Although the concept of a completely paperless office, predicted in the 1980s when computers first exploded into the workplace, may have been a little far off the mark, electronic document storage is undoubtedly helping all kinds of sectors to be more productive.
We have already seen examples from the NHS, dentistry and travel, to name a few, and now it is accountancy’s turn to come to the fore. Speaking to Accounting Today, spokesperson for publishing company Wolters Kluwer John Barnes said that paperless storage has evolved to also become a method of efficient retrieval and communication: “Today it is combining with workflow and portal-based mobile computing to condense into the new foundation for practice management. It has been a steady evolution, a transformation.”
Mr Barnes explained that, not only is the technology used to store paperwork, but it is also utilised for data and image management. “The challenge is to make all of the forms of information and data accessible and understandable to clients and accountants alike,” he added.
Document scanning can be a good way to ensure that important documents make their way onto a central server instead of getting lost on someone’s desk. In the first instance, this can be done by organisations such as Dajon, who help businesses to work through their vast archives and get them digitised for easier and more secure access. However, it is also important to ensure that employees continue to digitise paperwork following this initial phase.
In a white paper called ‘Three Key Strategies of Successful 21st Century Accounting Firms’, Fujitsu’s James Bourke states that portable scanners could be a good way to do this: “By putting the portable scanner into the hands of our staff, we get near-100 per cent compliance with our firm’s document and content management system.”
If you need help to digitise your confidential documents – get in touch with Dajon to arrange an informal chat about your requirements: http://www.dajon.co.uk/contact-us