What is Document Scanning?
Document scanning uses scanning hardware to create images of paper and microfilm documents. These images are then converted into a digital file of your choice, saved based on easy-to-search indexing, and stored in one convenient database. Also known as document imaging, document conversion, or document digitization, no matter what you call it, scanning services allow you to overcome common challenges presented by paper documents.
Categorizing different types of text in scanned images is made easier using optical character recognition (OCR) that searches for recognizable characters in hand-written or printed text. Digital images and the right technology make it easier to read and share documents and information with your choice of applications. As a result, you create a functional, efficient document management process that improves accessibility, increases productivity, and creates a more collaborative work environment. You also:
Free up office space
Reduce the risk of document loss and damage
Create a safe and secure data source with backups
Streamline business processes
Why Does the Modern Business Need Document Scanning?
Document scanning safeguards your documents from damage and loss while freeing up physical space and improving searchability and collaboration. Modern businesses can’t live without digitization in a world driven by technology. Outdated paper documents slow down business processes with time-consuming manual tasks such as data entry, filing, sorting, and searching for files. Document scanning allows businesses to:
Access Information
Digital documents use easy search tools and a comprehensive index to find information instantly. All electronic records are saved using a document management system allowing for instant searches, retrieval, and sharing.
Improve Compliance
Digitization is a secure way to store and access files, making it easier to remain compliant with the regulating, storing, and use of personal and business information. Information is stored as required by law while also making it easier to retrieve documents to improve compliance, whether it is for tax purposes, industry standards, or employment standards.
Improved Productivity
Avoiding the great paper chase empowers teams to improve productivity with efficient workflows. Businesses streamline processes across the board to remain competitive and meet the expectations of customers, partners, vendors, and suppliers functioning in a digital world.
Cost Savings
Digitization also reduces costs related to photocopying, printing, and mailing paper documents. It saves time in labor hours for manual tasks such as sorting, filing, and retrieving paper documents. The cost to store documents, including filing cabinets and physical space, is eliminated or reduced.
Improved Security
Data security is improved with the use of passwords, backups, firewalls and permission/role-based authorization protocols. You are also prepared in the event of a disaster.
Accessibility and Collaboration
Businesses can improve accessibility through search and share capabilities. This also empowers teams to improve workflows through quick collaboration and creates a single source for document sharing instead of having several paper documents floating around.
The Document Scanning Process
Document digitization allows you to scan paper records to convert your information into easy-to-search digital files. The document scanning process varies based on the goals and needs of your business but tends to follow these steps:
Document Prepping
Document prepping can be performed by your team or by your scanning service. Prepping ensures each scan is legible, removing folds, smoothing out wrinkles, repairing tears, and taking off staples, tape, paper clicks, and sticky notes.
Sorting and Shipping
Documents are sorted into logical batches for scanning and stored in clearly labeled boxes ready to ship to the scanning facility.
Scanning
Once everything is sorted and prepped the documents are scanned. The image is saved in the appropriate format, with PDFs being the most common. Other formats include:
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
JPEG
PDF
PDF/A
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
Quality Control
If the documents are in rough shape, the captured images are cleaned up using software to make them as clear and easy to read as possible. The software allows the technician to address issues such as discoloration, or to reconfigure orientation.
Indexing
Indexing ensures your documents are easy to search using tags and logical naming conventions. An indexing plan ensures everyone who creates, saves, stores or retrieves data uses the same naming conventions. Metadata is the easiest and most effective way to index documents for your document management system.
Working like keywords, metatags make documents searchable using logical terms and phrases. Outlining indexing rules ensures everyone saves documents using the same indexing method.
Shipping and Shredding
Once everything is scanned, documents are either shredded based on your business records retention and management policy, or shipped back to you for storage.
The Bulk Document Scanning Process
Bulk document scanning digitizes high volumes of paper records with a quicker turnaround. It is the preferred service for document-intensive industries, including:
Law Firms,
Medical Institutions
Financial Institutions
Government Agencies at All Levels
The process is not much different than a standard document scanning process.
