Document Archiving the Right Way

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Like with most things, there's a "right way" to do document archiving--but there are also several wrong ways. To help you avoid those pitfalls and make the most of document archiving, let's take a look at three fictional companies that didn't quite make the grade.

How Not to Archive

The truth about document archiving is that it can be a simple, pain-free task--but it's not the task itself that tends to trip people up. It's the preparation. Here are three examples of document archiving gone wrong, and how you can plan to do better.

Company A: Well-intentioned, ill-organized

Company A was able to archive all of their documents. They figured they would start fresh once their files were in digital format. The problem, though, is that they didn't plan and come up with a way to organize those newly-scanned files. Now they're left with a huge mess of documents that have no naming conventions to keep them in check.

Solution: To avoid being a "Company A," your best bet is to organize, organize, organize. Take document archiving one step at a time and be sure to come up with consistent, effective naming conventions.

Company B: Completely giving up

Company B decided to use a scanning service for their document archiving journey, but when they got their quote, they decided it was just too expensive--so they gave up. Now they're right back where they started--except their workplace is even messier and less organized than before, because they didn't change anything.

Solution: Don't be a "Company B." Instead, plan ahead of time for the cost of document archiving--and don't forget that a little hard work now will save you money in the future.

Company C: Victims of a bad plan

Company C was almost at the finish line. They went step-by-step and archived their documents one at a time--but what they didn't do was decide which documents to scan and which to store. Now they have no idea where anything is, and they're worse off than before!

Solution: Instead of being "Company C," make sure you do a little homework and decide what gets scanned, what gets stored in the file cabinet, and what gets shredded.

Are you looking for the right way to do document archiving? We're here to help. Contact us today!