Is your office in need of a good cleaning and decluttering? Spring cleaning doesn’t need to wait for spring to come, you can clean anytime.

From New Year’s resolutions to everyday to-do lists, the need for a good cleaning is something that never goes away. One of the best ways to clean and declutter your office is by hiring a good document scanning company.

If your business is like most, and you always seem to be drowning in an overabundance of paper, it is time to transfer those physical copies into digital ones. The numerous benefits of document scanning far outweigh the costs.

Paper files are an outdated and frankly temporary solution to your company’s data storage and management. Scan your files and records today and convert them to your preferred digital format.

When you are ready for a more permanent solution to your paper problem, look to River City Data for your digital conversion needs.

River City Data has been a New London Staple for over forty years. We service clients all over the country, and we would love to help you declutter and organize your workspace for more efficiency and better flow.

Why should I consider document scanning?

The benefits and reasons to consider a digital document scanning service are numerous. Let’s go over a few of them now.

Lower Costs

According to a study by the International Data Corporation, loss of time and money is a leading cause of revenue loss for corporations today.

For example, a company that employs one thousand trained and knowledgeable employees will see losses as high as $2.5 million dollars per year on lost time and resources through an inability to both locate and retrieve necessary information.

It is essential that your company implements an effective organizational strategy. Paper files and physical documents may not be the most efficient method of storing information.

No matter how well you organize your files, it is inevitable that the clutter and mess will eventually build back up again. You will be forced to waste man-hours to clean and re-organize.

It is not enough to simply organize and declutter your paper files; you must take the next logical step and digitize your data.

When you implement a digital document management system, you will help your company save money in three key areas:

Supply Costs- paper, printer ink, toner, file cabinets, shelving, storage
Labor Costs- improve employee productivity, search by keyword for instant access
Space Costs- open up storage space for more valuable uses

When you scan your documents, you are essentially killing two birds with one stone. You are taking care of your clutter problem while boosting productivity at the same time.

Higher Productivity

When you transfer to a digital management system by scanning your documents, you will severely boost your team’s productivity, efficiency, and time management.

You can implement automated tracking systems and use any labeling system that works for you and your team. Your tedious administrative tasks, such as the management of records and record retention, can be streamlined.

Your data will be much easier to manage. Your employees will be able to access, copy, and distribute data quicker and easier.

Your team will be able to get more work done within the system, leaving little need for extra equipment or physical paper copies.

Most importantly, you will free up valuable office space. When you clear out much of your paper storage, the space previously devoted to its retention can be re-purposed to a more useful occupation.

Add a few more employee offices, a brand new employee lounge, a conference room, or even a new customer service area. Use that valuable space for a revenue-generating avenue instead of a storage closet.

Improved Security

Even better than the clearing away of clutter, when you take time to scan and digitize your data, you will enjoy an increase in security. Protect your company and employees from the dangers of doing business in the age of the internet.

Unfortunately, part of modern life is the threat of identity theft and many other security risks of living much of our lives in an online space.

When you implement a document scanning program, you will be able to completely remove any physical copies of potentially sensitive information from your office or workspace. That way, there will be nothing for thieves or disgruntled employees to steal.

Another benefit of a digital document management system is the added protection from accidents or disasters. A locked filing cabinet is entirely susceptible to fire, damage, or disaster.

When you digitally back-up your data, it is much easier to protect. Many online data retention services employ safety measures such as encryption, access controls, and frequent data backups.

Once you have scanned and backed-up all of your data, you will be able to shred all of your old and obsolete physical files. The peace of mind you gain will be as good, if not better than the money and time saved.

Simplified Retention Tracking

Any business that relies on record-keeping has experienced the pains of proper record retention. Legal record retention periods vary, depending on the type of record and the function of the business.

With physical record storage, the chances of missing a retention time are much higher than a digital document management system. Nobody wants to miss a retention deadline.

When you scan and convert your data into a digital format, you will streamline your entire data stream and increase the efficiency of your operating system as a whole.

If you choose the right document management system, you can even implement an automated retention tracking system. You will effectively take the guesswork out of your record retention timeline because the whole system will be continuously monitored and updated.

If you are ready to do away with all the clutter and feng shui your space, contact River City Data today. We will turn your paper nightmares into digital dreams.

Many people and businesses across the nation are getting serious in their efforts to go green. Companies, especially, must work to become more ecologically responsible by encouraging their employees and customers to go paperless.

Scanning your documents can be the bridge to going paperless and, therefore, reducing your carbon footprint.

