Document Scanning – What Are The Business Benefits?
Overview:
Do you enjoy sifting through various files looking for the right document? It can be a time-consuming task, which is why it is vital to consider implementing a document scanning system, one that stores your documents in a single spot, while also allowing you to find the desired file within seconds.
Let me ask you this: why would you opt to store files in your office when you can safely load documents to your computer? Some of you may fear change, while others may be under the impression that transitioning from dealing with hard copies to electronic files may not be as safe.
Throughout this article, I will tell you why it’s essential to implement a document scanning system. I will cover these key benefits:
- Heightened security
- Reliable back-up plans
- Improves your ecological footprint
- Betters customer service
- Saves you time and cash
- Gives you easier accessibility
What is document scanning and how can it help?
To put it simply: document scanning means scanning hard copies of important documents onto your computer. Yet, with the proper system, the entire process will enable you to access a variety of helpful features.
For example, some scanners will save your files like word files rather than images. Therefore, when you type in a keyword, your file will pop up. However, other scanners will only load your files as images, making it hard to keep up with converting your documents to a word file or organizing bulk scans.
Document scanning can help to make the process of loading, storing, and searching for files super easy and efficient.
Which features should you look for?
When you’re researching for the right document scanner for your business, it’s essential to know which features can benefit your business. However, in essence, most businesses will benefit from these features:
- A system that allows you to scan a heaping pile of documents
- Automated features that recognize the file you’re uploading
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR)—this feature allows you to convert PDF files to word documents easily, making it easy to search for the document-in-need via keywords
- A system that saves your files on Windows rather than on a database—saving your files on a database can complicate matters
- A document scanning system that makes it easy to share files with employees, customers, and business partners
Where can you find a document scanning system that includes all of these features and more? I highly recommend looking into an advance scanning program like HP. It’s definitely worth it.
How can a document scanning system benefit your business? I will tell you all about it below.
- Heightened security
What happens if someone breaks into your office and steals your files? When you scan your files onto your computer, you won’t have to worry about theft. For example, most systems grant you the ability to track who has accessed each file. Plus, you can perform other security measures to ensure that no one will break into your computer. How?
- You can create a 12-letter password for your files. Be sure to include symbols, numbers, and uppercase and lowercase letters. Some statistics note that it will take a hacker two hundred years to figure out a 12-letter password. Do you think he or she would like to spend their entire life working on a task that they will never crack? Probably not.
- Check who can access your files in the cloud. You can easily track who has looked at which documents.
- Consider hiring a white-hat hacker to perform a penetration test. A white-hat hacker knows and understands the methods black-hat hackers use to steal information, so he or she will inform you of how you can heighten your security.
You can up your security by investing in a document management system (DMS). A viable DMS will provide you with a cabinet-like feature that enables you to organize your files, and the security will help to ease your mind when it comes to fearing hackers or an untrustworthy employee.
- Reliable back-up plans
What will you do if your office goes up in flames? Or if a flood destroys your files? It will take ages to relocate, organize, and figure out how to retrieve important documents. Thankfully, most document management systems are compatible with cloud systems.
If you are a large business, you can look into either hot, cold, or archived cloud systems—it all depends on what your business needs. Keep in mind that hot storage costs more than cold storage!
However, it’s vital to know that you can always back-up your files, which can help to keep your documents safe whether there’s a fire, flood, or a computer break down.
- Improves your ecological footprint
Why waste paper when you can go paperless? In today’s day and age, revamping your business plan to environmentally-friendly practices has become of the utmost importance. You may even save some money when you go to a paperless office. Photocopy costs can add up over time, so the less paper you have to copy, the less money you’ll spend.
- Betters customer service
Why waste time searching for a document a customer needs when you can find the file with a few clicks of the mouse? When a customer, business partner, or someone with a business-related inquiry calls you, it’s essential to find the information they need fast. It can be easy to forget that you need to find information for a customer, especially if you have to sift through cabinets of paper documents. However, document scanning enables you to find the files almost immediately.
Plus, you can get creative with how you organize your files when you have them on your computer, but there are only so many ways you can sort hard copies of your documents.
- Saves you time and cash
Why pay an employee to look for a hard copy of a document for an hour or two when they can find the file within minutes on a computer? If you pay your employee 30 USD per hour, you will have spent that amount on completing an unnecessary task. Therefore, your employees can work on another job, one that can help to advance your business. In the end, scanning your files to your computer will save you time and money.
- Gives you easier accessibility
Why share a file via email when everyone within your office can access the file in the same spot? Worried that someone will see the file? You can use passwords and other security measures to ensure that only the right people will view the file.
When there’s a single point of access, everyone can share, view, and receive files in one spot, making the entire process super-efficient.
Will you go from a paper-filled office to a paper-free space? A document scanning system will help to free up valuable office space, reduce costs, and create a more efficient work environment.
Conclusion
In this article we have discussed different business benefits of document scanning. There will be much more points to discuss about document scanning and their advantages. Here, we have covered some of the key benefits. Hope this will help you to understand the basic business advantages of document scanning.
