A Guide to Records Management Governance

In the information age, when customers can search and compare vendors in a matter of seconds, your business can keep a competitive edge by cutting down. Cut down costs, cut down time and cut down resources by running processes with streamlined efficiency.

Information management is a critical space when it comes to optimising operational efficiency and reducing costs. There are a number of steps that your organisation can take to ensure your information management strategy is not only compliant, but effortlessly efficient.

Increasing Workflow Efficiency

When regulatory authorities come knocking on your door with discovery orders, subpoenas or formal requests, the last thing you want is to waste time searching for misfiled information. Your information management needs to be integrated and managed seamlessly to avoid any delays. With the right systems and procedures in place, you can respond timely to business challenges, make informed decisions and ultimately provide better customer service.

So where do you start? It’s a common misconception that in order to “go digital”, you need to scan every bit of paper documentation you can get your hands on. This is costly, overwhelming and fortunately, not necessary. The real solution lies not in scanning every document but in knowing what to scan to achieve significant process improvements.

Different blends of digital and paper-based processes work best for different businesses and it’s important you identify your key areas and move towards a digitised workflow. You don’t need to convert all your legacy information upfront to “go digital”. This can be done gradually on an on-demand basis as a day forward digital workflow does not require 100% digital storage.

Your ultimate aim is to simplify your processes to ensure your information is working for you and not the other way around.

Manage Fewer Vendors

It’s an intimidating mandate to have to maintain consistent standards and best practices throughout your organisation, particularly when having to juggle multiple providers each with different procedures. Running conflicting systems leads to confusion, chaos and eventually, cost. This process can be simplified, saving you time and expense, by managing all physical records storagesecure destruction and imaging services through one single vendor.

Link Your Physical and Electronic Records

Defining clear, strategised policies for information management will, quite simply, make life a lot easier. Administering policy across information regardless of format and location makes it readily accessible for whoever needs it. Combining both physical and electronic information into one records management system means you can locate whatever you need, whenever you need it. You’ll also be able to manage, destroy and discover records from a single, user-friendly platform.

This also allows you to set administrative controls to effectively capture metadata for all new records, search for records across all formats and enhance your users’ efficiency.

Consider your time. It’s too important to waste wading through clunky, outdated systems. Being unprepared and disorganised leaves you and your business vulnerable to risk and unnecessary spending. Increasing your efficiencies allows you to stay in control of your records and their safekeeping, manage your time, maximise your customers’ experience and keep a leg up on the competition. To hear how we can help, contact ZircoDATA via this link or feel free to email us at, services@zircodata.com.au or call on 13 ZIRCO.