Onsite Document Scanning
Onsite scanning saves the step of shipping documents to your scanning service. We bring our services to your door, including our project manager, technicians and state-of-the-art scanning hardware. If you want to maintain control of your project, or regulatory compliances make it necessary to keep your records on your official premises, onsite document scanning is the best choice.
Although it might seem you won’t have the same quality of digital files from the onsite scanning process, we ship our high-volume production-grade scanning equipment to your site, so you have the highest quality scans available. We also have an efficient, secure process that safeguards your documents throughout the entire process, including proper destruction of documents past their retention dates.
Why Choose Onsite Scanning?
The main reason most organizations choose onsite scanning is that sensitive documents remain secure and under control. If you’re required by local regulations to maintain documents on your premises, this is your only choice. Another reason to choose onsite is if your team requires ongoing access to documents or records. If you ship documents away for scanning, it takes time to find and send them back, which can impede your team’s productivity.
Despite the fact the scanning will ultimately improve the retrieval process, during the scanning project, they are out of commission for a while. However, if you don’t need a hard copy, offsite documents can be retrieved, scanned, and emailed as a workaround. Controlling the process is another reason for onsite scanning, allowing your team to monitor the entire project. This is key for organizations with complex document requirements or highly involved filing systems. Onsite also:
Reduces time and money to store and ship documents
Minimizes all the logistical issues of offsite
Reduces the risk of damage to legacy records that are too fragile to ship
Offsite Document Scanning
Offsite document scanning is conducted at a secure scanning facility. Although the idea of packing up all your documents might sound like too much work, it is actually the quickest way to complete your scanning project. Because everything is done offsite, we work with zero disruptions, so the process tends to run more smoothly.
Why Choose Offsite Scanning?
If you are scanning on a larger scale, this is often the preferred method. This is a full-scale scanning service conducted in a highly organized, secure and results-driven environment. Our facility is dedicated to secure digital conversion to expedite the scanning process. Although you have to pack up your documents, we arrange for pickup. We’ve also perfected workflows to ensure every document is accounted for, with quality controls in place to ensure documents are scanned and either stored for shipment or shredded.
You also don’t have to contend with equipment and document files on your premises. If you need a document during the process, as mentioned above, we quickly retrieve it, scan it and email it to you. Your project is overseen by a team of experts, including a project manager and technicians working round the clock to complete the project quickly. Meanwhile, it’s business as usual at your location.
Which Industries Benefit the Most From Document Scanning?
While any industry benefits from document scanning, there are several that see significant benefits from digitization, including:
County government document scanning
County records seem to self-propagate, creating overwhelming numbers to manage. This makes scanning the ideal solution to rid yourself of cumbersome filing cabinets and access digital records instantly. You can embrace records management best practices without interfering with compliance concerns and adapt a simple document indexing method to categorize and access records quickly. Counties also reduce the risk of lost and damaged records with cloud storage and backups. When working with other county systems, you enjoy full integration yet remain secure and compliant.
A new digital records system provides evidentiary information with a click once your scanning project is complete. You can start with your oldest records working your way to the present. Onsite scanning ensures records are always accessible throughout the process. Everything becomes searchable thanks to logical Indexing so deputies can search documents in the same way they always have, improving citizen service. You can also apply strict user access with secure authentication protocols that allow deputies to access files using any device from anywhere.
Once the scanning is complete, state-of-the-art records management services empower deputies and county officials to preserve historical records in perpetuity without fear of damage or loss. You can also redact sensitive records to remain compliant with county regulations. Departments can track business activities and transactions. The system allows you to capture forms and maintain evidence ready to retrieve when required.
