Quality document scanners and digital storage space are more affordable than ever, and this accessibility has opened new doors for companies of all sizes when it comes to managing business data. If document scanning isn’t yet part of your business planning, you’re missing out. Read on to see how document scanning can benefit your business.

Better Search & Find — With hardcopy data, employees spend too much time looking for the documents they need. Once documents have been scanned into a digital system, your staff can stop searching and start finding. When searching takes seconds instead of minutes or hours, you’ll reclaim precious time for more productive activities.

Better Customer Service — Today’s consumer expects instant access, which makes scanning a critical business function. Instead of taking hours or days to respond to a query, your customer can get what they need, when they need it. Digital format makes documents instantly and securely sharable, whether you’re emailing an invoice, transmitting health records, or providing account history.

Increased Productivity — Document scanning saves considerable effort. It’s faster than manual filing, and scanning receipts, invoices, and travel documentation with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) captures data intelligently. Any document can be indexed with data points you define, like date, invoice number, or customer number. Once your data points have been established, the automated scanning process saves human time and prevents human error.

Freed Physical Space — Instead of filling up offices or business storage units with boxes of paper, a single hard drive can store 8,000 bankers boxes worth of scanned documents! What will you do with all that space? You can slash storage expenses, reclaim valuable office space, or even shrink your office footprint. Scanning transforms how you store and archive your business documents.

Improved Security — From disaster or fire to theft or loss, a physical document is inherently vulnerable. Moreover, businesses often only keep single copies, effectively putting all their eggs in a single, fragile basket. Document scanning provides your business with the ability to save multiple, redundant copies. Audit trails give you visibility over who accesses what data, and user security permissions can limit access more effectively than a folder in a drawer.

Document scanning can provide numerous benefits to your business, from better searching and customer service to increased productivity and security, all while freeing up valuable physical space. For help implementing a scanning solution for your business, contact Affordable Business Systems today.