Mailroom Scanning Solutions are the First Step in your Digital Transformation
Every organization begins its digital transformation journey by scanning paper documents and routing them into a document management system.
But maintaining paperless operations has one important caveat: Stop any new paper from entering the organizational processes.
Paper usage in an organization grows by 22% a year, on average. This means organizations double their paper usage every 3.3 years. That's a lot of paper! And considering that paper slows down organizational processes, creates bottlenecks, and increases the probability of manual errors, paper proves expensive in the long run.
Fortunately, technology is bringing rapid changes to how businesses are run today. Many organizations now target completely paperless operations, and most have adopted digitization at least to a certain extent.
Digitizing the corporate mailroom
The corporate mailroom is one of the primary sources of incoming paper documents. In an era of remote work, it is also one of the main operational areas that organizations must digitize and automate to ensure operational continuity even if workers are not physically present to receive and distribute physical mail.
A digital mailroom, therefore, becomes one of the most important aspects of a paperless office and a crucial first step in the digital transformation of organizations, especially those with a large volume of incoming mail.
A digital mailroom is the nerve center of all incoming documents from digital and non-digital sources before they enter the company.
Incoming documents may originate from structured sources, for example, order forms, invoices, receipts and statements.
Besides paper, organizations receive incoming mail from many digital channels such as via web portals and instant messaging through mobile apps. These may be in various digital formats, encompassing unstructured sources like email (including attached files), data transfers, downloads from shared drives and messages via fax.
How mailroom scanning solutions work
Scanning & sorting
All paper is scanned, processed and then distributed to the appropriate recipients. Digital communications are also centrally processed before distribution according to pre-set rules.
Data capture & classification
Intelligent data capture solutions automatically extract critical data and classify documents using AI and machine learning, making it available for downstream processes workflows. It also records each document's metadata for efficient indexing. Thus the digital mailroom makes information searchable so employees can find and retrieve information quickly.
Triggering downstream workflows
Once critical data is recognized and extracted automatically, it can be routed for further processing, triggering a subsequent step in a workflow.
Efficient storage & retention
After incoming paper and electronic documents are scanned and distributed, the paper originals may be stored, archived or destroyed, depending on the retention and compliance needs of the organization. Digital copies are usually stored on the cloud, and any paper originals that need to be retained can be stored at secure offsite document storage facilities.
Enterprises generally outsource mailroom scanning solutions to an experienced digitization partner like Revolutions Data Systems.
We can either pick mail up from your office or set up a dedicated PO Box to receive your business mail. Our team picks up your mail from the box every day. It is then scanned and sorted—we'll even discard all junk mail! Our intelligent data capture solution indexes the documents, and they are then automatically classified based on customized, pre-set rules.
Our experienced business process outsourcing consultants optimize workflows for handling the mailroom and ensure that the organization derives significant value from digitizing its mailroom.
The value of mailroom scanning solutions
Let's look at some ways in which a digital mailroom brings value to employees and the organization as a whole:
Scanning paper at its source and storing all incoming information in a document management system allows employees to access the latest enterprise content from any location or device, enabling remote work and better collaboration between hybrid teams. Learn more about OpenText AppEnhancer, our robust and powerful document management system.
The digital mailroom can eliminate issues such as lost mail or mail that is misplaced due to inadvertent delivery to the wrong recipient.
It also enhances data security by putting in place the essential access controls and security protocols before processing incoming mail and distributing it.
Mailroom scanning solutions based on advanced AI/ML technology can automatically prioritize documents and 'understand' how each document should be handled and routed. As more mail is run through the process, the more “intelligent” the software becomes.
Digitizing the mailroom improves employee morale—employees are relieved of routine tasks and can focus on tasks that add more value and lead to business growth.
A digital mailroom brings a number of advantages over traditional paper-based mailrooms:
Cost savings
First and foremost is the cost savings. By eliminating the need to process, store and retain volumes of paper records, digital mailrooms reduce operating costs significantly.
Mitigate the risks of manual errors
Paper-based processes are not just slow and expensive but are also prone to manual errors. Mailroom automation eliminates human errors and makes processes easily auditable and compliant with industry regulations.
Increased process efficiency
Digitization speeds up processing and streamlines workflows, eliminating manual steps in the process by automating them. Automatic data capture and classification removes human intervention and speeds up the workflow. Moreover, as employees can now instantly access digital documents remotely, they save time and work more efficiently.
In summary: Partner with RDS for mailroom scanning solutions
While paper mail will continue to flow into organizations, the digital mailroom will be an effective strategy to improve efficiency, stay compliant, and reduce our carbon footprint by eliminating paper at its source!
RDS handles the entire mail cycle from opening, sorting, and indexing to routing and distributing incoming mail, using intelligent process automation and advanced machine learning technology.
Our expertise in document scanning and process automation make us your ideal partner for mailroom scanning solutions.
Contact our mailroom automation experts today for a customized quote!