The county streamlines processes for all and any records, including:
Mortgage and conveyance records
Marriage records
Case files and criminal files
Support/non-support records
Plats
Newspapers
Microfilm, fiche and aperture cards
Traffic tickets
Wills
Military discharge records
Large format documents like maps and plats
Index books
Financial records
Agendas and minutes
Photostat documents
Municipal government document scanning
Municipal governments need digital transformation to effectively manage records and paperwork. There is already enough red tape slowing down processes within the local government without the addition of time-consuming, paper-based processes. Document scanning eliminates the need for manual document searches in archaic filing cabinets. It also reduces the risk of lost records due to filing errors. The implementation of software like OpenText AppEnhancer allows you to manage digital records of all types and go completely paperless. Scanning and technology digitize all paper records to create an easy-to-access, highly secure database from agendas and meeting minutes to ordinances and from resolutions to permits and maps.
Paperless municipalities streamline processes and overcome records backlogs making it easier for citizens to access the information they need. You have long-term retention capabilities to remain compliant with municipal records retention regulations without the time-consuming hassles associated with paper retention schedules. A new records management system compatible with municipalities across the United States allows for records sharing.
Your digital records management system improves public transparency with easier accessibility to critical local documents using self-service features. It also makes audits easier with access to reports using a comprehensive indexing system for searches. The entire department sees improved workflow with the combination of digital documents and management software. You can also redact sensitive information to prevent cybercrime in your jurisdiction. Historical records and books can also be restored and archived in perpetuity.
Federal government document scanning
The federal government has taken formal steps to digitize records so they can keep up in the business world. The Presidential Directive on Managing Government Records has been updated, and a memo released by the Office of Management and Budget has informed all U.S. government agencies they plan to transition record-keeping to a fully electronic environment by the end of 2022. The process must comply with all records management laws and regulations, calling for a comprehensive document scanning and storage strategy.
Federal document scanning provides a state-of-the-art data base designed to keep up with changing technology. The U.S. must remain a world leader, demonstrating tech capabilities that compete with tech-dominant nations.
Banking & finance document scanning
Today even the oldest financial institutions are discovering the convenience and security offered by document scanning services. Features such as self-service functionality provide clients with instant access to documents and reports without the need to sit waiting for phone assistance just to access their own financial records. Through scanning, financial institutions have an efficient record and product information system that improves workflows.
Digital conversion is revolutionizing how financial information is managed, with document management and workflow software that enables paperless operation. Instant access to bank documents and financial records improves workflows and responsiveness. Eliminating manual business processes reduces errors to maintain a higher standard of accuracy. Automation also reduces bottlenecks in processing times.
Space is freed up without the need for filing cabinets, and storage fees are also eliminated for archives. You easily keep up with regulatory compliance with easy retention of records using a searchable, secure data backup system. You have a safe single point of access for all financial documents and records with secure authorization protocols using passwords and role-based authorization.
Digital transformation in healthcare relies on emerging technologies and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) that redefine patient record management. Healthcare document scanning provides safe, secure access to patient documents to improve patient care through collaboration. Digitized charts and health records are improving efficiencies and remain HIPAA compliant for healthcare institutions. Through specialized medical records scanning services, paper-based patient charts are integrated with digital records regardless of format to create comprehensive medical histories for patients.
Electronic records make medical billing processes more efficient, optimizing revenue cycle management. Healthcare facilities can also monitor and improve critical KPIs to become more profitable without sacrificing the level of care provided. Medical billing challenges are also overcome, including delays caused by inaccurate records during the accounts receivable, insurance claims, and insurance rejections processes.
Digitization enhances health record accuracy and improves operational efficiency with sharing capabilities that can save lives. All healthcare professionals involved in patient management and care can access the same records to make important decisions that directly improve outcomes.
Oil and gas companies operate with high-demand, limited resources required around the world. They face ongoing challenges as more countries question the viability of oil and gas in a world where decarbonization and green-and-clean energy present new competition for old-school oil and gas companies.
