Electronic Document Management

10 Backfile Conversion Tips

Perform a cost analysis to determine whether to scan in-house or to outsource.

Identify all costs: labor, utilities, facility space, equipment, maintenance, supplies

and any other costs associated with handling the backfile scanning project in-

house.

Decide if a “day-forward” scanning strategy is best for your process. Scan

documents as they come in, but maintain paper backfiles “as-is” until they reach

their disposition date. This strategy may be cost-effective for paper files that

must be retained for a certain number of years, but are not often accessed.

Consider the kind of preparation needed for your documents. Are there paper

clips and staples that need to be removed, sticky notes that need to be copied

and organized? Also, spiral-bound and other bound documents may require

special handling. Do your documents need to be organized in a certain way?

Lots of document preparation will affect the speed and cost of the project.

Understand the technical requirements for file compatibility with your content

management system. Define the acceptable formats for TIFF or PDF images

before beginning the project.

Understand your indexing requirements so imaged documents are easily findable

and searchable. Define the number, length and type (alphabetic, numeric, mixed)

of fields to be indexed per document. An experienced provider should be able to

assist you with indexing requirements and an effective taxonomy method.

www.datamark.net

It’s time to take advantage of efficient, cost-saving Electronic Document

Management systems by making a complete paper-to-digital conversion.

Here are 10 quick tips for a successful backfile conversion project:

© 2013 DATAMARK, Inc.

Electronic Document Management

If you are considering outsourcing the project, visit the service provider’s

facilities. Make sure the provider has the technical capability for the job. Do their

scanners have the required throughput capability? Does the scanning software

meet your requirements for image clean-up, such as straightening, despeckling

and deskewing?

There are many effective technology platforms available today that can save

time and money by automatically classifying and indexing documents. Ask the

service provider to demonstrate their automation solution. For more complex

documents that require manual data entry, determine if you will require single

keying or double keying on indexing. Double keying delivers high accuracy, but

costs more.

Ask the service provider if they offer a document tracking system? If you need to

access a document during the scanning process, will the provider be able to

locate and deliver it quickly?

If you choose to outsource, make sure your vendor is HIPAA and PCI DSS

certified, and can meet any other special security, business continuity and

disaster recovery requirements you may have.

Establish quality guidelines. Images should be as readable as the original

document. Make sure to do test runs and make corrections necessary to ensure

your quality goals are met. Quality control should also address indexing—a

quality image isn’t of any use if it cannot be found.

DATAMARK offers backfile conversion services and Electronic Document

Management solutions for companies across all industry sectors and

government organizations.

We are HIPAA and PCI DSS compliant.

To learn more, visit:

www.datamark.net© 2013 DATAMARK, Inc.

10 Backfile Conversion Tips