Most companies that have been around for a few decades have gigabytes… or terabytes of data, fading away on yellow paper filed in big heavy cabinets.
They don’t really know what’s there or what to do with it, so they leave those documents filed away…just in case they ever need it.
But the reality is, those documents are just taking up physical space. Even if someone needed information from those dusty cabinets, would they be able to find it?
You need to find a way to make use of all those physical documents. But how?
With many organizations and companies investing in ways to preserve institutional knowledge and employee efficiency, some have begun the task to convert physical documents to electronic formats. Organizations make this investment so the information on their physical documents is stored, secured, and easily accessible.
The process of scanning those old documents is relatively easy – the more important part of the project is making them easily accessible for when an employee needs the information on them.
eFacility helps organizations create a central storage location so it is easily searchable by technicians, employees, contract workers, and other stakeholders.
Why convert physical documents to an electronic system?
There is much value to taking on this seemingly daunting task in the long run which reveals itself immediately and even more over time.
Once information is stored in a single, searchable location and documents are uniformly converted, anyone can access it.
Establishing a clear process for record keeping can save time and hassle moving forward as multiple individuals can now have access to the same information and retrieve valuable content with little hassle (Watson). Completing a comprehensive conversion of documents will improve the time to complete work orders; it will help with project management, and it will protect important information from being lost (Watson).
Specifically, eFacility recently took on a project with a large water authority in the United States. In the field of maintaining water systems, facility employees and administrators must oversee the management of multiple locations spanning across entire cities and sometimes counties.
Their main goal is to ensure that valuable water resources are being distributed throughout the area. These systems consist of many buildings that contain numerous pieces of equipment, tools, supplies, and important records, all of which must be maintained.
It is also true that many cities and counties run on tight budgets; thus, managers are often looking for ways to improve their services while maintaining low costs.
Through converting all of the documents within this water authority, individuals will be able to more quickly communicate in order to predict problems, complete routine maintenance, and resolve unforeseen issues in a timely manner.
Technicians from different locations will also be able to share information and locate tools or supplies needed to complete a project without having to waste time searching multiple locations for the information.
What are some simple ways to convert documents to electronic format?
Michael Harris of Simple Solutions wrote an article that outlines some of the simple ways in which individuals can take on the task to convert physical documents to electronic format.
In it, he outlines that certain Apps, Digital Conversion Services, and Multifunctional Devices (ie. scanners and printers) are the go-to options for tackling this type of project (Harris).
Each of these options has its pros and cons. When making a decision about which to select, be sure to consider the scope of the project and whether it would be more valuable to hire a service to prepare and convert the documents for you (Harris; Watson). In an article written for Kiplinger, the author suggests that it is important to assess which documents need to be retained such as receipts or business contacts (Gerstner). This article also suggests digital applications that can easily be accessed on your smartphone in order to complete these tasks and are a huge time saver (Gerstner). Also, when considering different applications and devices, assess whether or not the devices used will be able to scan the particular documents in a way that will create quality images (Harris). Moreover, make sure that the devices will be able to accommodate the varying sizes of some of the materials that need to be scanned or converted (Harris).
If you have a need to scan and store documents in an easily searchable tool, eFacility can help. We want to learn more about your project to see how we can help you, schedule a call here.
Pointers for ensuring the success of a total digital conversion
- Reflect upon the priorities of the project and which documentation actually is necessary to store and preserve in this way. This is a good time, in general, to clear out some of the clutter. It is possible that some of the documents can simply be discarded or shredded. When doing this, be sure to decide on which paper documents should also still be saved and how they should be stored (Syberscribe).
- Make sure that there is a clear process outlined for how to compile and then convert documents in order to avoid mistakes and valuable information from slipping through the cracks (Harris).
- Harris also suggests incorporating a uniform format such as .pdf as well as document naming system to ensure the efficiency of the search and storage process (EX: department_name_year.pdf). In addition to creating a clear format, an article for Syberscribe suggests that time should be spent on training employees to convert the documents as well as on how to continue the saving process in the future.
In keeping up with innovation and the demands of consumers in a number of different industries that place cost and efficiency at a premium, the value to convert physical documents to electronic systems particularly for the management of facilities is clear.
eFacility can fulfill many of the needs of facility managers through its easy to use and access design.
If you have a need to scan and store documents in an easily searchable tool, eFacility can help. We want to learn more about your project to see how we can help you, schedule a call here.
About Us
eFacility provides software for facility managers that need to capture and share institutional knowledge.
eFacility’s patented technology allows technicians to access the documentation necessary to complete a work order from a mobile device.
Geo-based documentation delivery ensures the technician can quickly access the important documentation for only the area of the facility in which they’re standing.
If you have a need to scan and store documents in an easily searchable tool, eFacility can help. We want to learn more about your project to see how we can help you, schedule a call here.
References
Gerstner, L. (2012, July 13). 7 Steps to Convert Paper Files to Digital. Retrieved June 26, 2020, from https://www.kiplinger.com/article/spending/T057-C000-S002-7-steps-to-convert-paper-files-to-digital.html
Harris, M. (2020, May 28). 4 Simple & Best Ways to Digitize Your Paper Documents. Retrieved June 26, 2020, from https://smoothsolutions.com/simple-ways-digitize-paper-documents/
SyberScribe. (2019, July 02). Medical Records: 6 Tips to Convert Paper to Digital – Articles. Retrieved June 26, 2020, from https://www.syberscribe.com.au/blog/medical-records-6-tips-convert-paper-digital/
Watson, E. (2019, September 12). How to Digitize Documents. Retrieved June 26, 2020, from https://www.business.com/articles/document-digitization-for-small-businesses/