Operational efficiencies can be achieved in this competitive, dynamic industry through digital transformation. Digitization provides cost savings by streamlining processes and transforming larger, hard-to-manage paper documents into easy-to-access and review digital formats. Scanning oil and gas records eliminate paper-based and manual processes that interfere with production. Remote locations avoid disruptions with instant access to vital documents, including:
Equipment documentation
Production logs
Process SOPs
Physical asset documentation
Engineering drawings
Converting legacy documents to digital formats allows for the immediate sharing of information from anywhere in the world. It’s not just about the technical documents but other business-critical information such as vendor catalogs, work order information, safety work permits, and employee records. All departments have complete visibility with access to the business information they need when they need it.
Collaboration is also made easier for remote locations using enterprise content management software. Digital mailrooms convert newly arrived documents into digital formats so they are ready to share while also eliminating human errors common to document distribution. Education document scanning (higher education & k-12 schools)
The education system is overburdened with paper documents, application forms, and student reports. The larger the school and the higher the level, the more filing cabinets and records there are to maintain. The administration needs easier ways to provide services to students without time-consuming processes laden with paper records. Students deserve transparency in their educational pursuits, including access to transcripts, reports, and other documents critical to higher education pursuits.
Today’s students are digital natives, raised with a cell phone in one hand and a gaming controller in the other. They expect educational institutions to provide access to digital records but instead are faced with time-wasting paper-based processes that cost them money when requesting their own records. Digital technologies keep higher education campuses competitive to attract more students and remain profitable.
Educational digital transformation strategies provide paperless automated processes suited to today’s campus environments. Access to documents and records via a modern cloud infrastructure caters to the education industry's digitization and document management needs. From K-12 all the way up to higher education institutes, education document scanning provides freedom for administrators and transparency for students and parents.
Common Document Formats Which Require Document Scanning
Every organization has a variety of document formats requiring storage and access. Regardless of your industry, there is bound to be specific document types you tend to contend with more often. Here is an overview of the common document formats organizations scan:
Business document scanning
Despite the common benefits of scanning services, each business has its own improvements in mind when they take on a scanning project. Business document scanning services can be customized to suit your needs helping you go from paper chaos to digital organization. You reduce the need for physical filing cabinets, freeing up space for a break room, meeting room, or office, and never have to contend with searching through miles of paper files again. The information you need is indexed in a logical way so anyone can search and find what they need instantly. When tax season rolls around, you’ll make the most of deductions with receipts just a click away. No more coffee-stained invoices in drawers, boxes, briefcases and files.
Collaboration with document sharing is also made easier, with a single, up-to-date version of the document available to avoid confusion. Everything is secure on your digital document management system with password log-ons. Despite easier access, your system is far more secure. Reduced manual tasks allow your team to focus on high-value tasks while customer service improves with quick access to orders, shipping records, quotes, and more.
Multi-location, large organizations with 250 employees or more have more complex document management requirements. Paper-based documents make it impossible to keep every branch on the same page. The only way to maintain consistency is to avoid common pitfalls of paper documents, such as security breaches, time-consuming document searches, too many copies or versions of the same document floating around, and manual tasks that increase errors. Paper documents also take up precious, not to mention costly office space.
This puts a major strain on small branches or franchises with limited space. All these issues can be overcome with enterprise document scanning services. A single central database allows employees to share enterprise-wide documents or access branch, office, or department-specific documents.
Electronic health records (EHR) provide real-time health information to authorized users from a secure site. Records include:
Patient demographic data and family history
Pediatric growth charts and developmental history
Immunizations records
Surgical history
Past hospitalizations
Diagnosis and history of the present illness
Current medications
Drug allergies
Lab and radiology reports
Prescriptions
Appointments and follow-ups
Using EHRs, medical facilities can ensure medical charts are always available without risk of loss. It also reduces the risk of test results and other care-critical information being filed in the wrong chart. Records remain clear and are not at risk for damage, with backups available from secure cloud storage. Care providers can share records, make notes, and ensure records for administrative personnel are clear and concise for billing and insurance processing. Accurate records allow for accurate medical coding without the need to question caregivers and delay processing. Healthcare providers can also make quick care decisions and improve outcomes.
