyed, or lost, at least in the physical form. When you have digital records, you can increase security by having permissions-based access. Only certain people can access those records. You can have two-factor authentication, so non-approved people cannot get access to that data. You can have audit trails, knowing exactly who accessed or looked at certain files. There are a lot of things you can do once records are in a digital format.
Lastly, even with all those protections in place, if they are not organized properly, it doesn’t matter what you do. You won’t be able to find them. If the files are not organized properly, what’s the point of protecting them if you can’t use them anyway? So, it’s important that you not only digitize to reduce the risk of damage, loss, and so forth, but you also need to index and digitally organize the files in a way that will allow you to most effectively use and access the data and images from those digitized records.
Inefficient Retrieval & Access
The last pain point is inefficient retrieval and access. When you are locating specific records in a large collection of physical documents, it can be time-consuming and inefficient. This can lead to delays in decision-making and hinder productivity. Particularly if records are stored off-site or across multiple locations, gaining access to the data and files you need can be an absolute nightmare.
So how do you avoid this? By digitizing your records and using a document management system, you can achieve quick and easy retrieval of information through searchable databases, indexed files, and text search functionalities. Implement a phased digitization approach by starting with the most frequently accessed records and gradually scanning the rest over time. This provides immediate benefits and demonstrates the value of digitization to other stakeholders in your company before tackling the bulk of the project.
Once you have digitized records, you will experience greater productivity. Locating, identifying, and accessing the files you need becomes much quicker. Depending on the document management system or storage method you use, you can even facilitate collaborative efforts. Additionally, tying back to the previous pain point about risk mitigation, digitization allows for backup, disaster recovery, and maintaining multiple copies of your data. This gives you peace of mind that even in the case of an unexpected event, your records will be available.
In Closing
Addressing the common pain points of managing physical documents is crucial for efficient operations. By embracing digitization, you can safeguard your records, boost accessibility, and streamline your workflows. Take the first step today towards a more organized and efficient records management process.
Next Steps
Reach out to us today! Click the “Get Your Quote” button below, fill out the form, and we’ll quickly reply to you to discuss your project.
Further Reading
Digitization Disasters! What NOT To Do With Your Project
You always hear about how to make a digitization project successful. But in this article we’re going to tell you what NOT to do so you can avoid a project disaster.
Ensuring Data Security During the Digitization Process
Choosing a scanning partner is tough. Knowing they’re keeping your records secure is tougher. Learn about different security aspects of a digitization project and how to check if they’re being followed.
4 Must-Ask Questions Before Digitizing Your Records
Before you start your digitization project, ask yourself these four questions to ensure you’re on the right path.