The True Cost of Paper

Before we discuss the value of going paperless, it may be helpful to examine the downside of too much paper. Even in the 21st Century, paper remains a ubiquitous feature of the modern office place. In fact, office workers use around 10,000 sheets of paper in a year.

On average, most offices use 12.1 trillion sheets of paper annually.

What are people doing with all this paper?

Consider this scenario- a worker copies and prints a document 19 times, only to throw 40 percent of the reproductions away within 24 hours. A diligent employee may discard up to half of all documents when they spot printing errors or other blunders.

This scenario is only imaginary, but it is not an uncommon practice in modern offices. Many offices have a waste problem.

Think of your own experience in offices; you will likely have an easy time believing this synopsis contains some truth. Waste doesn’t just occur because of the paper current employees use every day, however.

Records from before the advent of the Internet can be a big reason for too much paper in a workspace. Keeping lots of documents takes up too much storage space, can create a fire hazard, and risks accidents. This issue is compounded by the fact that documents are easy to misplace or misfile.

These aren’t the only concerns created by a lot of hard copy documents, records, and forms, either.

The Environmental Effects

The effects of paper on the environment are real. Paper production accounts for an estimated 2 percent of all greenhouse gases. Moreover, paper accounts for 25 percent of solid waste in landfills.

Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change

One of the top greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is the gas people are talking about when they talk about “reducing your carbon footprint.” Greenhouse gases absorb and trap the sun’s heat, thereby changing the planet’s climate and disrupting ecosystems.

CO2 makes up three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions and can stay in earth’s atmosphere for thousands of years

Trees can counter CO2 emissions, but unfortunately, trees make paper. To produce 12,500 sheets of paper, producers need one tree. Put another way; one tree makes just enough paper for a typical office employee in a year.

Combat Climate Change: Go Paperless

Individuals and workplaces can make simple changes to offset the impact of paper on the environment. A change of habits here and there can help anyone who wants to go green.

Begin by making fewer copies. If you are tempted to print multiple copies of something before a meeting, consider whether they are essential. Consider emailing read-ahead digital copies to colleagues and projecting the information on a wall or board during the meeting.

Scan Your Documents

One way to get read-ahead material to colleagues via email is to scan relevant documents. You not only make an ecologically responsible decision, but you save time and money. Even with a high-speed printer, making multiple copies of something can be a lengthy process.

Additionally, you can scan and send meeting notes and summaries after the fact. Colleagues and coworkers will likely appreciate less paper cluttering up their desks, as well.

Go Green by Scanning Your Records

If your workspace, office, or home is full of a lot of physical files and documents, free it up. Make the organization process a breeze by scanning those old documents and securely archiving the digital copies.

Better Organization for Your Home or Office

When you archive your documents digitally, you simplify and facilitate retrieval. You can make scanned documents searchable via keyword, which means you will reduce lost forms and documents. You can also backup documents that you digitize and store either using a cloud or a document hosting service.

Save Money and Time

Not only will you and your office save money on paper, but you will also save on printers and toners.

Save the time you spent filing and searching for items, as well as creating and storing hard copy backups.

You will also save you and your colleagues the time and effort of shredding and disposing of mountains of paper. Scanning documents to go paperless is a terrific way to go green while saving green.

Document Scanning Services: Save Employee Hours and Paper

If you really want to save time in your quest to go paperless, consider engaging a document scanning service. Professional document scanning takes an essential organizational activity off of your organization’s plate.

Don’t lose productivity while performing the crucial task of streamlining your work space’s document management.

Place your document scanning in the hands of experienced professionals that you can trust. You can feel good about the health of the environment and the health of your organization.

Let River City Data Help You Go Green By Helping You Go Paperless

River City Data brings forty years of document conversion experience in Greater Minnesota. We undertake projects of all sizes, and we are prepared to work with you to find the best solution to your organization’s needs.

We are a Kofax Capture Certified Document Conversion Center and the Midwest’s premier data management company. Our New London, MN roots inform our company’s values and dedication to our customers. That commitment means our clients get what they want when they want it, and within their budget.

We understand documents can be sensitive and confidential. Your privacy and security are of paramount importance to us.

Our clients include medical professionals, clinics, attorneys, and even government organizations. Our staff are vetted: they have background checks and are HIPAA certified.

Contact us to discuss your data conversion needs with an experienced River City Data professional. Together, we can determine the best approach to suit you.

There is no denying that information collection and retention is one of the challenges of owning a business. The organization of professional documents and paperwork can take up a lot of time. The consequences are severe if these are not stored and filed correctly.

