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The contemporary world of business relies largely on technology to streamline everyday internal operations. Digital mailrooms are at the forefront of this trend, with cutting edge technologies used to transform the traditional mail management into a fast and efficient process.

But what exactly are digital mailrooms and how can they help your business save both time and money? Read on as we define the concept, and explore the benefits a digital mailroom could have for your business.

The basics

As the name suggests, a digital mailroom is essentially an electronic version of your tangible postal correspondence. Using sophisticated document scanning and image capture technologies companies can digitalise incoming mail, automate the classification process and systematically deliver it to relevant recipients.

Modernising your business

Today, business growth and the rise of mobile workforces has led to the exponential growth of corporate mail. On average, a medium sized company processes around 100,000 pieces of mail a month, with documents distributed to over 200 different departments. Digital mailrooms bring an efficient electronic edge to managing the huge influx of mail that’s received on a daily basis.

Slash operational costs

Far too many businesses waste time and money on processing mail, filing documents and tracking down content. Digitalised mail rooms take the hassle out of post management by storing all content in electronic form. Staff can then use keywords to search for, locate and send digital mail, at their fingertips.

Backing up files

From unavoidable incidents such as file and theft to simple human errors that result in mail becoming lost or misplaced, traditional post handling services simply don’t offer businesses the total peace of mind that all documents will be 100% accessible on demand. As well as bringing a huge amount of convenience to the mail management process digital mailrooms also ensure that companies comply with legal obligations to retain certain documents. This includes legal obligations to archive documents such as accounting records, staff contracts and so on.

Save paper (and the environment!)

When all mail is digitalised it eliminates the need for staff to photocopy and reprint documents. Instead they can simply search the database to bring up the relevant document, then refer to it on a computer screen or email it to a recipient. This is guaranteed to save businesses money on paper spends, as well as boost eco-friendly credentials.

Think your business could benefit from a digital mailroom? Get in touch with the Pearl Scan team today to discuss the solutions on offer for businesses just like yours.

When having your documents scanned, it is important to choose a file format which is suitable for your organisation. Amongst all of the technical jargon, it can be difficult to tell what the difference is so here's a short and simple guide to three of the most popular file formats.

TIFF

TIFF is short for Tagged Image File Format and, depending on your experience with electronic files, you may or may not have already heard of it. While the TIFF format is a popular one to convert documents to, there are a number of factors you need to consider before choosing this format.

Advantages of Scanning to TIFF

The main advantage of using a TIFF format to convert your scanned files to is that this format is highly compatible with most systems and software. The file also remains uncompressed meaning you won't lose any image detail during the conversion or through frequent saves.

Disadvantages of Scanning to TIFF

There is a disadvantage to the uncompressed feature of the TIFF however and that is the file size. Because a TIFF file remains uncompressed, its file size can be really large. This can become a problem if you're wanting to share your files by email. If you just want your files to be stored and accessed from a document management system though, this can be done easy with TIFF files.

JPEG

JPEG (or you may have seen if referred to as JPG) stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. If you have anything to do with photography, you will almost definitely have heard of this as it is a popular format for photographic images and digital paintings.

Advantages of Scanning to JPEG

In contrast to the TIFF, JPEGs are compressed files which reduces the file size making it easy to share by email. The initial compression uses good enough ratios to still maintain decent quality images.

Disadvantages of Scanning to JPEG

Unfortunately, the compression will have an effect in the long run because when you save and edit the files over and over again you will experience something called generational degrading which means the images will begin to lose their quality over time.

PDF

The PDF (or Portable Document Format) is probably the most popular format to convert scanned images to. Whether you work with electronic documents on a regular basis or not, you will almost definitely have had some encounters with PDF, from downloadable brochures to online books.

Advantages of Scanning to PDF

The main advantage of a PDF file is that it preserves all of the formatting and layout of the original document. PDFs also offer customisable features and the ability to compress the file for storage and sharing purposes without losing any image quality. The PDF is also a highly mobile format and even lets you view documents on smartphone and tablet devices.

Disadvantages of Scanning to PDF

While PDF might seem like the perfect file format, it does come with some disadvantages. It can be very difficult to edit files stored as PDFs because the format captures the document exactly as it is and remains just that. Due to the nature of the ratio, you may also need to scroll and zoom on your computer to view the entire image.

So there we go, I hope this article has gone some way to explaining the good and bad points of the three main files formats to help you make the best decision
 for your scanning project.

Here at Pearl Scan, we provide document scanning and file conversion services for companies and organisations in London and right across the UK. Our sales team can provide you with excellent consultation and draw up a free quote for your project including any one of the file conversion formats above. Contact us by email, call us or complete our online form and one of our experienced staff will be in touch.

Request a Quote   |   Contact Us    |    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Scan-do People^tm


For more information feel free to give us a call: 
Nationwide: 0845 22 55 923          London: 0207 183 1885
Manchester: 0161 832 7991         Birmingham: 0121 285 1900

The way your office manages its documents can have a big effect on your employee’s morale so it’s important to take action now!

Effects of Low Office Morale

While some people might take the idea of low office morale lightly, it can bring serious repercussions for not only the working environment but for the overall business too. When employees don’t feel motivated or supported by those around them, the most obvious effect is a dip in productivity but you could also see effects on working relationships. It can also project a bad atmosphere to potential clients and effect current customer relationships. More worryingly, an employee suffering from low motivation and morale at work can lead to health issues through stress or depression leading to a rise is absentees. Every single one of these problems will be seen in a lowering of profits so before anything gets that far, we think it’s time you address it.

Smile & Scan Your Documents

Not being able to complete simple tasks because of a difficult to manoeuvre document management system can easily lower morale but there is a very simple solution to this. Adopting a digital document management system by scanning the documents you currently store in, shall we say, an organised mess will provide you with a much simpler way to manage, retrieve and share files. With your current system, employees may be spending up to 30% of their time every day searching and retrieving files and wasting even more on unproductive tasks. With scanning and digital storage, files can be retrieved in seconds through simple text searches and they can be shared via email with no need to print or photocopy documents. No one wants to be held back from doing the job they’re paid to do and by showing staff that you care by making changes you can boost morale in a big way.

Document Scanning Service

Have you been convinced? We would love to help you in your quest for a better working atmosphere. We provide a fully bespoke document scanning service with tried and tested document management solutions that can bring you a simple yet effective document management system.

We will handle the entire process so you don’t have to worry yourself either; from collection of your documents to delivery or the digital files. Our scanning service gives the ability to scan to a range of formats including PDF, searchable PDF, TIFF, JPEG and more. You can also receive your digital documents fully OCR processed to make them fully text searchable in your new system. If you would like some more information about Pearl Scan’s document scanning service, take a look at our website or give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.

Request a Quote   |   Contact Us    |    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Scan-do People^tm


For more information feel free to give us a call: 
Nationwide: 0845 22 55 923          London: 0207 183 1885
Manchester: 0161 832 7991         Birmingham: 0121 285 1900