Scan and Retire the File Room
As part of our series on enterprise scanning initiatives, DocSolid documents five different approaches that our customers have used successfully, to get started and grow serious scanning across the organization. Our first of these Scanbition Frameworks, is called ‘Scan and Retire the File Room.’
Scan and Retire the File Room is the most aggressive approach to an enterprise scanning initiative. The premise is that all incoming paper headed for the file room will instead be scanned, profiled and stored in the DMS. Then the paper is retired (a process that leads to shredding), along with the file room. Workflow is established to channel inbound paper documents, usually to the legal secretary, but possibly through Records or an extended mailroom operation. After documents are scanned, profiled and stored in the DMS, they are distributed electronically, if required. After scanning, the paper proceeds through a process that applies records retention and destruction policy. Quality controls check that the scanning process has properly captured the paper digitally. The few types of paper documents that must be retained physically are separated out. Eventually, based on a firm’s policy, the bulk of the paper can be shredded.
The result is that previously managed paper records are now available digitally from the DMS, as part of the active electronic matter file. Attorneys and staff become much more efficient because the entire matter is managed, retrieved and shared from the DMS. File room operations become largely unnecessary and can eventually be shut down, or greatly reduced. The square footage dedicated to file space is eventually erased, as is the corresponding cost for such real estate. And the flow of paper to offsite storage is shut off, along with that cost. Lots of ROI in cost reduction and productivity improvements.
KwikTag Legal is used by a top 50 law firm customer, Dechert, LLP (See: Case Study) in the Scan and Retire the File Room method, and they have surpassed their original ROI targets, based on real estate cost reductions related to file room square footage and on-site paper storage. This firm has also applied their scanning operations to pull back and scan the most recent years of offsite records, and has achieved significant long term cost reductions in this area as well. For attorneys who still want to work with a paper file, a request is sent to Records, who re-prints and delivers the paper – but this method of work is in continual decline.
Scan and Retire the File Room delivers a high-impact ROI. Its aggressive approach to enterprise scanning requires strong executive backing because of the change and cultural adjustments it brings. And this framework needs a powerful new scanning operation, and tight workflows for capture. KwikTag Legal’s separation of profiling and scanning workflows enable the kind of productivity, integrity and automatic process audits necessary for such a big undertaking. The customer mentioned above uses their facilities management company, DTI, to run the scanning and QC operation – like clockwork.
Scan and Retire the File Room is an effective Scanbition Framework for firms with these objectives:
- Reduce the real estate and other costs for paper file rooms and storage
- Office moves to smaller square footage space
- Improve the efficiency of the attorneys and staff by building a fully electronic matter file
For more information on this and other Scanbition Frameworks, contact consulting@docsolid.com , or use the information request form at the Contact Us page at our web site.
