As organizations around the world move to digital, government agencies can't afford to be left behind. After all, they have millions of records and sensitive documents to protect. That's why digital transformation and IT modernization are necessary for government agencies to protect vital information assets, improve information accessibility for citizens, and keep up with citizens' increasing demands for easy online accessibility of services and speedy resolution of requests and queries.
As the volume of paperwork is enormous in government departments, moving to completely paperless operations is neither quick nor easy. However, with citizens demanding faster response times and more customer-friendly procedures, government agencies have started to adopt digital technology in great earnest.
What can government agencies accomplish through digitization?
- Efficient data management: Government agencies deal with large volumes of citizen data. Unless this data is correctly categorized, it cannot support them in rendering efficient citizen services. It is essential to classify documents accurately and identify records for archival, retention or deletion. Organizing documents and maintaining their retention schedules is easier with digitization.
- Adherence to compliances: Government agencies have to adhere to strict regulatory compliances regarding citizens' data. Digitized document management systems make it easier to control access, adhere to retention schedules, and maintain data privacy compliance through tools like auto-encryption.
- Monitor data: Governing bodies are responsible for upholding laws and policies. They must monitor data and information at several levels to ensure that rules and procedures are applied and followed according to government guidelines. Digitization enables this monitoring and makes the process more structured and accurate.
- Audit-proof reporting: Digitized documents make audits a breeze. Faster information retrieval, traceability and accuracy in reports ensure painless audits.
- Data-driven decision-making: Document digitization makes data readily available for analysis. Analyzing data to support decision-making is a significant benefit of digitization.
Document imaging: An effective first step
Federal, state, and local public sector bodies store mountains of data and sensitive information. The time, effort, and staff it needs to ensure compliance during storage is considerable.
Document imaging and document management services can serve as the first step in this direction. In fact, document digitization may now be the only feasible option for managing the massive influx of incoming paper mail and physical records that government bodies routinely process.
Scanning and document management services can benefit various government departments and agencies ranging from courts, law enforcement, and motor vehicle departments to public health and safety, energy, and natural resources departments.
Departments that adopted document management solutions have reported significant improvements to their everyday operations. Experienced service providers offer document imaging and turnkey document management solutions and digitize everything from paper to microfilms and microfiches. Advanced technology streamlines the entire process from scanning, data capture to indexing and storage.
Document scanning: What government bodies stand to gain
Let's look at the advantages of digital records management for government agencies:
Ease of storage and retrieval
Paper-based records take up expensive storage space, and it can be a nightmare to search out a specific document from large storage areas. Once government agencies switch from paper to digital, the electronic files are stored in specialized, secure data centers or cloud storage facilities and retrieved via the document management system's search function.
Protection from physical damage
Paper records are vulnerable to data loss from physical damage or destruction due to accidents. Once documents are digitized, affordable and automatic data backups prevent information loss due to natural disasters and general wear and tear.
Reduced cost
Manual document systems have to factor in costs of printing, filing and storage space. In addition, they require team members to invest time and effort in storing and retrieving data when needed. Digital records help organizations do away altogether with these costs.
Increased customer focus
Citizens require access to many kinds of information available with government agencies. If government agencies make information available to them at the click of a button, it results in an immediate and welcome boost to their image and reputation! In addition, staff members can access information in real-time, retrieving old records quickly, and serve their customers better with faster response times. That's a win-win for all!
An experienced scanning service provider like MES offers digital end-to-end scanning and document management solutions.
MES provides customized services to organizations of all sizes in both the private and public sectors. We are well-versed with regulatory compliances while dealing with various government agencies.
Reach out to us to understand how your government agency or department can benefit from our services and put you on a definitive path to digital transformation!