You know you have a ton of paper records that are hard to search and take up valuable space. Maybe you are thinking about having them scanned to electronic format. But where do you start? Before you start you need to look at the big picture and start making a realistic project plan.
Start off my thinking of exactly what you are trying to accomplish by scanning your records? Freeing up office space and making records more accessible are two major goals of many organizations. Others are looking for ways to decrease the amount of time needed to search and produce records in a way that also supplements their disaster recovery plan.
Next you need to think about the types of records that you have to be scanned and which ones should take priority in the scanning process. If your goal is to free up office space, start by scanning the documents that take up the most valuable space. On the other hand if your goal is to provide increased access and cut down on manual document research time, then start with your most commonly requested records.
Finally, in terms of the big picture, you will need to consider how you will go about scanning the records. Are you going to handle the scanning in house with current staff? Or is outsourcing a more feasible option? Making this decision can be difficult for many. When examining the options, think about the following:
In House Scanning
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Does current office staff have the time needed to accomplish your project goals?
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Is your current staff trained in scanning procedures?
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Do you currently have the equipment needed to complete the project
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What are the costs associated with scanning in house?
Outsourced Scanning
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Vendors can typically provide faster project completion times than compared to scanning in house.
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Vendors should comply with high quality standards given their specialization in these services.
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Many vendors utilize special equipment for handling a wide variety of document types and sizes.
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Ask your vendor what costs are associated with outsourced scanning.