Research shows that, on average, each office worker will use 10,000 pieces of paper a year. This figure includes- $20 to file, $120 to search for when or if it is misplaced, and $220 to recreate. In total, it can cost a whopping $42,250 per year – for merely locating a missing document.

It goes without saying that this could be handled far more efficiently. Digital scanning can transform your filing system, saving you precious time, space, and money. Read on to see how River City Data can help – and start making serious savings today!

What Is A Scanning Service?

As the name suggests, a professional scanning service copies all your crucial files and stores them in a digital format. This transformation means less physical paperwork to clutter up space and helps to enhance security, save time, and reduce workload.

How Can It Help?

There are a wealth of ways in which a digital scanning service could benefit your business, and these include:

Save time finding documents

As we have seen, searching for misplaced documents can take up a considerable amount of valuable time. It is estimated that around 400 hours a year are wasted on this task, and this is a lot of potential profit.

By implementing a uniform filing system, and using digital files, companies can drastically reduce this number. This system streamlines the process and helps your business to run more efficiently.

Save the planet!

We are all now aware that as human beings, many of our actions are detrimental to the planet. These include mass printing and production of paper – a resource that directly impacts the trees we need.

Producing and using ink for printing can also be harmful to marine and wildlife. By switching to digital, you are saving paper and ink – this is brilliant news for your carbon footprint, and the planet.

Stay secure

Digital files can be protected with passwords and a multilevel security system. These options are not available for physical documents, and safes and filing cabinets can be easily destroyed.

Keeping your crucial information digital instantly increases security -essential for potentially sensitive files and data.

This benefit can be even more crucial if you are storing personal or financial data, which must be securely retained for legal purposes.

Beat the elements

No matter how secure you believe your system to be, you can’t beat Mother Nature! Natural disasters, such as tornadoes, floods, fires, or other extreme weather can wipe out your office – and all of your documents with it.

Such incidents may also destroy your computer system. However, backing up files digitally means you will always be able to access a copy whenever you need to. You will also be able to access the documents remotely if circumstances force a chance of office or location.

Share information

We live in a global world, and your business may employ people from all over the world. By having critical files in a digital format, you can instantly speed up the time it takes to send and retrieve information.

Once, you may have had to rely on snail mail, fax, or scanning each individual document to email – all time-consuming processes. Instead, store everything digitally and help your business grow all over the world.

Also, digital files allow participants to collaborate digitally using appropriate software; this can massively speed up project times.

Rather than waiting for communication, tasks can be carried out and updated instantly, for more efficient results. Contracts can be signed, files signed off, suggestions made, and documents updated immediately – perfect for saving time.

Save valuable space

Physical paper documents need to be stored and can take up a lot of space. This requires that your business will need to locate the funds for larger premises, secure storage, and extra space.

Instead, opt for digital versions of files – this could save you a whole room or more, and free up valuable space and funds in the budget. A storage office could become valuable working space, or you could downsize to more affordable premises.

Similarly, going digital may mean that you can reduce the number of staff who have to be physically present in the office. Accessing documents online allows more flexibility for remote working or hot-desking, and this is great for both parties.

Your entire staff can benefit from a better working arrangement that suits their needs, and your business can lease or rent a smaller office space.

Improve audit compliance

Depending on your business, you may be legally required to keep documents for a specific time. Also, you will likely have to produce this on-demand according to industry requirements.

Digital filing reduces stress. You will be able to locate information immediately and quickly pull out any documentation or evidence you need. Security requirements can also be checked off the list.

This helps offer much-needed peace of mind and keeps your business totally above board and secure. Even better, you can be the one looking smug and calm when audit season rolls around!

How Can We Help?

If you think that digital scanning is the way to go, we have great news: you have come to the right place! We can help by scanning all of your essential documents in one go and ensure that they are held securely in a remote cloud system.

Additionally, all physical files will be immediately shredded and disposed of to ensure security. Your new system will be set up and ready to go in no time.

Why Choose A Professional?

You can, of course, scan documents yourself – but this is time-consuming and expensive. We have the tools, staff, and equipment to get the job done in no time, leaving you free to run your business.

Contact River City Data today for a free consultation and see how we could help you transform your business. Save space, boost productivity, and increase profit, all through making a single, simple change to your storage.

We have all experienced going through old family photos, financial records, or legal documents, and wishing someone had digitized them. Every moment is valuable, which is why you should consider using a digital scanning service for occasions like these. It can be tedious to enter old information by hand, and scanning multiple items is frustrating and time-consuming.

