Many organizations using a document scanning service feel safer using on-site scanning services. Although on-site document scanning doesn’t necessarily mean the process will be more secure, it can prove to be more cost-effective when handled properly. Here we offer tips on preparing your documents for on-site document scanning services to ensure the process goes smoothly.

Taking on a document imaging project involves organizing by the type of document, integrating document management software, and staying committed to the goal. Many document imaging projects fail because of hardware and storage issues. Being limited by the technology you choose is a big setback in and document scanning project. Fortunately, you can avoid setbacks by getting organized early.

You’ve decided to become a paperless office—great move!—and the first thing you need to decide is how to find the right document scanning company to digitize your old paper records. Paper records are critical assets. They’re your documented business history. When you choose a scanning company, your documents must be in safe and reliable hands throughout the chain of custody. 

Did you know that it can actually cost companies up to $20 in labor to file their own documents? Surprisingly, it can even cost hundreds of dollars in labor to fix misfiled documents and resend lost paperwork too.

The end of the fiscal year can be an overwhelming time for your business, no matter what industry your company is in. From small businesses to enterprise corporations, the fiscal year end means seemingly endless filing, reporting, planning and ensuring that every piece of important documentation from the past year is taken care of. When your office or offices run off of paper documents and invoices, it can be very difficult to get important work done on time, as documents are passed between hands and departments.

Recent advances in document imaging have allowed historical records, photos, books and many other types of significant artifacts to be preserved for future generations in digital form. Today, there are countless initiatives worldwide working to digitize and catalogue important information not only to prevent its deterioration, but to make it accessible to a larger audience.

Managing documents is not at the top of an entrepreneur’s favourite activity list. Maintaining original records has long been a dilemma for companies of any size. In the past, businesses that generated a high number of transactions were inundated with paper in the form of invoices, receipts, reports, correspondence and tax returns. Papers were shuffled from desks, cash registers and retail counters into banks of filing cabinets and eventually into boxes in some sort of storage area. As time passed and the business grew, the problem of document storage and retrieval became more and more acute. Space that should be used to generate income became dead space. Revenues that could be reinvested were used to pay for more and more storage.

So you've decided to take the plunge and scan all those paper files that have been cluttering up your office for decades. The cabinets upon cabinets of paper that have caused you and your staff to lose countless hours searching for lost or misplaced records. Finally, everything is going to be available right from your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. This is a terrific move and one many before you have taken; but where do you start?