Digitized HR records and documents ensure your company maintains a strong workforce, accessible talent pool, and improved access to important personnel documents. It also provides self-service options for employees, such as benefits enrollment or updating personal information, reducing manual and repetitive tasks that interfere with HR efficiencies. Digitization allows HR departments to streamline processes, including onboarding and recruitment, using digital applications, signatures and more. Document management software, workflow automation, and cloud access improve productivity.
All employee files, applications, records, and training manuals can be scanned, indexed, and stored on the cloud for quick access to searchable digital files. Authorization is easily managed using password and role-based security protocols, ensuring employee privacy is maintained. You also combine older employee records with new digital files, so everything is saved in the same format.
HR departments have:
Instant access to HR files
Improved document security for confidentiality
Electronic onboarding capabilities
The capture of all new personnel files for employee database storage
Business Process Automation streamlines the invoice approval process eliminating time-consuming, error-ridden repetitive manual tasks, including cumbersome spreadsheets. All relevant data is extracted from the invoices, posted to accounting applications, and routed where it needs to go for approval using ApplicationXtender. This automated process ensures approvals are made in a timely manner to avoid late payments for AP departments. The system provides alerts, including deadlines and mismatches, so your department becomes more proactive.
ApplicationXtender is the leading enterprise content management software for AP departments, easily integrated with existing ERP systems. Your AP department becomes more scalable, and you streamline your processes to reduce human errors and become more compliant. Automated invoice capture reduces the need for manual data entry. You also speed up accounts payable processes, opening doors for extended credit and discounts for timely payments. You create easy-to-follow audit trails and ensure you remain compliant with retention schedules.
Large format document scanning
Large-format document scanning manages all oversized document scanning projects using large-format state-of-the-art scanners. This specialty service allows you to digitize all paper records and documents regardless of size, including:
Blueprints
Engineering drawings
CAD Files
Posters
Over-sized drawings
Well Location Drawings
Well Logs
Maps
Architectural drawings
Plats
Sectional index books
USGS quads
Contour Maps
Parcel Maps
Utility Maps
Floor Plans
Building Plans
Over-sized land/title records
Construction documents
Aerial photographs
Land surveys
A0 sized documents
These documents are much harder to store and manage, taking up space and requiring large tables or desks for viewing. With large format scans, your documents are digitized, providing an easy-to-view image from the comfort of a large computer screen.
Mortgage document scanning
Mortgage document scanning digitizes records and leverages intelligent data capture to streamline the mortgage application process. Managing unstructured data is a major challenge for mortgage lenders. However, Intelligent data capture solutions use Intelligent character recognition (ICR) technology to turn specific text into machine-readable characters. ICR technology captures manually entered information from mortgage and loan documents and segregates the information you need into categories. The information can then be imported into other existing business systems to reduce repeatable tasks. As a result, forms are processed more quickly by processing the unstructured or variable data common to loan documents. Loan and mortgage documents are automatically classified and saved into the appropriate category to avoid manual indexing. Using the OpenText Intelligent Capture platform, mortgage data capture is a breeze.
Loan document scanning
Loan processing is streamlined, allowing clients to submit their documents electronically which can then also be shared with relevant agencies and bureaus. ICR also categorizes loans and separates them from other forms, such as mortgage applications.
Educational institutes can use student record scanning services to digitize records for secure storage and faster access. Using a document management software solution, you can store, access, and share student records more efficiently. Students, faculty and administrators expect their schools to keep up with the demands of a digital world. Historic records become more difficult to maintain over time, with increasing damage and decreasing storage availability.