River City Data is a Kofax Certified Document Conversion Center that offers digital scanning services. If you are considering utilizing a digital scanning service for you, your business, or a project, read on.

There are many good reasons you should consider taking advantage of digital scanning services. Here are a few benefits of digitizing your documents, courtesy of the National Archives:

Digitized Records Can Be Tracked and Shared More Easily

Records that are stored digitally can be shared quickly with others in various locations. A digital scanning service can help you standardize the format of your digitized files to organize logs and facilitate searches. A digital scanning service can help index your organization’s records more effectively than traditional documentation.
Be Prepared for the Worst (Natural Disasters and Audits)
Fires, floods, and other natural disasters can destroy paper records. When your essential information exists digitally, you don’t have to worry about salvaging documents after the worst happens. Digital scanning services can also help you clean and preserve some damaged materials, recovering them for future use.

Digitally scanned records also come in handy if someone needs to audit your organization. The searchability and easy aggregation of information of digitally scanned files can simplify and speed up the audit process.

Digital Scanning Protects Old Documents

A digital scanning service can help you protect valuable documents. When a digital copy of an original document exists, the original paper can be put away and preserved, leaving you with two copies in case of emergencies. A digitized file or text may also be made more legible than the original, saving you time from trying to decipher it in the future.

Save Money and Space

Less paper means fewer filing cabinets. Fewer filing cabinets means more space. You will also need to buy less paper and mail fewer documents.

Business owners and individuals should also consider the price of scanning equipment and maintenance themselves. The hardware and software needed for digital scanning is costly, and like any machinery, require both routine and emergency maintenance.

A digital scanning service can save you time, money, and unnecessary worry.

Digital Scanning Is Useful for Everyone

Whether you are a small business or an individual, you will be glad you digitally scanned your documents. Many of us have pre-Internet-era documents and papers we would like to preserve. People are busy, and it is not uncommon to put off scanning them until we have more time or energy.

For most people, that occasion never quite seems to arrive.

You may be surprised to realize all of the little things that go into digitally scanning documents well. Think about the time it takes to remove the staples or sticky notes from records before you scan them. For a large number of documents, this task is no small undertaking.

As part of its Paper to Digital process, River City Data takes paper records to their large document preparation facility. Once your papers arrive there, River City Data pros either remove or repair undesirable features, including folds and tears. They also resize your documents during part of the preparation.

River City Data Offers a Range of Services

River City Data works with you to determine the best storage method for your electronic images.

We can scan everything from small receipts to oversized engineering maps and blueprints. But River City Data doesn’t just transform your paper documents to electronic images.

We also scan images to take them from paper to either 16mm or 35mm microfilm images. River City Data’s three decades’ microfilm experience offers a low-cost way to convert and store paper documents in bulk.

River City Data’s additional services include document hosting, a valuable utility for any business. Document hosting through River City Data offers a simple, encrypted way to store and retrieve your documents. With our application, this process takes only minutes, and you can do it from your personal computer.

Additionally, you can archive your documents using River City Data’s searchable DVD indexing and viewing system. Our system allows you to quickly identify which DVD has the material for which you are searching.

Good News for Self-Publishers

Digital scanning services add value for anyone who self-publishes books. River City Data can convert manuscripts to any of the popular e-book formats, including Kindle, Nook, iPad, PC, and Android.

We can also convert your paper books or manuscripts to the right electronic format.
Self-publishing is already a lot of work: a digital scanning service can help you get back your time and energy when it comes to formatting your work.

AMiView

Your information is important and precious. River City Data takes your trust very seriously, and because your time is so valuable, we use our internet based AMiView File retrieval system to take care of your electronic files.

AMiView offers a secure, accessible, and streamlined system for electronic information organization. Users can access through the internet to retrieve the file they want and no need to refile the paper document!

Contact River City Data for Help Scanning Your Paper Documents

The cost can vary depending on what digital scanning services you or your business require. River City Data offers consulting can help you determine what process is right for you or your organization. Our professionals can help you identify the best method of document conversion and storage for your business or project.

We understand scanners, and we know that selecting the right scanner is an investment. River City Data consultants can also help you choose the right kind of service for your data converting needs.

Whatever the needs of you or your organization, when it comes to digital scanning services, we can help. Are you ready to save the time and effort that comes with scanning and storing your own records? Contact River City Data today.

Document Scanning to Declutter Your Office

Tag: Digital Scanning Services