Scanning or not scanning the archive can be a daunting question and therefore often ends up the last item on one of the partners’ to do list.
Many parameters need to be factored in: How often are the files retrieved? Where are they stored? What is the storing cost per box? How long are they stored for?
Click here to download this document.
Outsourcing to India or thinking about it?
Document scanning is a key part of this process. You will need top quality images to ensure all documents are clear and easy to read for fast and accurate data entry, bookkeeping and/or production of accounts.Without good quality images, the data entry error rate will be high. The final checks done by your senior staff will take twice as long as if the initial work had been done in-house, thereby wiping out all the benefits of outsourcing in the first place.
Click here to download this document.
The "part paperless" office: How to eliminate paper files without changing how you work
Going fully paperless and installing an Electronic Document Management System is a big step.To make the most of the system and realise the increase in staff efficiency required by the investment, you really need to scan all documents as they come in. This involves working from images and not paper files. You may feel not all partners and/or employees are ready for this.
So how can you get the space savings inherent to the paperless office, have your clients’ information immediately on hand when they ring, yet minimise changes to working practices? By scanning your closed client files to PDF instead of sending them to archive.
Click here to download this document.
Do I need a document management system?
Systems vary in price tremendously, so it is important that you set the criteria of what the system should be capable of, rather than paying for features you may never use. In some circumstances, you can save yourself the price of a system completely and just use freely available viewers and the Microsoft Windows Explorer folder structure.
The questions in this information sheet are designed to help you decide what's best for your particular situation.
Click here to download this document.
Preparing documents for collection
The most important thing to bear in mind when preparing your documents for scanning is that the people who will be scanning them do not know your files. It is very difficult for them to make any 'deductions' or guesses about, for example, scanning order or file names.
This information sheet will give you and idea of what should be done prior to sending your files out for scanning. If you are carrying out scanning in-house, putting these procedures in place will ensure the accuracy of in-house scanning as well.
Click here to download this document.
Compliance with statutory requirements
What do the Tax Man and VAT Man think about electronic documents? Can I shred them after scanning? How about the FSA and other regulatory bodies?
This information sheet will direct you to the answers.
Click here to download this document.
Setting-up your own scanning system and running it in-house can seem an attractive option. After the necessary hardware and software has been purchased running costs, usually time, appear relatively low as staff costs are accounted for elsewhere. To help you decide whether this is the best option for you, or whether outsourcing your scanning partially or completely is better, here are some guidelines on processes and time involved in running an effective in-house scanning system.
By working out how much staff time you think each stage will take, you will be able to make a better judgement about the true cost of in-house scanning compared with outsourcing and if you have the staff time available to dedicate to it.
Click here to download this document.
Existing staff often don't have time to scan large volume of archived documents. And even if they do have time, scanning thousands of sheets requires a production scanner and a tight quality control. What's the point of scanning if you can't find your files?
Sending the archived documents to a professional scanning bureau is often the best option, but how much will it cost? Use our online calculator to find out.
The Papershrink scanning process
We work to the British Standard on Admissibility and Evidential Weight of Information Stored Electronically, BIP-0008. This standard offers a set of best practice guidelines which sets out most of our procedures. This information sheet will give you a broad idea of how we work and how your documents will be handled.
Click here to download this document.
Which file format should I scan to?
File formats have proliferated for image files, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Tiffs, jpegs, gifs, pdfs… Which to choose? This information sheet will help you work out which is best for you by posing a few simple questions.
Click here to download this document.
Click here for a list of websites we hope will be useful to you as well. From document management software to scanners ...and more!
