Document scanning is not just a physical process but a strategic activity that has a highly significant impact on business performance. Let us see why this is so.

The strategic significance arises from the following results that follow when you scan paper documents into an electronic workflow:

• Speedier business processes
• More effective collaboration
• Greater document security
• Major reduction in document storage expenses

We look at these dimensions of document scanning in the following sections.

Speedier Business Processes

Business processes typically involve movement of documents from person to person and department to department. If the documents are in paper format, this movement is typically cumbersome and slow. Where the document concerned has to be retrieved from storage, the delays can be quite serious.

On the other hand, if all paper documents are scanned into digital documents and stored in a network’s central server, they can be accessed instantaneously from any workstation attached to the network. The system can even trigger reminders about pending documents so that the concerned person is alerted to take action.

The resultant speed in business processes can be quite significant.

More Effective Collaboration

Many projects required that people with different skills or functions work together. Thus the business planning exercise requires all the departments and sections to make appropriate contributions. Typically, such collaborative working is achieved at meetings, which can be disruptive if you have some urgent work to attend to elsewhere.

In a networked environment of digital documents, it is possible to hold meetings (if necessary) where the participants are located at their own workstations or even traveling. In many cases, it is not even necessary to hold meetings. Instead, you check the up to date status by accessing relevant documents from your workstation, at your convenience, and then make your own contributions.

The result can be qualitatively better collaboration with each participant in a better position to make the best possible contribution.

Greater Document Security

During the frequent movements, paper documents can fall into unauthorized hands or get lost. They can also become damaged and illegible.

Digital documents can typically be accessed only by authorized persons. A system of access rights and passwords can ensure that people see only what they are authorized to see. This improves security and confidentiality.

Digital documents can be backed up and the backups can be stored elsewhere so that if the original documents are lost owing to electrical disturbances or other factors, the backups can be restored. Safety of documents is improved as a result.

Reduced Costs

Document scanning converts all paper documents into digital documents. Most of the original paper documents can then be shredded and disposed off. This can save the storage facilities required to manage a large volume of paper documents – expensive floor space, equipment like filing cabinets, manpower needed to handle all the paper, and so on.

Digital documents require little storage space. A compact disk less than the size of a paperback can store millions of documents. The costs of the storage media are also coming down from generation to generation (disk generation, not human generation).

Resultant cost savings can be very significant.