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Dealing with Original Documents After Digitizing

  • Dealing with Original Documents After Digitizing

    You have gone through the work of scanning and saving all of your documents; now what? Here is what you should do with the original physical documents.

    Shred Originals

    Most of the time you will find that the scanned document is as viable as the original, so there may be no need to keep the hard copy. It is important to make sure that there are no legal or regulatory issues with destroying the document. If upon review you don’t need to retain any paper copies, make sure that you shred them after scanning. This will leave more space for other documents that you may need to keep. You can also outsource secure document destruction to a 3rd Party Provider.

    Hold On to Originals for Backup

    You may feel very uncomfortable with destroying that original document or have regulatory requirements which won’t permit paper destruction. In that case, you should keep all documents safe and organized after scanning them. Most scanning vendors will give you the option of storing your documents offsite if you need the extra space.

    Ultimately, it is up to you and your company. You should always do a cost-benefit analysis in order to decide which option is more suitable to your needs.

    Instances where paper retention is advisable:

    • Documentation for funding (funders will expect physical documentation).
    • Legal documents that may need to appear before court at any time.
    • Certain industry standards requiring hard copies. Some government organizations may also require hard copy retention.
    • Regulations and stipulations from clients.

    When things are fully digitized, you will find that it is much easier to locate and track important documents and automate your business. That is what Next Process is all about. We have been serving our clients for over ten years, providing more efficient and cost-effective ways to increase productivity and, ultimately, revenue. Our clients have come to expect high ROI and process automation that enables our clients to stay on top of work with minimal stress.

    Give us a call today and find out how we can help your company!