Help! I think I've lost it!

By Katie Rogers, Copyrite Business Solutions

These days it makes no difference what industry you work in, we are all governed by many rules and regulations that are sometimes changed on a weekly basis by many of the governing bodies.
Most businesses have to keep paperwork for at least 7 years, some information for a lifetime, this information continues to grow and become less and less manageable.
Some companies invest in off-site storage, this results in an on-going cost and also has a retrieval cost attached to YOUR information.
Other smaller businesses end up having to use a third bedroom or garage as a form of storing their client’s confidential files!
One of the main objections that I receive from potential customer’s is the fact that they trust paper, they have been using paper all of their lives, they know where they left that piece of paper; they can physically touch that piece of paper.

If this is how you feel, answer the following questions:

• What if you experienced a disaster in your office, maybe a fire or flood, how would you deal with that loss of information?
•  What if a client contacted you and asked for a letter that they sent 4 years ago, it is not in their file and you have no way of finding it?
•  What if your regulatory body contacted you and wanted to perform an audit but the information you keep is not stored or structured in the legal manner?
•  What if a previous client was threatening to take you to court – would you really be able to lay your hands on the originals of all documents?

Many companies sit back and never expect a disaster to occur. If you look at the questions above and think, if any of these things happen to me then I will look at investing in a solution, the chances are that it would be too late.
I have worked within this industry for many years and I have seen first hand the impact of losing client information. Many businesses will not recover.

Technology has revolutionised the way in which we store documents. Businesses now have the ability to scan documents and store them electronically, and with help from leading solutions integrators such as Copyrite it can be done in a compliant and effective way.

There are some simple criteria that need to be met when storing electronic documents. BSI BIP 0008 (Parts 1, 2 and 3) is the current British Standard Document relating to ‘Legal Admissibility and Evidential Weight of Information Stored Electronically’ and is a major source of information on these criteria. Your solutions will help you select technology, such as Invu, that can deliver to these guidelines and will help you implement that.

If you would like to talk to us about Electronic Document Management or find out how we can help - visit http://www.copyrite.co.uk/ or call us on 01202 848866.