Signs of Inadequate Records Management (and how to improve it)

Records management is a critical business function, but surprisingly, it is often a disregarded and undervalued operation. Poor records management can result in cluttered and unintelligible workplaces, irritated employees, and data loss. It can also strangle a business, slow productivity, squander valuable time, and put staff under undue stress.

If your company doesn’t use technology-driven records management, you would have to retain client or customer data in file cabinets or some other organizational structure. But manual processes handling physical records lead to excessive clutter and a disorderly workplace, which can quickly take over an office and overwhelm your employees.

The Warning Signs

So, how do you know if your current records management process is working for your company? If your company is experiencing any of the following, then it could be an indicator to adapt and improve document management efforts:

• Sharing and disseminating materials is time-consuming.
• Documents are misfiled and take a long time to find and recover.
• Valuable office space is required to store paperwork.
• Coworker communication is deteriorating.
• Reduced productivity levels.
• Overhead costs are increasing.

Troubleshooting Your Process

Poor records management can lead to the systemic concerns over time where productivity, data loss, and financial impacts start to show. You could risk substantial legal ramifications for careless data sharing when records are not securely managed.

This quick checklist will help you analyze your current situation and determine what steps to take to reinforce your process.

☐ How long does it take to locate a record?

First off is analyzing how long it takes to find records. If it’s a time-consuming effort, the company is wasting money paying for staff to look for and refile documents. In addition to affecting the bottom line, being unable to submit information in a timely manner might lead to severe legal consequences if you get audited.

Solution: The ability to facilitate finding, and tracking records is a critical component of in-house document storage and management alternatives. When digital files are added to a document management system, they are immediately indexed and arranged, similar to an off-site storage facility, so they can be found fast.

☐ Are there duplicate copies of the same file?

Having numerous copies of the same file is a typical problem, which often leads to having multiple versions that are inaccurate. It increases the risk of losing revisions and distributing wrong information. There’s a lot that can go wrong when you do not have the right, most up-to-date records on hand. It becomes costly to try consolidate records and spend extra time to rectifying documentation.

Solution: A digital document management system facilitates the scanning the paper records and creating a new digital version, so edits and file access are securely managed and monitored. Furthermore, management can get audit trail reports to ensure full compliance.

☐ Is record retention and destruction being monitored?

Many company and employee files are subject to legal preservation and destruction requirements set forth by legislation. Retention and destruction rules specify how long certain types of data must be kept and when they must be destroyed. They are crucial not just for helping to keep outdated records out of the way, but also because failing to comply can result in substantial penalties.

Solution: Rather than attempting to store and manage retention on their own, when techniques such as off-site records storage for hard copies and DMS or cloud storage software for digital data are employed, retention tracking can be included for both paper and digital records. An automatic system can be set up to remove any records with expired retention times daily.

☐ Is there a backup plan for disaster recovery?

It’s crucial to maintain a positive mindset and hope for the best, but you should also prepare for the worse with your records management strategy. There are a variety of potential dangers to consider when it comes to records management, ranging from physical threats like fires and theft to damaged hard drives and other devices. As a result, it’s critical that your strategy includes procedures to prepare for when tragedy occurs, such as backing up data on a regular basis.

Solution: All records management plans should include a system for regularly backing up data as a failover, and whether you use off-site record storage, client-server DMS systems, or cloud storage to manage your records, any well-designed records management system will include a combination of all three when it comes to data backup.

DMS for Business Benefits

KRIS Document Management System (DMS) helps firms achieve positive bottom-line results. It also allows employees to keep focused when they use a system that boosts productivity. KRIS mitigates the risk of losing documents as the intuitive file system supports secure records management system. The framework ensures you can better arrange your files to fulfil every tasks and enterprise-wide documentation demands. Manage all aspects of your records from a central location and prevent delays that cost you money.