Today’s largest companies have mostly digitized their current operations, and for good reason. If your small business still relies on paper recordkeeping in whole or in part, it might just be time for you to make the jump, especially if you already run part of your operation digitally by using staffing software or other digital management tools.
Tired of Shuffling Papers
The first reason to invest in document digitization services might be the most obvious one you could have. Paper work is work, physically and organizationally. That means tracking who has what files, whether there are enough copies, and where they are, if that file is sensitive. Shuffling papers often means shuffling through storage locations and spending time delivering the information to another staff member, and all of that can be eliminated for better convenience once you go digital.
Better Organization
Taking your operation online means being able to call up records with a quick search and streamline processes with apps and other tools that make it easy for employees to do their jobs. That means you can more easily track what is going on, from project deliveries to supply deliveries. Reducing the clutter that comes from shuffling papers can also make your space more physically organized, which helps indirectly with things like inventory organization, too.
Reduce Office Supply Costs
This is one benefit you can see pretty easily. If you are not printing and filing everything, you save a lot of money on toner and paper. It goes deeper, though. You use fewer paper clips. You also need fewer staplers, file cabinets, folders, and even pens. Most of the additional costs for a digitized office come down to machines and software you already have, except maybe an investment in a new large format scanner that can handle intake on documents from clients or suppliers.
Reduce Space Needed for Archival and File Management
You also save floor space when you go digital. This is especially important in record-heavy fields. Regular medical records scanning could save anywhere from the floor footprint of a couple desks to a couple rooms depending on how big your facility is. In drastic cases, a move to digital archives could even downsize the space you need for your operation, the impact is that big for some businesses. Between lower costs for storage and operational space and lowered costs for office supplies, you could save the cost of a new scanner pretty quickly.
Increased Document Security
Cybersecurity is serious and does require a fair amount of planning, but it is also a lot easier to stay on top of than tracking custody and document security for physical files. This is especially true if your records are not accessible outside of your local intranet, because it isolates the systems you use for your operation from the customer-facing materials you publish in your marketing efforts.
The fact is, with the right security processes you can track every person who views or copies any file in your company’s archive. You can also lock access to just the people that need to see those records. Do your own research today to learn more about how digital records could help you manage your business.
