Are you interested in scanning your documents, but need more information before getting started? We’re here to provide the information you need to move forward with confidence. In this blog, we answer the most common document scanning questions.
Q: What should I scan?
A: There’s no limit to what you can scan, including contracts, invoices, personnel files, and financial records. Let your retention requirements drive your scanning priorities. Inactive documents that will be destroyed within a few years aren’t worth scanning. Instead, store them off-site and digitize them as needed with a Scan on Demand service.
Q: How do I choose a document scanning partner?
A: It’s important to choose a document scanning provider you trust, and who can handle the full scope of your scanning project. They should assess your workflow needs and design a customized scanning solution. Verify their service offerings and ask for client references before starting your project.
Q: Where do I store my electronic documents?
A: After your documents are converted to digital files, they can be stored on a portable hard drive, your server, or in a document management system with secure online access. Before scanning, make sure your scanning partner can offer several customized image storage options that meet your needs.
Q: Should I buy a desktop scanner?
A: Desktop scanners are useful for digitizing paper documents one at a time. But if you have several boxes of files, scanning them with a desktop scanner may take several days or weeks. For large-volume scanning projects, an outsourced document scanning solution is more efficient and cost-effective than scanning in-house.
Q: What is OCR?
A: Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is software that converts scanned images to searchable text. OCR helps you find information within digital files quickly by typing keywords or phrases.
Q: Can I get rid of my hard copies after scanning?
A: Whether you can get rid of your hard copies after scanning depends on your regulatory compliance obligations. If you are able to destroy the original copies, you should only do so after verifying the quality and readability of your digital images. A qualified document scanning provider will perform quality assurance checks throughout the imaging and conversion process. When you’re confident your information has been captured, use a NAID AAA Certified shredding partner to destroy your originals.
Still have more document scanning questions? For answers, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.
Kent Record Management provides records storage and information management services for businesses throughout Michigan.
