Wasting time in business is a slow way to kill productivity. Trying to locate a lost document can affect everything from customer relations to becoming eligible for a discount on supplies. If a business has a small clerical staff, it is likely that they have better things to do than use their time going through a filing cabinet or piles of paper.
While filing cabinets serve a purpose, the more content it contains, the more likely something can come up missing. Even when there is a tracking system in place, if someone removes a document and does not return it, things can become chaotic. If one can envision when things are extremely, it may be impossible to do a mental backtrack as to what may have become of a document.
Creating an electronic filing system using inexpensive software can be a learning process. A clerical worker placed in charge may have files sorted by the month or the department. Sometimes the right keyword tags may not be used for easy retrieval because that clerk or secretary may have other things to do.
Saving a document as a portable document file, or PDF is better than photocopying for a number of reasons. Firstly, the image remains intact and will not lose important details. Files can also be edited as a fillable form to be completed by others. While there are many software packages that are great for minimal use, any organization with a lot of records should consider outsourcing this task.
Telecommuting employees or contractors also benefit from electronic files that are stored in a company directory. While saving a document as a web page may seem like a good idea, it can be frustrating for those who may not be familiar with the website structure. Home business owners may want to give themselves a break by using a service for storing financial information safely.
Although some business owners may have been taught to keep records for a certain number of years, a longer period can save headaches. Especially if an office no longer has a file clerk that keeps a tracking log of files or folders. In the meantime, going electronic is a good way to have fresh copies before the pages yellow and the ink fades.
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