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So you're thinking of digitising? That's a great decision and one that could bring huge benefits for you and your company. Taking your document management into the digital world can be a big step so we've compiled a short list of 'Do's and Don'ts' to make the transition for you and your company a little bit easier.

Do outsource your document scanning project.

The first thing to remember when you want to go digital is when to seek help with your document scanning solutions. If you only deal with a small amount of documents on a daily basis, I think it's safe to say you can manage digitising them with a flat-bed office scanner. However, if your company deals with a large number of documents on a regular basis or has a lot of documents in storage in offices or off-site facilities, hiring document scanning services might just be the best thing you can do. Remember to do your research in order to hire the right document scanning company.

Do shred your paper documents.

Once you've made the decision to store your documents in digital format, you will no longer have a need for the paper copies. They will just be taking up space and using costs that you could otherwise save so make sure you dispose of them. The documents must be shredded to ensure the security of the information they contain but before you start dreading the prospect of having to shred thousands of documents in your standard office shredder, here at Pearl Scan, we offer secure shredding services as part of our document scanning service.

Do have your documents OCR processed.

OCR processing makes your documents fully text searchable meaning you can search for your files using simple keyword searches. These searches can range from titles and names to dates and reference numbers. This offers a huge benefit of better efficiency and productivity in the office because rather than rummaging through filing cabinets to find the document you need, you can have it at the click of a button ready to read, edit and share.

Don't adopt a complicated system.

An ideal digital document management system should be easy enough for anyone to use from an older person to a young child. There is a large range of options and software out there so it is vital to do your research before committing to one particular system. Sometimes companies assume that they will need to hire new staff or spend a lot of time retraining the current staff to be able to use the new system but this is simply not the case.

Don't leave your documents at risk.

When your documents are stored in paper form, you are leaving them open to the risks of loss, theft and damage. With an electronic document management system, you can have your digital documents encrypted and password protected so only the people required will be able to view them. Once they are stored digitally, your files will be protected from rips and spillage damage.

Don't scan small amounts to save money.

While you may think that the best thing for your budget is to scan your documents in small amounts throughout the year but with most document scanning services, including Pearl Scan, actually offer discounted scanning for large bulk scanning projects. So, before you choose to continue storing some of your documents for fear of busting the budget, get a quote first.

So there you have it, a few do's and don'ts to help make your digital transition just a little bit smoother. If you would like some more information about going digital or if you would like to find out about the document scanning services and document management solutions we have to offer here at Pearl Scan, feel free to browse our website and blog or get in touch today. For a free, no obligation, quote for your digitising project complete our online form by following the relevant links below.

Document Scanning for Businesses - A beginner's guide containing the top 3 ways in which document scanning can help your business.

In this article we are going to list the top 3 ways that document scanning can help your business. Obviously this can all depend on how much you are currently relying on paper based documents, but if you do, this is a great guide to get you moving into a better system that works within your company.

So let's get started:

1. Document scanning improves efficiency

This is one of the biggest and most proven facts about document scanning and this is the main reason that the majority of companies decide to go digital with their documents. When your documents are scanned and put into a digital document management system, they are much easier to find when compared to paper documents. Think about how long it might take to search through filing cabinets and storage to find the files that you need. Even if you have a good idea where they are, it can still take quite a bit of time especially if the files have not been put back correctly or are out of order. Searching for a document digitally means doing a quick computer based search which will take a matter of moments. The effects this can have on efficiency and productivity is excellent as more work can be done than ever before. Staff morale is also boosted as the result of a more interesting working day.
When you get your documents scanned by a professional document scanning company, the files are indexed in any way that you wish. This can be by a reference number, a client name or address or anything else that is relevant. That means that you can simply type in the appropriate information and the document should appear on the screen right away. This makes life considerably easier in the office.

