The transition from paper to electronic administration is one that has presented office managers with some serious problems. Firstly, older archives are entirely on paper, and were generated before computers were in use. Secondly, the conversion between the two mediums requires that staff devote time to it as a process in itself, in addition to their usual tasks. A bulk document scanning service can solve these issues.
Some computer systems allow for the information contained in the old archives merely to be entered manually, so no scanning is required. But often, the actual documentation needs to be electronically recorded and stored. This is why scanning machines, or scanners, are used. They also cause challenges, though.
Firstly, they are expensive. In the electronic era, no office equipment is cheap, not even common machines like Xeroxes or printers. Scanners are less common, and therefore no cheaper than anything else. The price of the equipment then becomes part of the total cost of the scanning process, something which management need to be able to resolve in the budget.
Secondly, scanning is not a quick procedure. The machine has to be fed manually, page by page. It cannot be speeded up. Even machines which can take stacks of pages at a time, such as an entire file, still works through its stages of processing. The cumulative time required to scan archived material is therefore daunting, and not an issue which management are always able to accommodate.
For these reasons, making use of a bulk scanning service is an option that should be considered. Bulk scanning companies can simply collect the archived material and return it with the electronic backup media, such as DVD ROMs or external hard-drives. Staff of the customer organization do not need to participate any further than that in the exercise.
The equipment factor does not exist in such arrangements, because the service has the most advanced scanners. These are industrial machines which are designed to handle massive amounts of paperwork in a much shorter time-frame. The less impressive, DIY machines that private purchasers buy cannot match this performance, and will even stop working if they are used in this way.
Paperwork is a necessity of modern administration, and yet it is sometimes so voluminous that employees simple cannot manage its sheer scanning load. Then there is also the old material that needs to be made available electronically, so that it is easier to access and safeguard. A bulk scanning service addresses these issues at a market-related rate.
Some computer systems allow for the information contained in the old archives merely to be entered manually, so no scanning is required. But often, the actual documentation needs to be electronically recorded and stored. This is why scanning machines, or scanners, are used. They also cause challenges, though.
Firstly, they are expensive. In the electronic era, no office equipment is cheap, not even common machines like Xeroxes or printers. Scanners are less common, and therefore no cheaper than anything else. The price of the equipment then becomes part of the total cost of the scanning process, something which management need to be able to resolve in the budget.
Secondly, scanning is not a quick procedure. The machine has to be fed manually, page by page. It cannot be speeded up. Even machines which can take stacks of pages at a time, such as an entire file, still works through its stages of processing. The cumulative time required to scan archived material is therefore daunting, and not an issue which management are always able to accommodate.
For these reasons, making use of a bulk scanning service is an option that should be considered. Bulk scanning companies can simply collect the archived material and return it with the electronic backup media, such as DVD ROMs or external hard-drives. Staff of the customer organization do not need to participate any further than that in the exercise.
The equipment factor does not exist in such arrangements, because the service has the most advanced scanners. These are industrial machines which are designed to handle massive amounts of paperwork in a much shorter time-frame. The less impressive, DIY machines that private purchasers buy cannot match this performance, and will even stop working if they are used in this way.
Paperwork is a necessity of modern administration, and yet it is sometimes so voluminous that employees simple cannot manage its sheer scanning load. Then there is also the old material that needs to be made available electronically, so that it is easier to access and safeguard. A bulk scanning service addresses these issues at a market-related rate.
About the Author:
Loris F. Anders is an office management specialist focused on optimizing workflow processes in document management. If you would like to learn more about go paperless, she recommends you check out Docufree.
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