Organization can be difficult, especially when working with computers that have a search function for every level of file and folder. This can make digital documents and document scanning sound worrisome, as without a good organization process you may worry that documents will be lost or corrupted within your computer network. If you’re worried that digital documentation will make organization even more difficult for you, consider these options.
Document Management System
A document management system is a simple way to ensure that you can master digital organization at your business. Once you have your paper documents scanned, this software will keep the documents organized in a manner you want, be it name, date, file size, organization and more. Depending on the document management system you use, you may even be able to interact with your documents through the software itself; this means that you truly only need to use this software to work with your documents, and don’t need to worry about organization at all.
A Cloud System
With digital documents, it’s likely that more than one person will need to access particular documents or paperwork at one time. By using a cloud based system to store your documents, digital organization will be a breeze. You won’t need to worry about where you’re keeping files or images, as they’re all stored on the cloud and accessible by everyone. Depending on how your company is structured, your IT department will likely take care of the day to day maintenance of your cloud, and you won’t need to worry about misplacing documents.
Internal Storage
If you’re simply trying to organize your documents on your own computer or on a master company server, there are a few ways to make this easier. Consider:
- If you’re a B2B business, have folders for each client you have and name them according to their name.
- Use folders named by document type to ensure that you know exactly what is within, ie: marketing materials, reports, invoices and receipts, and otherwise.
- If a document fits into two or more categories, copy the document and place it in multiple folders with *copy* within the file name.
- Using dated folders within folders to organize documents by month or year is a simple way to keep timely items together.
- If you have legacy information, create a folder for these documents on their own in the main directory, as to not confuse it with more timely docs.
- Try organizing files within their given folders by date modified; this will keep most recent information at the top.
When you’re trying to master digital organization, these few simple solutions should be an easy way for you to get the hang of things. For more information on digital organization or document scanning, contact us at MES!