Implementing Electronic Records Management Here are 4 Things to Consider

It’s no secret that digital records are the future of recordkeeping. But while they reduce the amount of space and paper needed to store your files, they come with their unique challenges. To help you get started with electronic records management,

Define what records you have and where they are stored.

One of the first steps in implementing electronic records management is to identify what records you have and where they are stored. Make a list of all the files, folders and digital documents that contain your company’s most important information. This can be anything from financial reports to legal documents to emails.

Then figure out where these records are being stored on your computer hard drive, in an external hard drive or flash drive, or printed on paper. The following stage is selecting how you want to handle those documents moving forward with an electronic recordkeeping system that helps safeguard them against loss or damage while ensuring they are readily available when required at a moment’s notice.

Decide on a records management strategy.

To determine your strategy, it’s important to consider what kind of records you have and how they will be managed. Businesses with more complex records may need a more detailed system than basic documents. As your business changes and grows, your strategy should also change accordingly.

You can also consider whether or not you want third-party software (like Evernote) or an in-house solution for managing your documents. Once you’ve decided on a strategy, it’s important to communicate this information to all employees who handle or access electronic documents so that they understand how their actions affect the company as a whole.

The last thing you want is for someone to accidentally delete all of their coworker’s files because they didn’t know where they were stored!

Choose the right tools for the job.

Hardware: In the past, records managing systems were often implemented with a point-of-entry workstation at each desk or station. If you want to make it simpler for staff members to swiftly and simply use the system, consider a self-service kiosk that allows them to log into the system without waiting in line at an employee workstation. Self-service kiosks also allow employees who don’t have dedicated desks (such as those working in a cubicle) access their information on demand.

Software: The software component of your electronic documents management system can help reduce costs by reducing time spent organizing and tracking documents, enabling you to find what you need quickly when necessary and allowing others within your organization access if needed, all while keeping track of who accessed what information when they did so!

Develop a plan for ongoing maintenance.

As you begin to implement your electronic records management system, developing a plan for ongoing maintenance is important. You should regularly review your records managing strategy and ensure it works as expected.

It’s also critical to keep in mind that any new records that the company acquires can need modifying or expanding the plan. Developing a schedule for reviewing and updating the plan will help ensure that all necessary changes are made promptly.

Conclusion

Electronic records management is a great tool for managing your organization’s information, but it should not solve all your information management problems. If you have many different kinds of content within an organization and need to be able to search through them in multiple ways, then EMRM may be worth exploring.

But if you only need basic document management features like tagging and metadata extraction, other options may provide more value at a lower cost than implementing an EMRM system.