This article is intended to help readers evaluate
when desktop scanning of documents and images isand is nota cost-effective and
appropriate solution griffey shoes
. It also details critical steps that must be taken to ensure that the
electronic data you capture is useful both now and for your future
needs.
Understanding where you are headed and why you are scanning
Generally speaking, desktop scanning is most viable when you have active files
with data that will continue to be needed, at least in the short term jordan heels. Back file scanning of
archives has its place, but is usually relegated to larger scanning stations and
their staff, or outsourced to scanning companies.
While back file
scanning can be valuable for accessing historical documents as well as papers
that support active files, desktop scanning has a more useful role in capturing
data directly pertaining to active files lebron 9 for sale.Documents that
are part of the active business cycle benefit from front-end scanning: in other
words, capturing the data electronically before it enters the business
process.
Desktop scanning puts information immediately into the hands of
end users, who frequently benefit directly from the data collected Dwyane Wade Shoes. College
enrollment forms, patient admissions, loan applications, and formal grievances
are several examples of documents that are critical to business processes, and
they contain active and useful data.
Such areas benefit tremendously from
the secure ease of access and electronic search that an imaging and document
management system provide.As you evaluate whether desktop scanning is likely to
be a cost-effective solution, consider who needs access to the data, and how
often. Do other departments request files or data from forms that result in
time-consuming searches Will auditors, the court system, or compliance officers
need access to the data contained on the forms to assess compliance or assist in
electronic discovery If the data is useful to others within and beyond your
business, desktop scanning is likely to be a cost-effective solution. It will
save money and man-hours, providing business-critical data instantly and
securely to those who need it.Establishing clear goals for your scanning project
After you decide to engage in desktop scanning, the next step is to evaluate the
document types you intend to capture, and determine who will need access to the
data once it is stored. Although the need may appear to be isolated to your
department, limiting the datas usefulness without examining company-wide needs
is short-sighted. Consider the various document types that enter your office.
Which documents are related, and which depend upon each other during the
business process What information is typically used to associate documents with
each other in the physical storage process What other departments rely on
information contained in each of the forms Which information is sensitive and
needs to be restricted to pre-authorized persons The answers to these questions
will help you to establish a document scanning strategy that will maximize the
usefulness of information to everyone in your organization who legitimately
needs access.Getting started: best practices for effective desktop scanning1.
Establish simple business rules that make sense to the end userIn some cases,
desktop scanning equipment is operated exclusively by staff, and in other cases,
it may be desirable to put the power of scanning into the hands of the customer.
For example, a collegiate setting often affords students the opportunity to scan
their own forms. One of the benefits of a desktop scanning solution is the
ability to make it accessible for people who have limited technological savvy.
When you (or your vendor) configure your desktop scanning software, make sure
the end users choices are clear and simple, as they would be at an ATM machine.
If multiple form types are routinely scanned, for example, the customer might
select the document type from a drop-down menu which then automatically
pre-fills other information pertaining to that form. Simplicity is the key to
successful staff and customer adoption of the technology. 2. Scan images at a
high enough resolution to maximize long-term valueDocument scanning must be done
with a preservation mindset. Nothing substitutes for quality, and nowhere is
this truer than with a scanned image. The future value of the document and its
data will depend on the usefulness of the scanned image, so the required
resolution must be care
