Before rapid digital scanning services were available, document storage was cumbersome and inefficient. Of course, if every office used digital scanning, as the opening sentence suggests, then we might have more efficient offices and use less paper! Sadly, many offices still use archaic and outdated document storage techniques that involve mounds of paper and mounds of wasted time. Rapid digital scanning is here, so perhaps it’s time that offices made a concerted effort to transition to it.
The Promises of a Paperless Office
Most people will have heard of the ‘paperless office:’ an environment where paper has been surpassed by the use of technology. Of course, the truth is that whilst many offices use digital technology, including scanning, to streamline their day to day operations, the paperless office has not yet arrived in the truest sense of the term.
A truly paperless office promises a fast and efficient workflow where documents can be accessed at a moment’s notice, and where actual paper is only used under the rarest of circumstances. Good news for environmentalists no doubt!
Offices worldwide have struggled to transition effectively to a paperless operation, but when one considers the benefits, it makes sense to explore a way to make it happen. Modern digital scanning technologies offer a simple and effective way to make this transition. As UK based companies like Paperescape prove, rapid digital scanning services are affordable and offer the opportunity to streamline offices in the following ways.
One of the biggest challenges to any office looking to transition to a digital workflow is the effort that must be put into scanning mountains of existing documents. This is where a digital scanning service can help. By using such a service, one saves time and productivity by not having to dedicate employees to the role of scanning.
As your old files are digitally scanned and stored, the original paper files can be shredded securely to worldwide ISO standards. Even if you are not completely ready to give up the use of your old filing cabinets and paper files, some scanning companies also provide secure premises in which to store and archive paper documents until you decide that you want them scanned and shredded. This makes it an ideal way to transition at your pace.
By getting rid of filing cabinets and on-site storage solutions for paper files, more space in the office suddenly becomes available for other things.
Whether you choose to have thousands of scanned files handed back to you stored on a USB storage device, or want them stored digitally off-site, finding the documents that you need becomes a lot faster and easier!
Streamline Your Office
The dream of working in a paperless office need not be inaccessible any longer. Technology has arrived that makes it a rapid process. When combined with paper document storage in secure off-site facilities, making the move to a truly paperless office becomes a far more practical scenario!