The world is digitalizing at a pace that you cannot imagine. The question is, are you? If you’re still thinking, it’s time to stop “just considering” and start acting upon the idea. Digitalize your business so that you can gain a competitive edge over other organizations in the same industry. Begin by digitizing your documents.
Document digitization, as opposed to what many think, isn’t something that has just been discovered. In fact, what history tells us is that it has been around for decades. The technological advancements have only made it more feasible and accessible. You can kickstart the procedure by simply prioritizing the essential documents and preparing them for digitization.
This article will explain the important steps you need to follow for document digitization.
6 Basic Steps You Need to Follow for Document Digitization
Digital documents have many benefits over their physical counterparts. They’re more accessible, searchable, and secure. More than that, it’s also a simple process if done on the hands of experts. All you need to do is select the best tools, scan the relevant document, and apply OCR. After all is done, store the digitalized versions in a reliable document management system and you’re good to go.
Here are the six most basic steps you need to follow for effective document digitization:
1. Prioritization
You don’t just start digitizing the whole set of documents in your workplace. It’ll only result in wasted resources and a number of unnecessary digital records. So, what you should do is to analyze and prioritize. You should consider the following factors while prioritizing:
- Importance of the documents
- Frequency of use
- Their regulatory importance
- Condition of the records
- Operational efficiency, the document will provide
Once you’re done prioritizing, start with digitization. Remember, seeking help from experts will minimize the risk of drastic mistakes. You can contact professionals at Xeratek for safe and secure digitization of important documents.
2. Preparation
After the completion of the above stage, it’s time for the next step, and it’s preparation. Your records are still in physical form. You need to get them ready for scanning and digitization. But it's not that simple. In fact, document preparation encompasses several sub-steps.
The first phase is sorting and arranging the selected documents in a logical order. Clean the dust and remove any fasteners binding the papers. If there are damaged documents, try to repair or stabilize them. At last, ensure that you’ve all the papers for a document.
3. Tool Selection
It’s technology that makes document digitization an accessible process in today’s modern age. That’s why you need tools or software to convert your physical records into their digitalized versions. But be aware. Don’t just go for any tool. Instead, focus on the following aspects:
- Volume of documents to be digitized
- The output format you require
- The ease of use
- Integration with your existing system
- Robust security measures
Going deeper, you should also be careful about aspects like high-quality scans and scalability. And if you’re on a tight budget, it’s also recommended to focus on the total cost.
4. Security Measures
Probably, the most concerning thing while digitizing documents is the security of your confidential data. You own a business, and there must be sensitive data in all the documents you’re trying to digitize. Multiple things might compromise the security of these records, making them vulnerable to security problems.
These vary from data breaches to unauthorized access and even cyberattacks. If any of these incidents happen, there’ll be financial loss and reputational damage. That said, make sure that your service provider guarantees the necessary security measures like data encryption and access control.
5. Scanning
The next important step in document digitization is scanning. In simple words, scanning means using a scanner to convert all those chosen physical documents into digital images. There are numerous key aspects of this stage of the procedure. Picking a reliable scanner is the first thing to do.
Later, you should determine what level of resolution and image quality you require. Then select a suitable file format. For this, you must know how to adjust your scanner’s settings. It’s also crucial that you start with an initial test scan to check if the adjusted settings are working or not.
6. OCR Application
After all of the above steps are completed, you’re required to convert images of text into an editable format. This is possible with the help of an OCR or Optical Character Recognition application. These apps take the images of text as input and use algorithms to identify the characters.
After identifying each individual character, the whole document is converted into machine-readable text form. This is actually the output that you can use for various purposes, such as storing, editing, searching, and processing. It’s, nonetheless, critical to consider the OCR software capabilities before using one.
Digitize Crucial Documents in Your Workplace
Document digitization can be significantly beneficial for different organizations. It’s a long procedure that involves multiple steps, as mentioned in the article. Only an expert service provider can help you digitize your document efficiently by completing all these stages. Contact Xeratek now to achieve the milestone.
