Document Scanning: Things to Remember While Outsourcing the Process

Outsourcing is one of the most efficient cost-saving methods employed across industries. It lets a business focus on core business activities while another company takes care of crucial functions for a fee. Document scanning is one good example of outsourcing document management to a third party. 

While this service comes in handy for various industry segments, it is of particular importance to the legal industry. This is because legal business creates tonnes of paperwork daily and can use a service like scanning that can reduce the amount of paperwork and index the documents in the process. Choosing a scanning service company for a legal business is a tricky task. Legal business deals with a variety of papers, and most of them are highly confidential. 

If you are a legal company that is weighing the pros and cons of outsourcing to a scanning agency before hiring one, here is a list of things that you need to consider.

Reputation

The scanning service provider you choose should have an excellent reputation. You will have to ensure that the company, as well as its staff, is well respected in the industry.  To find out about a company, you will have to do some fieldwork. Talk to businesses that have worked with your chosen service provider in the past. If you come across a new company, you might have to investigate the people in its management and look into their past work records to ensure that your data will be safe with them.

Premise Security 

Your service provider must have invested in proper security systems like CCTV cameras, alarm systems, fire equipment, etc. This is because they will be dealing with your crucial data, and any issue at their premises can directly affect your business. So, before you jump in for a deal, make sure that your service provider has a well-planned security system and backup plans. 

Information Security

Information security is of high importance in this deal. Your documents that will be digitized by the scanning service provider will be stored at their premises and will also have to be transferred back to you. You will have to understand how both of these jobs will be done because any kind of information leak can be disastrous for you. Your service provider should have proper data safety mechanisms established for both the storage as well file transfer system. 

Staff Reliability

Confidential business documents need to be handled by trustworthy people. Therefore, you will have to check for the staff background yourself. If you can’t do that, you should always ask the service provider to provide you with all the details about the employees who will be handling your data. A service provider that performs a thorough background check of all its employees is the right choice.

Staff Qualification

The staff working with the service provider has to be well-qualified to handle scanning and digitization of legal documents. This job may not call for particular skills, but it needs experience. Check if your service providing company has an experienced and trained staff before you decide to work with them.

Scanning and Storage Technology

The scanning and storage hardware, as well as the software used by your service provider, should be the latest and free of bugs. Any glitch in the machinery or the software can become an impediment to your workflow. Ask your service provider how often they update their software and hardware and estimate if the company will be able to handle large quantities of scanning and storing. Knowing the accuracy of the software is also essential. 

Cloud Services

With the world moving towards the cloud, it’s high time you equipped your business with the facilities of the cloud. Cloud technologies like remote storage and SaaS offer cost savings while improving the quality of services. When looking for a scanning service provider for your business, ask if they have cloud service providing the capability.

Document Destruction

Documents have to be destroyed after they are scanned to maintain confidentiality. Choose a service provider who offers a well-planned destruction method and has the latest machines. Companies that do not have policies and hardware for document destruction can unsafe for the legal scanning process. You cannot afford a data leak just because your service provider doesn’t systematically destroy hard copies.

Nda – Non-Disclosure Agreements

Non-disclosure agreements are a must for services that handle confidential data. Always choose a service provider who understands the importance of data confidentiality for your business and take the responsibility of protecting your data, at all costs. A company that refuses to sign an NDA can become a problem in the future. So, follow all the rules and regulations and sign an NDA on day one of your deal. 

Conclusion

Critical business data needs a top-class handling service. Never compromise on your ethics and requirements when it comes to hiring a document scanning service provider for your legal service. Be cautious, be thorough, and choose a company that is as meticulous and dedicated towards confidentiality as you are.