A lot of companies take a view at the thought of using a records management company as “wasted revenue” or “dead money” or feel it is an “exuberant thing to have”. I have heard quite a few things said about using facilities like SMB as I have been in the game for a long time. However, when you explained to them the positives behind using a third party to manage their records, quite a few do change their minds or have a rethink.
Most companies that store their own records on-site or store in one of the “Big Yellow” type storage units, and it is the usual small to medium-sized companies, they do not take into consideration of the space that the items can take up. Nor do they think about the time and resource it takes to locate an item if they are not in some alphanumeric order. This is all an incremental cost to the company.
I have been to offices where not only have they filled a room with boxes but have also started to fill corridors to such an extent they have blocked off all fire escape routes. Whilst they might be saving a penny or 2 they will not be saving lives should the unthinkable happen.
So, what are the benefits
- Having boxes stored in another building ensures your office is tidy and free from trip hazards and keeps fire routes clear. It could also give back much-needed office space.
- You know exactly where your boxes can be located. All boxes that are taken into store usually have an external ID. An alternative code is written on the outside of a box which relates to your own filing system. As the boxes are bar coded, this code is also captured and assigned to the barcode on the box. Should you need it back, just a simple call or e-mail to the company and it gets delivered. No wading and searching through stacks of boxes.
- You can drill down to file level. Most records management companies will catalogue your files so you don’t have to ask for the whole box. This takes up less space in your office if you require multiple files back.
- Yes, there is a charge for requested files / boxes however, if you way up the cost of your own resources having wade through boxes of files to find the right one, you will possibly find it works out to be more of an impact on your company with time wasted, possible risk of injury and what else could that member of staff being do with their time.
- Compared to self-storage company’s records management companies are far cheaper places to hold your documents, if you shop around and choose the right one of course, as I do know that this may not always be the case. What I can tell you for the smaller to medium businesses SMB Records Management are up to 70% cheaper than some self-storage units as our minimal storage charge is exactly that, minimal!
- If you capture the destruction date (review date) as they are put into store the management company can highlight when the boxes are to be reviewed for destruction. This saves you the worry of remembering or leaving them in a storage unit and paying for the space that you no longer need.
- When the boxes need to be destroyed you do not have to search around for a company to carry this service out. Secure shredding can be arranged for you by the records management company. At SMB all destruction is destroyed in accordance with the EN BS 15713 standard.
With the new EU GDPR (general data protection regulation) now fully in place, do you not think that it is a good idea for the professionals to look after your documents. It’s what we do.
