Sounds simple enough, you’ll just Google the word document scanning and “Kazam”, like magic you have at least 20 companies just waiting to take your call. So now you say to yourself. I have the power, in this economy I can work them down to the lowest price, save the company money and be the hero.

Okay, now stop. You are talking about your organization’s most precious asset–Your business information. Even if you don’t use the information anymore but need to continue to store it, you must keep it secure. So is being the lowest bidder the only qualification on your list?

I hope not and if it is, then let me know the name of your business; I will be taking mine elsewhere.

“What can happen?” you ask. A LOT! The following is just a short list of the top Scan Scams that have occurred to actual customers.

1. They had such a pretty website; they showed photos of a nice facility with smiling people handling our documents. How was I to know my documents were being shipped to Mexico?

Don’t be shy to ask for a tour. You should be able to see a real facility and understand their security procedures.

2. They told me they had the capability to handle my storage unit of documents. I didn’t know it would take 18 months?

ALWAYS ask for an estimated time frame. An experienced vendor will be able to give you a roughly estimated time frame. Even if you are not using the documents, the longer your documents are off site the greater your exposure to risk.

3. When they quoted me the price they had the lowest per page scan but I didn’t realize they also charged for each key stroke, to name the files.

Know what the price per page includes. If it seems low check for add-ins. Add-ins like Key Strokes, Page Conditions, Time Frame, Color, Double Sided or Emergency Pulls can increase the price dramatically.

4. I was quoted one price for a certain quantity but after they took finished the project they stated the document count was much higher and the price increased!

Request a page count before paying in full for your service. All scanners have the capability to count the number of “pass throughs” so you are not overcharged for your job

5. They said they ran background checks on all of their employees only to found out it meant they checked the references supplied by the employee.

Background checks are vital. When they say they run background checks ask them for specifics on the information they are checking i.e. credit, driving record, criminal record. Also how often do they run these checks?

6. They loaded my documents into an open bed truck and then just covered the boxes with a canvas. They said it would be fine.

Yes it’s fine … barring they don’t have an accident. One minor bump into the back of that truck…have you ever seen it snow paper? I have. It’s almost as pretty as the real thing, except harder to shovel.

7. They said they had more than 20 years experience but when I met them they looked like they were just out of college.

They probably were. What was their experience? Ask for specifics. Ask for references. Tell them scanning photos onto their Facebook page during high school and college doesn’t count toward industry experience.

8. They said they would dispose of my documents when they were scanned. But they couldn’t provide me with any proof as to how the documents were disposed.

You should always request and receive a certificate of destruction and don’t hesitate to ask for a tour of the shredding facility. It should be just as secure.

9. I sent a document over that I needed back before the job was completed. I basically received a response that felt a lot like “Lack of planning on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on our part.”

Ask for their contingency plan for emergency retrievals, any legitimate service bureau will have a process in place. They may charge a little extra if the service is needed but they will have a process.

10. And finally my favorite …. They said they had a secure facility but when I asked to visit it they said I couldn’t today because his wife was at home and she didn’t want visitors. I found out by security he meant he was scanning out of his home that was located in a gated community.

Enough said.

So as you begin your search …. Should the lowest price really be your number one criteria?

Catastrophic forest fires occur after layers and layers of forest debris pile up of the forest floor, then even the slightest little spark can ignite a raging out-of-control blaze.

Poor Document Management can have a similar outcome. In my several years experience in the document management arena I have seen businesses literally forced to shut down or spend hundreds of thousands of dollars because of a few misplaced documents. When running a business, information is everything—yet often very little value is placed on the documents that convey that information.

How much time do you spend managing the flow of information? How is this information preserved for future use? How quickly can this information be retrieved? Are your information practices focused only on day-to-day operations? Is there a disaster recovery plan? Or better yet, is there a strategic disaster prevention plan?

