A number of organizations are working with an inefficient document management process. These inefficient that makes it difficult to solve problems and respond to questions from suppliers, customers and colleagues. These inefficient processes and documents can create stress and overwhelm. A starting point for reducing document clutter can make a big difference in your day to day.
Take a moment and think about your typical workday. You probably process information in a variety of formats. This includes paper documents, electronic files and countless emails. In addition, that information may wind up in isolated silos. For example, these silos include paper filing systems, shared network drives and individual email accounts. Furthermore, these silos may overlap in some areas and with duplicate data and different versions stored in different places. This inefficiency carries a high cost! Subsequently, the time your staff spends searching for information can quickly add up.
To reclaim this lost time and dramatically improve efficiency, you need a vision for where you want to go. Plus, you’ll need plan on how you’re going to get there. It’s time to develop a strategy for tackling your document management problems and reduce your office clutter.
The best place to start when reducing document clutter
- Start with your greatest area of pain. Which department or process needs to be tackled first?
- What needs to be stored? Do an inventory of the information you may be dealing with such as hard copy, electronic information, emails and backfiles (old records stored everywhere.)
- What retention schedules are in place? Are they being used and is there information that can be disposed of or that will soon fall off the retention schedule that can be eliminated from this process?
- Who needs access to the information and how often?
- Hot Tip: Involve those staff members in this process who are involved on a day to day basis with the information. This will ensure you have the total picture of what’s out there and the current flow of information throughout your organization.
- Once you decide what information needs to be saved and stored, dispose of the remaining files and documents properly.
Above all, you may be surprised at how cost efficient a software solution can be, not to mention the ease of deployment. We’re here to help make your life easier. We want you to be less stressed with a smooth running business, and that includes reducing your document clutter.
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