How to Evaluate a Document Scanning Company

document scanning companyGoing paperless can save your business money and time, making document management an electronic process where everything is readily available from your computer. To implement the best system possible for your company, you need to explore multiple document scanning services and examine all of their offerings. Choosing the best document scanning company can be time-consuming if you’re not sure what you’re looking for. Keep these tips in mind when hiring a document scanning company.

Match Their Services with Your Needs

Having document scanning services tailored to your company’s needs is essential. Some companies will simply scan your documents and provide you with an image-filled CS/DVD/USB. That is not a complete service. Your documents aren’t organized or guaranteed to be high-quality. You need variety with your document imaging services. Having a scanning partner that provides wide-ranging services to match the departments and operations that you need to be improved will make things easier, even if it costs a bit more. After all, quality is what matters, not quantity.

Assess your goals for document scanning, and see which companies align with your expectations in terms of the services they offer.

You could be looking to go paperless all-around or need a gradual solution for digitizing your file inventory. For a smaller project or a full-scale electronic document management solution, a good document scanning company can help on any scale.

Look for a Document Scanning Company with Proven Experience and Expertise

Though price should not be something you fixate on while searching for a document scanning partner, you risk exorbitant fees without having a qualified and efficient partner on board. You must verify the experience level, expertise, and integrity of a potential partner before deciding to invest in their services. You want a provider that understands your business and its requirements and that has strong knowledge regarding records and information management practices. They must also keep up with trends in their industry and how to provide solutions for the long term.

It’s wise to ask for references from clients within your industry or the specific provider’s clients. Those questions should inquire about the working relationship. Ask if the scanning project was completed on time, and ask about the quality of the final output, and inquire whether they would use the provider again or not. Knowing that the document scanning provider has expertise in their industry and experience working with clients in your field is a big plus. Make sure that they have a positive track record.  

Technology Should Be a Factor

Without the best technology available, the best document management solutions cannot be established. A document scanning company should have document imaging services, including specialized equipment and software that converts your documents into multiple formats such as JPEG, TIFF, PDF, and PDF/A. A quality provider may be able to merge your digital images into your preferred document management application. Or, they may offer a customized image hosting solution allowing you to manage, view, or distribute documents anywhere, a viable option that allows for multi-tasking.

Security is Critical

A qualified document scanning company will give you undoubted assurances that your documents are secure during the scanning process. Find out what steps they take to ensure privacy protection for your information.

Look for a company with motion sensors, keeps your documents securely stored until they are actively being processed, and other features. Establish where the provider will complete all the project tasks. For instance, do they image your paper records locally and transfer the electronic images overseas for data entry? Furthermore, it helps if the technicians tasked with scanning are appropriately trained and vetted. It’s preferred that your partner has full control of your documents and images at all times.

High-Quality Results

It’s been stated many times, but this can’t be emphasized enough. You want a document scanning company whose staff makes sure that every image captured is readable and accurate. Though you want your projects to be done in the timeliest possible fashion, you’d feel more at ease if the company was focused on being thorough rather than being quick.

Verify that all scans go through a three-point quality check, comparing the original documents to the scanned versions while performing a 100% inspection of all scans. You should also ask whether a pre- and post-scanning document count for paper and electronic documents are done to make sure the totals match. The last thing you want to do is to pay twice the money to have the same project done because of preventable errors.

Hiring the right document scanning company can help you reclaim your office space, mitigate compliance risks, improve collaboration, and boost workplace efficiency. With MEDI Document Management Solutions, you have a document scanning provider that pays attention to detail and covers all your document management needs. Contact MEDI today!