Preparing for a large document scanning project can seem daunting, especially if it’s your first time. Many businesses find themselves feeling a bit lost, unsure of their role in the process and what needs to be done beforehand.
Don’t worry, getting ready for your project is a lot easier than you might think.
In this article, we hope to clear up any confusion you might have about this process as well as provide you with a few tips that ensure your next project goes off without a hitch. From organizing your documents in advance to clarifying the role that we, as a professional scanning company, will play in the preparation, our goal is to ensure that you feel relaxed and well-prepared for your next project.
Prepare Your Documents For Scanning
Before diving into the specific steps you can take to prepare your documents for scanning, it’s important to note that the most common concern for businesses – the preparation of the documents themselves – is actually not as labor intensive as it might seem.
Many businesses get hung up on this aspect, but the good news is, when we scan your documents, we handle all the intricacies involved in document preparation. This includes removing staples, smoothing out creases, taping down sticky notes and business cards, and ensuring that each page is ready for the scanner.
That being said, there are still a few things you can do before sending your documents off for scanning that can significantly streamline the process.
Categorize and Prioritize
Start by organizing your documents into different categories, such as financial records, legal documents, or employee files. This organization makes it easier to locate specific documents during the scanning process should the need arise, and also ensures that similar documents with comparable requirements are scanned together. Grouping documents in this way allows for a more streamlined and systematic approach to the scanning process.
Prioritizing certain documents based on their urgency or importance is another step you can take to ensure that your most critical information is digitized first. This is useful for documents you are actively working with or need regular access to.
By identifying these high-priority documents, they can be scanned and made available in digital form quickly, ensuring minimal disruption to your daily operations, while helping you take advantage of the benefits gained by digitizing your documents earlier. .
This prioritization not only speeds up access to essential information when needed but also streamlines the overall scanning process, allowing you to focus on current projects without waiting for the entire archive to be digitized.
Create an Inventory
Creating an inventory of your documents, which details the types and quantities, along with any special instructions, can act as a roadmap for your scanning project. This inventory not only gives a clear picture of what’s being digitized but also aids in accurately estimating the scope and resources required for the project.
While creating an inventory can be incredibly beneficial, it’s important to note that it is not mandatory. We conduct a thorough inventory check of all documents both during collection and upon their arrival at our facility. This meticulous approach helps us maintain a well-documented and secure chain of custody.
We use this inventory to meticulously track each document throughout the scanning process, ensuring every page is accounted for and handled according to your needs and our high standards. This dual inventory approach – one by you and the other by us – guarantees precision and security at every step of the document digitization journey.
Identify Sensitive Documents
By identifying sensitive documents within your archive, you can facilitate the setup of all necessary processes to ensure compliance with relevant security requirements. This step is key in maintaining privacy and adhering to legal standards, without the need for you to delve into extensive research on compliance specifics.
Different industries and document types have unique security needs that directly impact the scanning process. For example, scanning medical records, legal documents, and financial statements each demand specific handling and security protocols. By identifying these sensitive documents within your archive, you can facilitate the setup of all necessary processes to ensure compliance with relevant security requirements.
At SecureScan, we take on the responsibility of aligning our processes with your compliance needs, without the need for you to delve into extensive research on compliance specifics.
Our service is and scanning processes are compliant with a wide range of data privacy protection laws, including HIPAA for medical records, FERPA for educational documents scanning, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and FACTA for financial information.
This means that when you entrust us with your sensitive documents, that they are managed in a manner that meets all necessary legal and security obligations.
Our goal is to take the complexity out of handling these sensitive documents, ensuring a seamless, secure, and compliant scanning process for your business.
Our Role In Preparing Your Documents For Scanning
After guiding you through the initial steps of preparing your documents, our team undertakes our own meticulous preparation steps to ensure our facility is ready for the arrival of your documents. This preparation extends beyond the physical handling of documents and encompasses a comprehensive planning phase.
In this phase, we focus on aligning our processes with the specific needs of your project. We ensure that everything, from our operational strategies to our secure storage facilities, is primed to handle your documents with the utmost care and efficiency. This is where our expertise and experience become pivotal in delivering a seamless scanning service tailored to your requirements.
Once your project starts, SecureScan takes over all of the heavy lifting, ensuring a secure, efficient, and high-quality document scanning process.
Pick-Up and Transportation
We handle the collection of your documents, whether they need boxing or retrieving from archives. Our team meticulously packs and inventories your documents, ensuring their safety and a well-documented chain of custody. The documents are then securely transported directly to our facility and stored in our document vault.
Organization Phase
In this phase, we organize your documents according to the project specifications and group like-sized documents for efficient scanning. Each document is carefully tracked, maintaining a detailed record from start to finish.
Document Preparation
We prepare the documents for scanning by flattening creases and making necessary repairs. Sticky notes and odd-sized documents are secured to ensure they are scanned properly. For unique materials like fragile or oversized documents, we use specialized techniques for the best digital reproduction.
Final Pre-Scanning Steps
- Patch Sheets: We use patch sheets to mark the beginning and end of each document, streamlining the organization of the digital files.
- Scanner Calibration: Our scanners are calibrated against your documents to ensure the highest quality scans. We manually review the results of this calibration to guarantee that the final scans are clear and accurate.
- Document Stacking: All documents are carefully stacked and prepared for scanning, ensuring a smooth and efficient process.
By managing all these preparation steps, SecureScan aims to alleviate your workload and save costs. Our comprehensive approach ensures each document is handled with the utmost care and precision, providing you with a hassle-free path to digital document management. With SecureScan, your documents are in expert hands, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and security throughout the scanning process.
Getting Started with Your Scanning Project
At SecureScan, we know that starting a scanning project is a big step. Between the time it takes to get everything organized, concerns about the costs, or uncertainty about where to start, it’s easy to keep putting it off. No matter your level of preparation, our team is ready to help you finally kick your paper to the curb.
That’s why we handle the heavy lifting for you. Our team can take care of the preparation work, removing staples, sorting files, labeling boxes, and organizing documents, so you don’t have to. Whether you’ve already started getting things in order or haven’t touched a single file yet, we’ll meet you where you are and make sure your records are ready for scanning.
To get started, contact us or get a free quote from one of our technicians. We’ll talk through your goals, walk you through the scanning process, and provide clear, upfront information about pricing and document management options that fit your business and budget.
Once you’ve completed your project, check out our article for tips and tricks about what do to after your scanning project is complete.