I ask these questions because they are all instrumental in preventing that catastrophic information failure. There is no single job more important to any business than managing and preserving information. That task, however, is often so invisible it is often placed low on the operational priorities list—that is until that little seemingly insignificant inquiry for a document or information that is unlocatable. Then finding that document or file whether a single page or 10,000 pages, seemingly becomes the top priority to the entire organization. That little “spark” is now growing into a rapid blaze of activity. Several physical files are searched, archives are dusted off, and desk top computers are scoured. Several hours of manpower are dedicated to finding that information. What was once a low priority now is life or death of the case or operation.

While in calm times, this may seem like an exaggeration, think about when you were in the situation, it seemed like a flash fire. You were racing against time to stop the possible destruction this one “insignificant” document could cause. It seemed like life or death and it DID require a lot of manpower which in turn COST a lot of money. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Who was to blame? It didn’t matter. Those were all questions to be addressed later.

Probably the most important question to answer is how to prevent this situation from ever happening or happening again. What steps need to be taken, or as in forest management ‘what is your controlled burn?’

If you are not an expert in cost-effective document management processes–and most people are not–the first and most significant step is to contact a document management company. Meet with the experts who have helped organizations develop their plan unique to their firm. Make sure the experts have several years experience in document management solutions. They should have the ability to offer more than one option, i.e. imaging, scanning, limited or unlimited licensing, etc. They should be willing to review their security procedures with you so you can see first-hand how seriously they protect your information. Most importantly, make sure whomever you hire they can provide hands-on, face-to-face support. It’s more than just idle documents, its information that keeps your business moving forward.

They should be willing to do a complete discovery and develop a plan that is unique to your operation, one that will reduce your costs, eliminate unnecessary risks and save you time and money in managing this important asset. This process can take little time up front but saves a firm significant time in the long run.

What’s the drawback? Well there really is only one to a well-planned Document Management plan–when done effectively and efficiently–no one will notice. You and everyone in your firm will move through their day-to-day tasks without even thinking about it. However, when done poorly, or not at all, the burn of the spotlight will shine on you in such a way that you will hope you could disappear… just like your documents.

Our teacher started the class by asking us, what we thought what was the best answer to the question “WHY?”

After some inane attempts and before the conversation totally deteriorated into a form only high school seniors could provide, the teacher answered. He said the best answer to the question “WHY” is “BECAUSE.”

Now that was the silliest thing I had ever heard. In addition, being the type of person that always felt my opinion was of value (or really just not smart enough to keep my mouth shut) I began to question his answer.

First I asked him “Because why?” He said “because.” I didn’t get it. I launched into my reasoning as to why that was just the stupidest thing I had ever heard. I explained to him that I understood he was the “expert” in government and economics. He, however, needed a lesson in English. After all “Because” wasn’t a complete sentence. It had no subject, no verb, not anything to make it a complete answer.

Well I don’t know what point he was trying to make because … when he was making his explanation I was in the principal’s office making my own explanation as to “WHY” I felt the need to express my opinion. I tried “BECAUSE” and you know what? The principal didn’t accept that as a complete answer either. Point made but I didn’t feel like a victor.

The reason I am remembering this is that I seem to ask WHY a lot regarding certain business decisions or non-decisions made today.

For example

• If I said you I could prove to you that certain technology could reduce your business operating costs by 30 percent WHY would you not want to learn how?
• If I could show you how you could increase your productivity 20 percent even though your staff as decreased 20 percent. WHY would you not want to learn how?
• If I told you that you could reduce your storage costs by 90 percent, WHY would you not want to learn how?
• An employee spends an average of 20 minutes managing each paper-based file they work with. I have a solution that can reduce that time to 2.5 minutes per file. WHY would you not want to learn how?

Is your answer “BECAUSE”?

That may have been a good answer in high school government class but it isn’t a good one for business efficiency. I won’t argue with you regarding your answer. I’ve learned my lesson.

However, I believe business owners who want to succeed are always seeking the best answer. Are you one of them? If so, come join the 30 other business decision makers who are asking HOW they can operate more efficiently with less staff. HOW they can improve their bottom line in a struggling economy. HOW they can save time and save money. I invite you to our seminar May 21st. There you will learn WHY these solutions are important and HOW certain small changes can lead to huge results. Visit our website www.partwithpaper.com to register.