If you haven’t heard, there are an abundance of advantages of going paperless in the modern working world. Businesses around the world are becoming more efficient, cutting costs, reducing spaces needs, and more. But how should you go about going paperless? You have two options: outsource your documents to a local scanning company or scan the documents yourself with office equipment, software, and people. You could even try a combination of the two.
Here are four considerations to help you make your decision:
How Many Documents Do You Need to Scan?
If your business scans a low volume of documents that don’t require an extensive recording process, a desktop scanner might be the right decision for you. If you print higher volumes of documents, you would need more powerful scanners to get through your paper load in a reasonable time. This will require more of an investment in software, equipment, and operators.
How Often Do You Scan?
If scanning documents is a rare activity in your office, a desktop scanner or a scanner for the whole office will probably get the job done. If you regularly scan with a high volume of documents, then you should consider outsourcing.
Can You Effectively Index Documents?
Indexing documents after they have been scanned is an essential part of the scanning process. Indexing allows a document to be easily accessed when your staff needs it. This process includes manual data entry, barcode sheets, point-and-click indexing, and data extraction. While you can do this yourself, it will require an advanced software, while a local scanning company will specialize in the indexing process.
What are Your Document Sizes?
Most multifunction printers and desktop scanners can only handle 8.5” x 11” paper and smaller. Anything larger than 8.5” x 11” will require a large format scanner. If you need to scan a significant amount of larger documents, consider sending them to a local scanning company.
Regardless of what you choose, EDGE Business Systems has scanning services to help transition your business to a paperless approach. Contact us today to start fine-tuning your scanning process!