2. Document scanning and digital management systems save money

There might be an initial cost to getting all of your documents scanned, but the costs that will be saved in the long run especially, and in some cases the very short term, is exceptional. As we mentioned in the previous section, efficiency is improved and more work gets done. This can mean that you wouldn't need to employ more staff and train them because of improvements in productivity. You will also find that the amount you spend on paper, printer ink and other office supplies involved will be cut dramatically as documents are no longer printer to be stored.
On top of this, if you are a company that stores their documents in a storage facility with ongoing monthly costs and retrieval fees, this can be cut out completely. Once the documents are scanned, indexed and onto your systems, they are in your own hands and can be accessed at any time, removing the need for storing the physical files and the costly, time-consuming retrieval. Law firms have already found that this system is excellent for helping with their document storage costs.

3. Document scanning saves space

When the need for physical, paper based documents is no longer an issue, the documents, and the cabinets and drawers they are located in, can be disposed of leaving you with more office space to use however you wish. In the modern, economical environment, space is more important than ever and every inch can count in a lot of cases. The extra space can be used for extra facilities or just to give more breathing room for your staff to work in, which I'm sure they'll thank you for!

Document scanning and digital management are modern day miracles for businesses in all walks of life, big or small and is also extremely cost effective. Here at Pearl Scan, we have completed projects for companies and organisations across a range of sectors including education, HR, legal and healthcare. If you'd like to find out more about our document scanning services and how document scanning helps businesses, visit our website or complete our form for a free online quote.

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Searching for documents is tedious. We all know this, yet some of us continue to put up with it without looking for a better solution. Here at Pearl Scan, we have that solution with document scanning.

Nowadays, when we want to find out some information, we usually type a quick query into a search engine and get what we need in seconds. There's no need to search through books for the information because search engines are quicker and more reliable. Similarly, why should you search through mountains for paperwork for a document when you can have them scanned onto an online platform which can answer your search in seconds?

Who Can Document Scanning Help?

Anyone. Whether you work in HR, education, legal or just have a lot of paperwork to get rid of, document scanning is the solution you've been looking for.

What Does Document Scanning Involve?

1. With Pearl Scan, all you have to do is box up all of the documents you want to be scanned. On your part, it is that simple. We can even provide the boxes if you need them.
2. We then come and collect your boxes and take them back to our secure scanning and storage premises. The documents are prepared with the removal of paperclips, staples and anything else we don't want to clog up the scanners with. All of your documents are kept in the same order you have provided them in before being placed on the scanners.
3. Our state of the art scanners can scan documents in seconds, much faster than the average office scanner, meaning we have the ability to scan thousands of documents a day. This gives us a nice quick turnaround time.
4. Once the documents have all been scanned, the digital copies are checked as we like to be sure we're doing a good job for you.
5. We can then apply OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and convert the digital copies to searchable PDF, Word, Excel, CSV or XML. Depending on your preferences, the digital copies will then be placed on USB, CD or onto our document management software, Halogen.
6. Once the digital copies have been stored, we can either return your paper documents, store them or shred and dispose of them.

How Much Does It Cost?

Some people won't even consider outsourcing a document scanning company because they assume it will be expensive. Here at Pearl Scan we can provide you with great value document scanning solutions with document scanning from as little as a penny per document for large volume and we offer free, no obligation quotes so you can decide which service is right for you. Our experienced and friendly team will take the tedious work away from you. At the end of the day, you will be investing money into a long term solution which can help improve your day to day workflow and we have put a great value price on that.

How Can Document Scanning Help My Workflow?

• Finding a document will be simpler, just a click away essentially
• Less time searching for documents means more time doing the job you actually applied for
• We take away the hassle of scanning large volumes of documents yourself
• Your office will be free of boxes, folders and filing cabinets

Pearl Scan's document scanning and management solutions can help to make your working life easier. We're sorry we can't make sure your tea is on the table when you get home but we can ensure you still have enough energy to cook it. If you would like some more information or if you would like a quote to suit your needs then get in touch today or complete our online form by following the relevant links below.