Student record scanning provides the safeguards required to remain compliant with FERPA regulations. Paper records also place unnecessary burdens on school staff that is easily resolved with digitized records management. Efficiencies are noted across the institution providing better service for students and faculty members. Financing a major records scanning project is made easier with ARPA grants to improve technology infrastructure and leverage digital records software.
All levels of government can improve document management procedures through digitization. A comprehensive records management plan ensures perfect execution, so staff quickly gain efficiencies. Digitization improves workflows and avoids backlogs associated with records processing. It creates a seamless process that improves transparency for citizens who require quick turnovers for their government-related records, from marriage licenses to birth certificates and land-related documents to criminal records.
All records, both historical and recent, are stored in a safe cloud database in the same format centralizing documents that can be shared across different government branches and departments. Both paper and microfilm can be digitized and stored with an easy-to-use indexing system that ensures you remain compliant with records storage until expiry.
Historical record scanning
The loss of valuable historical records interferes with research for students, government agencies, lawyers, and anyone requiring historical information. Age damages records making them too fragile to handle. The sooner historical records are scanned, the less damage occurs and the more easily they are to access and handle. Archival records of any kind can easily be safeguarded against damage and stored using a searchable index based on common criteria from date to name and from historical event to location.
Vital record scanning
Vital records are essential citizen records such as birth and death certificates, marriage records, divorce decrees, wills, etc. However, as populations increase, older vital records are quickly depleting available storage space at county offices. As well, aging records present challenges as they become more fragile. Vital records scanning allows counties and municipalities to digitize vital records, reducing demand for storage and streamlining the document access process. Searches become easier, and efforts to create paperless processes for vital records can be achieved moving forward.
Document scanning for confidential and sensitive documents
When you are dealing with highly confidential or sensitive documents, security is a top priority. Document scanning allows you to digitize records and store them in a secure database managed with strict protocols. If you are worried about scanning documents at an offsite location, onsite scanning services ensure your documents never leave your premises. A scanning team with scanning equipment will set up a scanning station in a secure area of your building and ensure documents remain secure throughout the project.
The Cost of Document Scanning
The cost of document scanning for a standard box of documents is about $250. The average box contains around 2,500 pages, and the industry-standard ranges from $0.08 and $0.15 per page. We offer a comprehensive service that includes:
Prep
Document capture
Post-scan processing
Indexing
Quality assurance
Data export
When costing out different scanning companies, it’s important to discuss the details of your documents, so the service provider understands what is involved. You also want to avoid hidden costs once the project is underway for things like quality control to correct issues.
Glossary of Terms
Document Scanning: Document scanning converts paper and microfilm documents into digital files.
Document Imaging: Document Imaging converts paper and microfilm documents into digital images.
Document Conversion: Document conversion converts one digital format from another based on access requirements or document size.
OCR: OCR or optical character recognition uses hardware and software to read printed or handwritten text characters in physical documents and turn them into machine-readable text.
Indexing: Document indexing is a plan and naming convention that uses specific attributes and words to make it easier to search and retrieve digital documents.
Business Process Automation: Business process automation or BPA uses software to automate complex yet repeatable tasks common in a business’ transactions and procedures.
Archiving: Archiving removes less frequently used documents to an alternate storage system to free up space on the main system.
Cloud Storage: Cloud storage uses a single ecosystem with a vast network of remote servers used to store digital content.
JPG: A JPG is a compressed image format for digital images used when space is limited and smaller files are required.
TIFF: A TIFF is a tagged image file format to store raster graphics and image information, providing a very high-quality image.
PDF: A PDF or portable document format is a digital file that is used to share files that cannot be modified but can contain links to other documents or web pages.
Sources
https://www.coordinated.com/blog/how-the-document-scanning-process-works-in-10-simple-steps
https://www.simplilearn.com/what-is-ocr-optical-character-recognition-article
https://www.washington.edu/accessibility/documents/scans
https://www.alarisworld.com/en-ca/solutions/document-scanners