Going Paperless in Wisconsin
Hard-copy documents may be easy to access but over time they pile up, which can create problems for Madison businesses. Before you know it, one of your offices is dedicated to storing files. Unfortunately, converting to a paperless office might have some issues- but this checklist will help you avoid some of the pitfalls associated with the migration.
To make the jump, businesses hire a professional document scanning service to convert all their paper records into digital copies. These documents are easier to access and control, and help to improve productivity and document management processes.
Is Your Office in Madison Going Paperless? Answer these Questions First
Did you know that 95% of businesses in Madison, WI still use paper filing systems, or store company information on desks or in filing cabinets? That’s where the paperless office can really benefit your company. Wouldn’t it be nice to free up that expensive office space for a more useful purpose?
The transition to a paperless office will be easier with some research and an understanding of how you should tackle the conversion process. Check out these questions to consider when you’re looking for a document conversion partner.
Is hiring a document scanning service an effective solution for you? This usually depends on the number of documents you need to be converted. Consider all the variables, including document storage costs, ongoing costs, and required upgrades to make the system functional.
Do your employees spend a lot of time shuffling through stacks of paper? Electronic documents eliminate this wasted time and help optimize your document management program.
Do you spend money on paper, postage, ink and other supplies each month? Every time you send an email, you’ll eliminate the cost and time it takes to mail or distribute a hard-copy document.
How secure are your confidential files and documents that contain personal or critical business information to be more secure through document scanning and electronic storage? Low tech hacks where corporate spies copy or steal paper documents is a lot more common than you might think.
Will your new system be easy to use, and will your employees find it easier to use digitized documents? Eliminate the need to figure out which document is most current- implement version control and indexing to make documents easier to find and eliminate the chance of an older version of your million dollar contract getting to your client.
If you can answer all these questions with confidence, then you’re ready to go paperless! If you have questions or want more information, give us a call at (608) 807-2849 or fill out the form to the left.
Federal Laws that Encourage Electronic Document Storage in Madison
There are several laws that have been introduced to ensure that businesses take proper precautions to protect employees and customers’ personal information- Sarbanes-Oxley, FACTA and HIPPA. Here’s a brief explanation of how these laws encourage you to convert to electronic document storage and management sooner rather than later:
- Back in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) addressed the security and privacy of health data. The standards are meant to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation’s health care system by encouraging the widespread use of electronic data in the US health care system.
- In 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act which required businesses to properly maintain financial records- including the ability to retrieve them when required.
- In 2003, the Fair and Accurate Credit Reporting Act (FACTA) requires businesses to properly safeguard and store personal information of employees and customers- and make sure that they’re destroyed properly.
Most offices operate under a mountain of paper documents, which makes it next to impossible to comply with these laws without dedicating a significant amount of resources to organizing files. The storage required for paper documents grows at a rate of 20-25% every year.
Going paperless helps reverse that trend, but document retention requirements still mandate that certain documents need to be retained. Let Madison Scanning and Imaging help you make the transition today!
Ready to Make the Change to a Paperless Office? Madison Scanning Service Can Help!
Let a professional, secure, Wisconsin-based document scanning service make your project easy to manage and stress-free. Madison Scanning Service can quickly perform the indexing, scanning, and post-production work to get your office into digital format.
We can even help you convert text via optical character recognition (OCR) software so you can edit the documents or redact private information to protect your customers. Get free, no-obligation quotes on converting your documents and records to digital format, let our experts know! Fill out the form to the left, or give us a call at (608) 807-2849.
131 W Wilson St
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 807-2849
E-Mail: info@madisonscanningservice.com