Brown & Meyers

Why does a Document Management Company Need a Blog?

sarah — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:39:43 +0000

I know what you’re thinking: “Why does a document management company need a blog? How many things could there possibly be to write about?” Well my friends, your questions will soon be answered. Brown & Meyers is the newest member to the blogging community, and we are here to inform, guide and entertain you as we open your eyes to the world of document management.
I think for now, I will give you an introduction to our company and a glimpse into our day to day routine. Moving forward, I would love to answer more detailed questions, and write short entries full of tips and information for you. Maybe even feature an employee or two along the way….
Brown & Meyers got its start in 1994 when the business-savvy Kate Meyers recognized the need for a well-rounded document management business. A true self-starter, she assembled a team, got some clients, and hasn’t looked back.
The term “document management” is a broad one, it can mean many things. Luckily for you, I am here to explain what it means for us! We transcribe medical and legal dictation, scan and convert documents into digital format, store documents in our secure and climate-controlled storage facility, and shred documents when they are no longer necessary to keep. Need 20 boxes of paperwork scanned, and put on CD’s? Done! You want those boxes back? We’ll deliver them. Don’t want to see them ever again? To be on the safe side, we keep the boxes for 30 days and then we’ll dispose of them. Different documents have different regulations. We all know the IRS suggests that you keep financial information for at least 7 years, but did you know that health care records need to be stored for the same amount of time? If you’re a busy health care office, you know that records take up A LOT of space. As a result, we are happy to offer you some space at our secure, climate-controlled storage facility.
This is not meant to be a sales pitch. It is meant to get you thinking differently. WHY are you storing all those records in your company’s basement? WHAT happens if you have a fire or a flood? People are looking to achieve a “greener” office and assume they’re doing so by switching light bulbs and refraining from printing their emails. While that does help, some places need a complete make-over. Get rid of the backlog of paperwork you have, and start fresh. Scan everything you have and go as paperless as you can. This doesn’t just save money, it saves sanity. Never again will you say “I just saw that piece of paper somewhere”. You know that kid you pay $10 dollars an hour to go through filing cabinets? No more. Put them at a scanner with a stack of business receipts that they will scan into your “business expenses” folder. Just because it is on your hard-drive does NOT mean anyone can access it. Passwords and permissions exist to keep people out of things they don’t need to see. But, that is another blog entry.
Whether you enlist our help or not, just know that it can be done. There is a light at the end of the clutter tunnel.
I encourage you to email your questions or thoughts. What do you want to know about us as a company or the services we provide? I look forward to writing bi-weekly entries and hope to hear from you!!
-C

Going Paperless With Personnel Records

John Moore — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:28:17 +0000

Personnel records can account for a considerable volume of an organization’s overall information assets. State laws generally allow for personnel files in an electronic format. However, as the following article outlines there are some important considerations when scanning paper personnel records.

http://bit.ly/ubYpeS

Going paperless with personnel files can be extremely beneficial to cutting overhead costs, improving businesses processes and enhancing accessibility. Yet, it is important to design a conversion strategy for scanning files that fits within your current records management policies so that your business remains legally compliant.

How Long Should I Keep My Records?

John Moore — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:44:23 +0000

Ask most folks how long they have to retain their business records and they’ll reply, “7 years.” While that period of time may suffice for certain types of records, it is certainly not applicable for all business records. Sure, it’s necessary to keep documents pertaining to tax returns and statements, personnel files, payroll records, and accounts payable and receivable ledgers for example. But the retention periods for other types of records can vary greatly from industry to industry and state to state.

Service contracts for car dealerships for instance must be kept for 10 years, while general correspondence for businesses must be retained for either two or three years. OSHA requires employers to retain the medical records of employees who have been exposed to toxic and harmful agents for 30 years and of course business records such as financial audit documents, ownership deeds and shareholder agreements to name a few, should be kept permanently.

Keep in mind that retaining records for too long can create just as much liability risk as destroying records prematurely. If you are unsure how long to keep your records consult your accountant and/or attorney as they will know both State and Federal regulations regarding record retention for your business.

Ten Tips for Reducing Office Paper

John Moore — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:27:37 +0000

Trying to achieve a paperless office can seem daunting. Computers have made is easier to print paper with a simple click. As a business owner, you know that using less paper is more cost effective and is better for the environment but unfortunately old habits are hard to break. Here are ten tips that will help you reduce the amount of paper in your office.

1. Reduce the number of office printers
2. Decrease the margins when formatting documents
3. Set the default on your computer to print double sided
4. Print specific pages rather than the complete document
5. Send an internet fax
6. Request documents in PDF format
7. Set up electronic folders for active files so they are more easily shared
8. Scan and email rather than print and copy
9. Don’t print emails: let them live electronically!
10. Use a document management system to manage files electronically

Wasting Money on Valuable Office Space?

John Moore — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:52:59 +0000

How much money are you paying for your office space? Probably too much. Recent estimates show that 50 – 70% of office space is used for document storage, i.e.: filing cabinets. Unfortunately, 45% of the files in those cabinets represent duplicated information, 80% of which is never retrieved again. Wouldn’t it make more sense to convert the most active of these files to electronic documents while sending your inactive files to offsite storage? By implementing this hybrid solution you can reduce your overhead costs drastically by converting “dead” office space into billable, revenue generating space.