4 Ways Outsourcing Document Processing Can Help Your Team Work Remotely

Whether or not your team is back in the office, the year 2020 changed the way we work – forever. Given the savings on travel and the option to attend meetings in slippers, it’s hardly surprising that more people are opting to work remotely in an ongoing capacity. Therein lies the challenge. With your team members scattered in different locations, your document processing system needs to be in complete alignment. Instead of trying to make sure everyone is adhering to document management procedures, outsourcing your document processing removes room for error. Not only that, your team members can divert their efforts to more essential tasks, resulting in increased productivity and better performance. Here’s 4 ways outsourcing your document processing can help your team, no matter where they choose to work from.

1. Free up staff time

You may have hundreds, if not thousands, of inbound documents coming through on a daily basis. While some of your data processing may be automated, most systems need some level of manual examination to validate, check for errors and flag any duplicates. Cross checking and validating data can be labour-intensive and uses up valuable staff time. Working remotely can complicate this process as items can’t be immediately flagged as they would be in the office. Document issues may drag out even further if concerned parties wait on colleagues for email or phone reponses. Outsourcing document processing to a reputable service provider such as Micro Image can save your company time and provide the same effectiveness – if not more – at low cost. Clever document recognition software will sort, store and index your documents, capturing key data such as names, values, dates and keywords. You can eliminate the need for manual data entry, and preset validation and business rules can flag errors, duplicates and fraudulent documents. This type of efficacy can save you more money in the long run, freeing up staff time to focus on productivity instead of problem-solving. You can also save yourself some time searching for a solution – this is something Micro Image can customise and scale up or down based on your company’s requirements. You can outsource a range of documents for processing including (but not limited to):

• Accounts Payable & Receivable
• Orders
• Medical Files
• Applications
• Claims
• Accounts
• Legal Files
• Proof of Deliveries
• Forms

2. Keep files in one place

Even the most well-maintained company servers go down from time to time, and if your tech support isn’t on site to sort it out, you and your team could find yourselves without system access. This means unwanted downtime, and that is never good for business. Another risk of remote working is the potential for staff to save documents locally, especially if they find themselves offline. Outsourcing document processing takes the pressure off your current systems and keeps everything up to date and in one secure place. A key benefit is that files, either paper or electronic, can be back-scanned and uploaded to your current system. This means your team can access any required data from their remote location. No more going to the basement to seek a folder, or back-tracking through archive disks. All of the data your team needs to get on with the job is in one central and accessible location. Processed files can also be merged with your current electronic document management system or kept within a secure, cloud-based platform. This ensures a complete backup of your documents in any event.

3. Get your inbound mail managed

We’ve come a long way, but we’re not quite paperless yet. If you still have large amounts of physical – or electronic – mail that seems to build up, outsourcing can literally save you stacks of time. Inbound mail management allows you to redirect your physical mail bags, not just for sorting, but for digitisation and integration. Micro Image can receive your business mail, open, scan and upload the documents into your management system for same day processing. This saves a team member, or several, coming in to collect and open the mail – an especially inconvenient task when everyone is working remotely. You probably didn’t know you can outsource your emails, but why wouldn’t you? If you have a lot of incoming email, recognition software can classify and organise emails, recognise attachments such as invoices and claims and redirect the email to the relevant individual or department. Linked documents in emails can also be automatically captured – a previously time-consuming manual task that will save you and your team members time.

4. Keep your files safe and secure

While most companies have strict data protection and system securities in place, working remotely presents its own privacy risks. Without prompts from the IT team or the secure network of a local office, things like software updates and password policies can fall by the wayside. Remote working also runs the risk of prying eyes through public and insecure wi-fi networks accessed at cafes or hotels. Working from home, there’s also family members i.e. children, that may use a team member’s computer when they’re unaware. This could lead to the accidental deletion of critical information. Outsourcing document processing to a certified provider minimises the risk of privacy leaks with confidentiality and security assured. Switching to a cloud-based management system with login authentication specified only to certain team members will prevent data breaches and loss of critical information. Micro Image follows best practice principles in document processing and complies with all State and Federal record keeping and digitisation guidelines, for the highest possible protection of documents. Want to know more? If you’d like a custom quote for your document scanning, data capture or automation solution, please email Micro Image or call us on (03) 9427 7958.