Even though it has been proven that statistically, outsourcing your document scanning and management helps to cut costs and improve efficiency, many businesses are still skeptical of outsourcing their document scanning needs or are just holding onto their manual paper processes for dear life. This is a large waste of resources and money, because according to PricewaterhouseCoopers “the average company spends $20 in labor to file a document, $120 in labor to find a misfiled document, and $220 to reproduce a lost document. Meanwhile, companies lose one out of every 20 documents, and spend 25 hours recreating each lost document.” Don’t buy into the typical myths about outsourcing your document scanning, we are here to debunk them for you.
Myth #1 – Scanning in-house is better. You may think that taking care of your document scanning needs with your own staff will be more cost-effective, but the opposite is actually true. These projects can quickly become a burden on your staff, while also increasing your labor costs. You will be taking away your employees from their core tasks and they will no longer be able to focus on their job that actually benefits the goal of your organization. Not to mention the decreased efficiency and susceptibility to human error it will create by not having an expert scan your documents. For instance, is your staff able to differentiate between the different document formats and have the correct training, software and technology to properly scan each type? Even more so, a document scanning expert would be diligent about removing staples and removing folds or creases on documents that could affect the clarity of the digitized images and potentially damage your scanners. You’d be surprised at how many staples are in your documents and how long it will truly take to remove them. A typical document scanning process consists of document preparation, document scanning, data extraction/entry, and then quality control to review for accuracy. Would you be able to do the same with your current staff? Having an outsourced scanning partner can ensure your documents are scanned quickly and correctly.
Myth #2 – Outsourced document scanning is too expensive. If you’re storing thousands of documents in filing cabinets, bankers boxes and or storage rooms, you’re dealing with a much larger business expense. Instead, you could be dedicating that portion of the rent to more business-focused activities, or possibly even get rid of it all together. Other cost savings from outsourcing your document scanning is the ability to process your documents with less people, as well as eliminate the time wasted searching for paper documents. There are many factors that influence the cost of document scanning, but not scanning or scanning in-house is far more expensive to your business.
Myth #3 – Your data will be at risk. At Recordsforce, we work hard to ensure that your documents are safer with us then they would be at your own office. We have specific security certifications, such as SSAE-18 SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA and FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance certifications that guarantee best-in-class protection for your documents and critical business data. We also utilize PACE, a business operating system that allows our clients to track exactly where their documents are in our document scanning process. We recommend that while researching to find the right document scanning partner, you look for a highly experienced provider with the same certifications and security measures in place. Once your documents are digitized, the fear of lost or misfiled documents with private business information is eliminated, making them safer than their paper counterpart. They can even be encrypted before being stored securely in the cloud or backed up and stored off-site. Not only does digitizing your documents prevent security risks, but it also makes them much less susceptible to natural disasters.
Myth #4 – It’s too time consuming. Maybe if you were planning to do it in-house! A proper document scanning company has the experience of dealing with digitizing a large amount of documents and can do so efficiently. In some cases at Recordsforce, we even process documents the same day they are received. Once your project is implemented and onboarded, you’re off the hook to now just monitor the process.
Myth #5 – There is only a one-size fits all solution. With Recordsforce, that is not the case! We work hard to provide specific, tailored solutions to our clients. Some clients need document scanning but already have a document management system in place. Some clients are only looking for a document storage software. Whatever your business’s unique needs are, we have the ability to work together to find the best solution.
Myth #6 – Integrating a new document management system takes too long. We recommend you take a look into the document management system the document scanning provider you choose offers, as they can all vary in the time it takes to implement. At Recordsforce, we can deliver your digitized images directly into your system without the need for a new software or system. If there is no system in place, we use Recordsforce Cloud for our clients. It is a web-based system that requires no installs and can be accessed from any device, from anywhere. While being able to access your document management system from virtually any internet-enabled device, we provide hands-on training so that onboarding and implementing your new system is quick and painless.
Myth #7 – You have to scan every document. Nope! Every business and even every department has different retention requirements for their documents. Deciding what you need to scan depends completely on those requirements. Recordsforce has helped companies to sort through their documents for them, properly shred what didn’t need to be kept, and digitize what they were lawfully required to keep. Our document management system even allows you to set specific retention schedules that will automatically remind you to discard documents, keeping you compliant and also saving you money in storage costs.
Myth #8 – You need specialized software for your digitized images. Also not true! Almost anything can be scanned as PDF and delivered securely, or even better, can be delivered directly into your already established system or workflow. Digitizing your documents doesn’t need to become this huge production where it gets complicated and you have to learn all these new systems. Even if you do decide you need software to manage your now digitized documents, a document management system like Recordsforce Cloud is extremely user-friendly and only requires internet connection.
Myth #9 – Once you’re done with your scanning your backfile in-house, your paper documents will *poof* be gone. According to ATG & Rheinner, “in spite of reports to the contrary, paper is huge and continues to grow. Each day, U.S. workers generate 2.7 billion new sheets of paper.” Even more so, Coopers & Lybrand state, “there are over 4 trillion paper documents in the U.S., and this number is growing at 22% per year.” That said, even if you rid yourself of your backfile, you will most likely continue to have physical paper documents within your organization. Instead, if you team up with an outsourced document scanning company, your backfile will be scanned quickly and correctly, and you will also already be set up and ready to take on any new paper documents that have been created, keeping your office paperless and your efficiency improved.
While it may feel too overwhelming or too big of an adjustment to outsource your document scanning needs, utilizing an experienced document scanning company is easier and more cost-effective than you’d expect and allows your company to become more productive and efficient. Still skeptical of outsourcing your document scanning project(s) or have questions about the process? Request a demo or contact us.