There can be several compliance considerations and drivers that might pose the need for updated processes to the way businesses manage, maintain and store sensitive documentation.

Organizations are moving into the digital age faster now than ever, however, there are still many processes and functions that have yet to catch up. Paper records, for instance, are still widespread across a number of businesses – the problem being that it could be hindering the road to a digital transformation. The solution to this is for businesses to see the value and benefits of document scanning, the foundation to kickstarting their digital transformation journey. 

Read the rest of the article to learn six compelling benefits of document scanning, how it can provide value to your whole organization and processes. 

1. Human resource and people benefits

The HR department needs to have a solution that not only helps them to manage employee data but offers the flexibility to work on documents simultaneously as well as from different locations – particularly useful if the organizations span multiple sites.

Document scanning can provide HR with the ability to improve their current processes and offers the following benefits:

• Enables HR to go paperless and maintain an all-around view of employees and the ‘hire to retire’ cycle

• Able to efficiently create and manage employee records

• Employee documents are able to meet compliance requirements

• More time is able to be spent on value-adding activities, such as employee development, acquisition and retention

• Improved and quicker on-boarding for new employees

• Tighter security and compliance with user access controls

• Improved performance of the HR function

2. Cost control and efficiency gains

Staff can waste a lot of time looking for, retrieving, and then filing documents—meaning less time is spent on carrying out meaningful tasks. As such, it means that there is a loss of utility which not only affects efficiency but also organizational costs.

Bulk document scanning and digitization can help tackle staff inefficiencies and reduce overall costs as well as improve how employees manage documents going forward. By providing the right technology into your organization, you will also be able to reduce operational costs as well as costs that can accumulate from paper documents. Other additional benefits include:

• Long-term cost reduction and maximizing service delivery and ROI

• Faster turnaround with document handling and storage

• More time for strategic projects

• Improved visibility and enhanced efficiency

• Streamlined processes mean making better decisions and improving the quality of service

• Minimizing compliance risk and reducing audit time

• Increased capacity/space due to the reduction of paper-based documents

• Increased employee efficiency and productivity by eliminating manual procedures and using digital and automated processes

3. Improved security and reduced compliance risk

Organizations in every industry must be compliant when it comes to collecting, storing, and processing of personal data to ensure confidentiality and security. A data breach is a significant and unpleasant organizational issue including fines and loss of customer or staff confidence.

Going digital with your business-critical documents is a beneficial way to not only protect your organization against data breaches but also:

• Protects the business’, employees’, and customers’ needs

• Helps to spot potential red flags through the document management process and provide the insight to mitigate those risks

• Improves accuracy over the documents being worked on and managed

• Protects against human error and potential loss of data

• Eliminates ungoverned access to documents through strict user access controls

• Improves control over documents in the system and provides a centralized database for accessing the right document at the right time

• Improves the security of document storage, meaning paper records are no longer at risk of being left unsecured

4. Improve the customer experience

Organizations can become overwhelmed with the never-ending documents, especially if they’re in paper form – and there could be numerous copies of documents in play. As a result, information could become easily lost and could slow down communications with customers and disrupt the customer service experience exponentially.

However, with a document scanning solution, it would allow for speedier access to files and other documents and provide a smoother, automated process with a digital journey and bridge the gap between customers and your business. Benefits of digitizing documents include:

• Faster and easier access to critical business documentation and records

• Being able to solve lasting customer problems

• Building a longer-term competitive advantage

• Improving the retention of loyal customers

• Improving customer service response times

5. Enables a smooth transition to a shared services model

More organizations – from finance to healthcare and retail – are transitioning to a shared services model, which is growing in popularity. The shift is due to a number of attractive benefits including:

• Reduction in operational costs

• Diminishing the need for duplicitous effort

• Allowing businesses to have a greater focus on their projects

• Consolidating back-office functions

Businesses adopt this model in order to:

• Reduce costs through the centralization of important services and functions
• Speed up information access

• Breaking silos and providing integrated services

• Increase decision-making abilities

• Leverage data to create value within their business

Therefore, implementing a document scanning solution and processes into an organization is a great steppingstone.

6. It’s the first step to true digital transformation

With shared services becoming the industry standard, it’s time to start preparing your organization with a full-scale shift to a new digital way of working. Beginning a digital transformation for your organization can play a strategic role through creating more efficient processes. As a result, you’ll be able to impact both your bottom and top line by integrating your value-added services.

The first step to true digital transformation is to start digitizing all business-critical documents using a document scanning solution and create an automated process going forward that means they are instantly retrievable and always accessible.

What does the future hold?

That future is closer than you think, and much of it starts with paper-to-digital transformation. Challenge the way you work as a business, so that you’re less dependent on paper, and free your organization and team to focus on high-value activities that drive customer satisfaction and top-line performance.

Going digital will involve changing the way people work, and how they think. People fear the unknown, so communicating the reasons and benefits of change is crucial. All stakeholders must buy-in to this process, especially your CEO.

Conclusion

Scanning your documents can improve your organization’s performance, improve efficiency as well as reduce operational costs. Going paperless is an attractive venture for many organizations in the healthcare, financial and commercial sectors. It is not just about reducing physical aspects such as storage space, paper, and printing; but also portrays businesses as socially responsible with more environmentally friendly processes.

Therefore document scanning is the first step to truly transforming your business into a digital one and is a long-term strategy to optimizing your operational structure going forward.

Want to learn more about how document scanning can benefit your business? Read our free eBook: Buyer’s Guide to Going Paperless – 10 Crucial Questions To Ask Your Document Scanning Vendor