Let’s be honest; document scanning isn’t the most exciting part of handling a business, but it must be done regardless. Scanning and uploading documents to your document management solution (DMS) is an integral part of running and maintaining your business. Since data is everything you need to run a company, scanning is something you cannot escape.
To help you find the best practices in document scanning, we’ve put together a post that lists the most effective takeaways that your business can make use of. Read on to find out more!
Prepare Your Documents
The first step to scanning a document is getting it well-prepped. We’ve all seen how some poorly scanned documents reflect upon later use. There’s something off-putting about shabby documents, both technically as well as professionally. Physical documents are subject to flaws, we get it! But fixing creases and dog-ears on the corners of a document go a long way in terms of scanning quality and future retrieval.
Also: always check your documents beforehand to make sure you won’t be missing a page while bulk scanning. Remember to take out any staple pins or paper clips, and peel off those little sticky notes to keep your files neat and orderly!
Make Regular Backups
Backing up your documents is a highly crucial preventive measure to protect your files in case of a data loss event. Unexpected shutdowns or physical damage can completely immobilize your organization; yes, data is that important. This makes data backups even more valuable to you (and contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have to be a chore).
A robust DMS can give you backup reminders based on preset frameworks, or you can customize these reminders to suit your schedule. You can also automate the backup process entirely, but we always recommend regular supervision and inspection.
Get A Naming System
One of the most important post-scan duties is to have a proper naming system. This ensures that your document names are unified all throughout your DMS. A good file naming system aims for logic and uniformity. Everyone in your organization should be able to find the documents they require, so convenient names that make personal sense to you should be avoided at all costs!
The shift from physical to electronic documents hasn’t become an industry standard yet, and as far as the future is concerned, we can see paper being used for the few years to come. There isn’t any foreseeable escape from document scanning as of right now, so we recommend making the best out of DMS’s document scanning process. If you’re looking for more help on topics like DMS or document scanning, you can call us here or read up on our blog. Happy scanning!