Some habits are hard to break. For many businesses, paper is just such a habit. We can’t help it- so many business practices are ingrained, imprinted on our subconscious, that we don’t even think about them, it just happens. Paper has been around for centuries. And even now, the paper habit would seem impossible to shake.
Before the turn of this century, most businesses were literally drowning in paper. Every document generated by any business was printed on paper, sometimes multiple copies for distribution, read off of paper, filed on paper and eventually stored on paper. The ubiquitous file cabinets grew larger and larger. Entire industries developed to handle the printing, distribution and storage of paper documents. Entire forests perished for these documents. FedEx was founded on the idea of getting paper to and from customers overnight! Entire mega-sized warehouses existed to store nothing but paper. Looking at that period in the history of business from today’s vantage point makes the practices seem wildly inefficient.
But with the spreading use of computers, documents started to shed the bonds of paper. Gradually we moved into the digital age, becoming less and less paper-based. Now it’s not uncommon for documents to never be printed!
But the transition was slow and painful.
Starting with the invention of Optical Character Recognition- OCR- then the document scanner, then the personal computer, not only was paper becoming digital, information was becoming more accessible. Today we think nothing of sharing the same document with multiple users in multiple cities or on multiple continents instantly. But not that long ago it would have taken hours or days to do the same.
If your enterprise is not digital-based now, you might think that the transition is impossible. Years of paper files pertaining to almost everything may be sitting in boxes somewhere in an off-site facility, expensive to store and difficult to access.
It IS the 21st Century. Let’s start acting like it! Let’s get and stay digital! It might be painful, but in the long run, breaking the paper habit will improve your businesses’ health.
Digital documents are easily shared, duplicated, stored and retrieved. They can be almost instantly copied and backed up, so they won’t be lost or destroyed by manmade or natural disasters. Digital records can be analyzed for trends and forces that might influence critical decisions.
But do you take on that task in-house, or do you outsource it to a professional? Business Process Outsourcing BPO companies- specialize in moving businesses into the digital realm. They have the trained staff, the hardware and software for any type of migration, and the security protocols to move all your paper records- not matter what their format- into digital information.
The best BPOs are GLB and HIPPA compliant. This means that they’ve been certified by the US government to have protective measures in place to secure sensitive medical, personal and financial data.
If after document digitization, you want to archive the original paper files, your BPO will take care of that. If you want to destroy the files, that can be done in a secure manner.
The migration from paper to digital can be painless if you plan carefully and choose the right partner. The best of the Business Process Outsource firms routinely handle this kind of work. They are safe, professional and reliable. Their work is quick and economical, saving you the time and expense of hiring and training additional staff. If you need additional hardware to accommodate the increase in digital information the migration produces, they can supply or recommend it.
But remember, all BPOs are not created equal. Demand and expect the highest quality and security for the digital migration process, and the continuing digitalization of new documents if needed.
For more information, and a chance to see exactly what Rely Services offers, book a free evaluation of your customer service needs and how we can help you accomplish your goals.
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