As businesses are transitioning to a digital era, paper documents have become obsolete. Document conversion has been historically expensive, but the advantages of digitizing company operations far outweigh this upfront cost in both long-term savings and improved operational efficiency.
- free up office space
- improve quality control
- make responding to audits easier
- share and track records easier
- protect original documents.
In fact, digitizing the backlog of paperwork and adopting paper-saving technologies for the future improves every company's bottom line: Saving money is a great motivator.
How much money is lost due to paper documents? In short, too much. According to The Triple Pundit, the average worker in an office uses 10,000 sheets of paper annually, and the average four-drawer cabinet costs about $25,000 to fill and $2,000 each year to maintain. That's the cost of paper for one employee - not including the expense incurred because of productivity bottlenecks - searching for paper files.
Digitizing thousands of documents may seem achievable to scan in-house; after all, scanners aren't terribly expensive. However, once you get started with your backlog, you'll find that scanning projects aren't always easy to manage.
That's why outsourcing a high-volume scanning project to a professional document scanning company is a sensible solution. Here's what you'll gain from leveraging the expertise of a document scanning company:
1. Cost savings
Though scanners aren't expensive, the amount of time employees spend wading through hundreds of boxes of papers detracts from their other responsibilities - the ones you hired them to perform based on their specialized skill sets. On the flip side, once your documents are in digital form, employee productivity goes up as documents are available at the click of a mouse. You'll also recoup the cost of leasing onsite storage, which traditionally took up prime office space. Digital documents don't take up any physical space.
Check out this article for more information on the cost of scanning your documents.
2. Save Company Time
A dedicated team of professionals experienced in document management leverages efficiency, reliably scanning all documents in the most cost-effective way. Scanning can start immediately and end quickly when you don't have to buy or rent equipment and train employees.
3. Save Office Space
Office space is recaptured when physical documents are digitized. But you'll also save space that would be required to process, organize, and scan documents if you scanned in-house. By outsourcing, you ship all of those documents away to a facility designed to maximize scanning efficiency. How will you use all that extra space? Or will you downsize to a smaller office now that you don't need it?
4. Know the Costs Going In
When you outsource your scanning needs to a document scanning service, the line-item costs are known upfront so you can approve the project in your budget. Your project won't include any hidden costs or surprise fees and expenses, as opposed to the unforeseen costs that pop up in-house.
5. Focus on Your Company
Is "Scanning an enormous backlog of documents” part of your company's mission statement? No, it isn't. The document scanning process in no way moves you closer to achieving your long-term objectives. Outsourcing document scanning reduces stress and focuses your resources on carrying out your mission.
6. Meet Compliance
Companies who specialize in document scanning services know industry regulations to ensure compliance. Scanning experts not only convert your documents to digital files, but they do it in a way that satisfies your industry's document requirements. With top-of-the-line technology and a refined process, your new digital documents will meet the highest standards for image quality and security.
Conclusion
The benefits of outsourcing your large scanning project are sound. There are, however, a few considerations to think about before pressing GO on your scanning project. First, determine:
- your business priorities
- your budget
- the estimated ROI
- your timeline to complete the process
Answer these questions, and it becomes evident that outsourcing is the way to go for quick, affordable, high-quality scanning completion.
Digitizing your documents with a reputable document scanning company can help simplify your workflow processes by giving you quick access to important information whenever you need it without having to search through a warehouse full of paper records.
When it comes to tackling large projects, our partners work in a variety of industries digitizing a wide range of documents in all formats.
Contact DocCapture today for assistance connecting with some of the best document scanning companies available!
