Why should I outsource document scanning rather than doing it in-house?
Deciding to outsource can be a big decision when considering going paperless. Doing the project in-house requires resources such as employees, space, and time. Outsourcing the project offloads the work from your team, who will have to find time to do this alongside their day job. If you are considering doing the scanning in-house, we ask that you consider these points.
1. Cost
Document scanning sometimes can be costly if you have a large quantity and complicated job spec, but there can be various costs of doing it in-house that are not considered. These costs include the hardware and software needed to complete the work and the employee's salary who is taking time out of their work schedule to do it. Current employees may also expect incentives for doing this on top of their main role.
When outsourcing your scanning, you will get an estimated cost before scanning commences, which takes away surprise expenses that could occur when completing the project in-house.
If you are considering employing an apprentice or a young person part-time to complete the project, do consider points 2, 3 and 4.
2. Time
Whether you are employing someone part-time or a current employee is taking on the scanning, it will only be getting done every now and again, therefore will take a long time to complete. Passing this project to an employee takes them away from more important aspects of their role. Dependent on the current production schedule and size and complexity of your project, Storetec can complete your scanning job in as little as a week.
3. Lack of experience
Many people think that scanning documents is an easy job, and it can be to an extent. However, you may be surprised how many businesses come to Storetec after doing their document scanning in-house to have it redone due to faults such as file sizes being too big, files being named wrong, or documents being scanned as multi-page PDFs when they required single-page PDFs. Also, if a complicated or complex specification is required, certain software or expertise may be needed to complete this that your team may not have.
Storetec are experts in document scanning. All employees have the correct expertise to complete the project to your standards and are trained in quality control, and carry out a number of quality checks throughout the digitisation process to ensure the scans are of optimum quality. Being ISO 9901 accredited, our clients have the assurance that Storetec will deliver a high-quality, consistent scanning service.
Your business needs to consider if it's worth taking the risk of losing the time, effort and money of doing the job in-house rather than outsourcing to a company who are experts in the area, do it on a day-to-day basis and can guarantee they will do a quality job first time.
4. Legal admissibility
BS10008 is the British Standard that outlines best practices for migrating paper records into digital files, and the transfer of electronic information between systems. By doing your document scanning in-house, unless you are BS10008 compliant, any digital documents will not be admissible in court. This means if your business is ever taken to court, the scanned documents would not be accepted as a piece of legal evidence. You may think it won't happen to you, but it is better to be safe than sorry, especially when digitising HR or legal documentation.
Choosing a scanning provider who complies with BS10008, such as Storetec, is essential when authenticating electronic information to assure legal admissibility.
It is important to consider all these points when considering doing your document scanning in-house. Contact our team of experts today to get a FREE quote and to discuss your project further to see how we can benefit you.
T: 0800 612 4065
E: sales@storetec.net
