Paper has worked just fine for over 2,200 years. Why change now?

This isn't a naïve or uninformed question, and it is not a question that you should shy away from asking! As the world's information increasingly changes from physical to digital formats, your answer to this question will help you and your organization make decisions that are right for you.

In a 2009-2010 survey on capture trends, AIIM (The Association for Information and Image Management) asked businesses with 10 or more employees what their reasons were for document scanning in their organizations.

The three top reasons were:

• Improved search for documents
• Improved security and accessibility of documents
• Improved productivity

Improved customer service and freeing up office space were close behind these top three reasons. All of these benefits tend to be based on our personal experiences with digital information. When we have a question, we "Google" it and have answers in fractions of a second. We have near-instant communication through email. We are able to log into a secure banking site and download our statements and tax forms.

In contrast, who hasn't worked around stacks of paper, lost papers, had troubles sharing papers, or waited for papers to be delivered? If you handle the supply order for your office, you have probably noticed that paper consumes a significant portion of your budget as well.
 

These are common-sense, real benefits to going digital. Why, then, are businesses and individuals still largely dealing with paper documents instead of converting them to scanned images that can be stored, secured, backed up, and searched online?

Put simply, going digital can be expensive. It takes time, it takes effort, and it takes money. AIIM's survey found that the two biggest barriers to scanning were resistance to change and demonstrating the return on investment (ROI) for going digital.



The good news is that scanning does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Making good decisions up front regarding WHAT is scanned and HOW it is scanned can make the process quicker, easier, and cost-effective. Focus on documents that are accessed often, that are accessed simultaneously, and that you require quick access to. If the document does not meet these criteria, it probably isn't a good choice for starting an office scanning project.

Unless your office is just starting up, you probably already have a significant amount of documents in filing cabinets and desk drawers. This is often referred to in the scanning business as the “backfile” or your “legacy” documents. Depending on the size of your backfile, trying to scan it all in house may cripple your staff from taking care of your ongoing business needs.

Before you start, ask yourself:

• Does the whole backfile need to be scanned, or just parts of it?
• Would it be more practical to just scan “day-forward” (meaning you scan ongoing, new papers entering your business but do not worry about the backfile, at least for now)?
• Could backfile documents just be scanned on an as-needed basis?

If you decide to convert your backfile to scanned, digital images, you may want to contact a reputable, local company that specializes in document scanning. These “scanning service bureaus” have extremely high-speed, accurate scanners designed for volume conversions, along with trained staff who specialize in sorting, preparing, and scanning documents quickly. Your total cost of converting your legacy documents using a scanning service bureau versus investing in the technology, training, and staff to scan the documents in-house will typically be much, much lower.

If the world of digital documents is new to your organization, the place to start may be on your own desk. Scanning, digital storage, and search technologies that would have been cost-prohibitive to any but the largest of companies just ten years ago are now available at low-cost or even no-cost for individuals and small businesses with just a little research and ingenuity. Investing in a low-cost scanner to organize the documents that you use on your desk can give you ideas on how to scan and organize documents for your entire company or department.

i/oTrak specializes in helping organizations of all sizes deal with their specific paper challenges in an easy, open, cost-effective manner. For more information on how we can help make dealing with paper easier in your professional life, contact one of i/oTrak's solution specialists for a free assessment.