10 Questions Every Business Should Ask Before Year-End
It may only be August, but now is the ideal time to evaluate your organization's document management practices. Taking a fresh look at your records management processes can uncover inefficiencies, identify compliance risks, and improve productivity before year-end reporting, budgeting, and planning are in full swing.
Consider this: the average employee spends more than 9 hours each week searching for information, while knowledge workers can spend nearly 30% of their workday looking for documents and data. That's the equivalent of losing an entire day each week to document retrieval instead of productive work.
Key Questions Every
Organization Should Ask
1. Can Employees Find Critical Documents Quickly?
The main question to ask yourself. If employees struggle to locate files, productivity suffers.
Questions to Consider:
How long does it take to retrieve documents?
Are files stored in multiple locations?
Do employees rely on coworkers to find information?
2. Are Your Records Organized for Effective Document Management?
Poor organization can lead to wasted time, duplicate records, and frustrated employees.
Questions to Consider:
Is there a consistent filing structure?
Are records properly labeled and indexed?
Are inactive records archived appropriately?
3. Is Your Document Retention Policy Up to Date?
Retention schedules should align with legal and industry requirements.
Questions to Consider:
Are records being retained longer than necessary?
Are outdated records being securely destroyed?
Have recent regulatory changes been reviewed?
4. Are Sensitive Documents Properly Secured?
Data breaches and unauthorized access can create significant business risks.
Statistic: Data security and privacy continue to rank as the top concern for organizations implementing document management and document processing technologies.
Questions to Consider:
Who has access to confidential files?
Are permissions reviewed regularly?
Are audit trails available?
5. Do You Have Duplicate or Outdated Files?
Multiple versions of documents create confusion and increase storage costs.
Questions to Consider:
Are there duplicate files across systems?
Are obsolete records being identified and removed?
Serving organizations from New York City to Montauk with secure records storage, paper shredding, document scanning, document management, and retrieval services.
6. Are Your Documents Properly Backed Up?
A backup strategy is essential for disaster recovery.
Questions to Consider:
How frequently are backups performed?
Have recovery procedures been tested?
Can employees access documents during unexpected disruptions?
7. How Much Physical Storage Are You Maintaining?
Paper records consume valuable office space and increase management costs.
Questions to Consider:
How much office space is dedicated to file storage?
Could off-site records storage improve organization and free up workspace?
Can documents be digitized?
8. Can You Quickly Respond to clients and patients?
Questions to Consider:
How quickly can requested records be retrieved?
Are archived records easily accessible?
Could delays impact customer service or compliance?
9. Are You Prepared for an Audit or Compliance Review?
When regulators or auditors request documentation, quick access is critical.
Questions to Consider:
Can records be produced quickly?
Are retention policies documented?
Is there a complete record of document activity?
10. Is Your Current Document Management System Meeting Your Needs?
Businesses evolve, and document management systems should evolve with them.
Questions to Consider:
Can the system scale with future growth?
Is search functionality effective?
Does it integrate with your existing business applications?
WE can help.
National Archives Inc. provides the tools and expertise to keep your records organized, protected and accessible: