The printed word remains popular among many people, largely because they like the feel of a book or magazine in their hands and it is much easier to read ink on paper than images on a screen. But these benefits do not extend to business documents, because for the most part, no one really wants to read them.
Therefore, since ink-and-paper documents really have no benefit, most business-owners know that they should partner with a good document scanning service. Here are some specific reasons this transition is a good idea.
Better Security
One of the most frequently-cited reasons for staying with paper documents is actually one of the best reasons to digitize these documents.
Anyone can walk out with a paper document, but digital documents are password protected and encrypted, so they are almost impossible to steal and almost useless in the wrong hands. Furthermore, protocols allow owners to track access, so if there are any questions, they know who to ask. Finally, if documents are stored on a physical drive without Internet access, they are essentially hack-proof.
More Space
In most cases, the landlord charges the same amount of rent for storage space as for revenue-producing space. Document scanning allows owners to almost completely eliminate this space and convert it to an area that strengthens the bottom line instead of weakening it.
Compliance
Business that have private health information, financial data, or other personal information face extremely stiff penalties if this information is lost or stolen. Moreover, if government or private auditors are on site, they want documents now and not in an hour.
As mentioned earlier, digitization is the best way to keep documents secure. It’s also the best way to keep documents indexed, organized, and easy to locate.
Better Customer Service
A government agency may not punish a business for losing conference notes or case files, but the customers will most likely do so. Many lose confidence in businesses that cannot keep their information close at hand and well-protected.
Document scanning solves both these problems. Moreover, if a business has multiple locations, it is much easier to share information via scanned documents.
Better Collaboration
That same dynamic applies in the office as well. Multiple people in multiple locations can look at the same digital document simultaneously, which is an excellent time-saving tool in cases where there are a limited number of source documents.
Improved Information Preservation
This issue is significant when it comes to older documents that are in poor physical condition, such as very old property deeds or real estate notes. Because scanning is a “last touch” solution, there is no risk of further document deterioration. Moreover, for those who just have to view physical documents, scanned instruments are easy to print in multiple formats.
Lower Fiscal and Environmental Costs
Instead of large copying machines with expensive maintenance contracts that are difficult to operate because of their delicate nature, a paper-free office only needs a few small printers.
Moreover, the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper a year. In many paper-intensive environments, such as law offices, the figure is much higher. While you may think that one paperless office may not make much of a difference, remember that you are either part of the problem or part of the solution.
Put these advantages to work for you and start scanning stored documents today.
