When you look into your office storeroom, are you overwhelmed by towering boxes, overstuffed cabinets and piles of paper? If you’re like most businesses, your organization could benefit from a better file storage and retrieval process that is more secure, cost-effective, compliant and accessible.
For many organizations, the key is working with a document scanning service.
What is Document Scanning?
Document scanning, which is also known as document imaging or document conversion, turns ordinary documents into usable and accessible electronic files.
Documents are put through a state-of-the-art, high-speed scanner device that converts the records into high-quality images. Document scanning services use professional equipment that can handle various paper sizes, from sticky notes to oversized drawings, and can scan a large volume of records at once.
Why Scan Paper Documents?
One of the most important reasons to scan documents is to ensure that critical data is securely backed up and accessible to mitigate information loss. Theft, damage, data breaches and disasters are major threats that businesses must consider and be prepared for. Working with a professional document scanning provider is one of the best ways to keep information secure throughout its lifecycle.
Document scanning services can also help your business:
- Free up office space
- Minimize paper storage before an office relocation
- Eliminate in-house document scanners and image capture software
- Decrease risks of theft and information loss
- Improve information security
- Enhance real-time employee collaboration
- Support a remote workforce
- Improve access to information
- Simplify compliance-related tasks and avoid hefty fines
- Reduce paper consumption
- Enhance disaster recovery processes
- Improve customer service
- Boost employee productivity
Types of Document Scanning Services
Scanning is so much more than running documents through a scanner and creating a digital format. Professional scanning services offer a diverse range of solutions with added capabilities that improve business processes, such as being able to edit and markup scanned images. High-quality scanners can also manage large format and small format documents and create black and white, colour and high-resolution images.
Common Document Scanning Services
Back-file Scanning Services
Back-file scanning is the process of converting bulk documents into digital formats. This is often the solution of choice of organizations with high volumes of pages that require regular document access. Converting all or selected volumes of historical records can be beneficial for businesses of all sizes and in varying industries that have multiple users that search and access the same files simultaneously.
Day-forward Scanning Services
Day-forward scanning is the process of digitizing newly created documents on a regular basis. This method can streamline document processes and reduce future storage and labour costs associated with records management. This digitizing solution is ideal for businesses with large-scale paperless objectives that don’t regularly access historical information.
Scan-on-demand Services
Scan-on-demand is the process of digitizing documents on an as-need basis. With this method, employees have secure, near-real-time digital access to physical files in storage by requesting documents using an online portal. When files are requested, they are located and prepared for scanning, then sent to the employee and immediately returned to their original storage location for safekeeping. This scanning service is ideal for organizations that want secure access to records without taking on a full or partial digitization project.
Benefits of Using a Document Scanning Service
There are several benefits your business can achieve when using a record scanning service to convert paper files into digital documents and images:
Equipment Cost Savings
Digitizing records in-house requires an initial investment of document scanners and image capture software, which are expensive to purchase and maintain, bulky to store and require ongoing employee training.
Space Savings
By converting paper-based records into digital files, your business can store physical documents in off-site storage and free up office space for revenue-generating activities while still having quick and convenient access to critical data.
Labour Savings
Outsourcing digital imaging to a document scanning professional allows employees to focus on higher-value projects instead of digitizing business documents, which is very time-consuming, especially when a large volume of pages requires scanning.
Enhanced Security
Scanning paper documents in-house and storing records in unsecured storerooms and file cabinets within the workplace increases the risk of theft, loss and breaches. By hiring a scanning service to maintain your documents, physical records and file boxes will be relocated to a climate-controlled off-site storage facility with strict security protocols and 24/7 surveillance. Only authorized employees will be able to retrieve scanned information to prevent unlawful access of confidential information.
Increased Productivity
Searching for paper documents and refiling information is a laborious task that decreases employee productivity and efficiency. By working with a professional document scanning provider, your files will be securely stored in the cloud where multiple team members can access high-quality digital formats of critical business resources at the same time, regardless of their work location.
Regulatory Compliance
Having a scanning program in place ensures that only authorized employees have access to critical information, which is essential to remaining compliant with privacy laws and data protection regulations, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). Your business will also be able to manage retention periods to comply with government record-keeping requirements and retrieve business resources more efficiently during audits.
Transform Paper Documents into Digital Files with Blue-Pencil’s Scanning Services
Is your organization drowning in piles of paperwork and boxes of files that need to be scanned? Blue-Pencil’s can help accelerate your transition to a more digital workplace. We offer secure and collaborative document imaging services, including back-file scanning, day-forward scanning and scan-on-demand. No matter the size of the job, our company will help you select a flexible scanning program that will save your company time and money.
When you partner with Blue-Pencil, you can benefit from our Online Image Hosting Centre, which allows your organization to securely manage digital files from your computer. Our secure cloud network ensures that your information is never compromised and that your electronic documents are convenient to search and retrieve from virtually anywhere.
To learn more, contact our customer service team at Blue-Pencil to discuss your scanning requirements or to request a free quote.