Paper2Digital Blog

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.

When a law firm determines it wants to get serious about scanning (the onset of Scanbition), it generally has an initial and a long term objective. For long term objectives we hear of ambitions to ‘Go paperless’ in the practice areas or ‘Eliminate offsite records storage’. Initial objectives are more grounded in practicality, such as ‘Start scanning closed matters instead of sending them offsite to records storage’ or ‘Start scanning all incoming paper for the IP Practice Group.’

‘Start’ is the key word. ‘How do we start?’ How do you move from tedious, one-document-at-a-time scanning, to scanning all the paper? When the only scanning experience has been casual scanning at the copier, best practice enterprise scanning is a big leap forward. It must fit the culture, the workflow, and the operational future of the Firm. Enterprise scanning requires a Plan, considering:

–          What are our specific goals for paper document scanning?

–          What volume of incoming paper will we need to address with this project?

–          How does the paper arrive, and get managed?

–          Can we receive and manage it so that our scan capture workflow is sure to get it all?

–          Who profiles the documents into the DMS? Who scans?

–          How do we apply security, process integrity and QC to the overall job?

–          How do we intersect with Records policy?

–          When do we engage the Records staff?

–          Do we shred? How? When?

–          How do we measure our productivity in the project?

–          How do we measure ROI?

–          What staffing, infrastructure and application resources are required?

–          Who owns this new operation?

To tackle these constructive questions, and others, you must develop an approach to the project that marries the overall objectives with the firm’s culture about paper, with the ROI targets, and investment resources. To jump start the approach, DocSolid offers our Scanbition Frameworks. These frameworks put your project into an operating context, based on your objectives. How do you start? Pick a Scanbition Framework!

1. Scan and Retire File Room
2. Target Image Enthusiasts
3. Scan and Maintain the File Room
4. Scan and Shred Closed Matters
5. Start with Accounting

Our upcoming blogs will detail each Framework.

Scanesthesia is the latest addition to our Scanthology dictionary of scanning terms. Scanesthesia is a common condition in law firms, characterized by a sleepy acceptance of the relentless accumulation of paper,  despite the general availability of scanning. So, almost all law firms have casual (walk-up) scanning at their copiers and mfp’s, and this type of scanning has been in place for years. Yet paper burdens continue, taking up space in offices, hallway boxes and file rooms. Growing the mountain of offsite storage. Straining the attorneys and staff with slow, unreliable and un-automated paper file retrievals. This is about a big cost that can be reduced. This is about productivity drain that can be eliminated.

Our 2013 ILTA Roadshow addresses Scanesthesia head on, explaining why we have it, and what we can do about it. In addition to case studies on enterprise scanning – as a best practice, we’ll pass on tips about:

• How to wean attorneys from paper file dependency
• How to get the staff to go ‘all-in’ for scanning
• How to incorporate paper document destruction in your records practices

And we are accumulating tips on these topics from our audience, and assembling a summary Field Report at the end of the Roadshow.  Or write to me at sirons@docsolid.com with your Field Report!

Watch this video from ILTA as DocSolid’s president Steve Irons talks about how law firms are getting serious about scanning.
(more…)

Scanbition is an ambition and a plan for scanning. In part one of the presentation series, we learned that scanning alone is not the answer to reducing the paper burden at your firm. In part two, we present two case studies of firms with scanbition and real world results.
(more…)

‘Attorney at Work’ is an excellent site providing small firms “One Really Good Idea Every Day.” Here’s our article posted with them providing tips for smaller firms who want to implement best practice scanning.