The Importance of Scanning in the Modern Workplace

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the transition towards digitisation in the workplace, presenting new challenges for businesses to adapt and remain competitive.

In this new era of remote work and staggered office schedules, the ability to access documents and files instantly and securely has become crucial for businesses. This article explores the significance of scanning solutions in the modern office, highlighting their role in facilitating flexible work arrangements and streamlining information management processes.

Instant Secure Access

With the majority of documents and files stored in electronic formats, organisations can grant their staff access from anywhere, fostering productivity and collaboration even in a distributed work environment. This level of accessibility proves particularly valuable during the pandemic when remote work is prevalent. Even as restrictions ease, the likelihood of a complete return to traditional office setups remains uncertain, making instant and auditable access to relevant information a top priority for companies in 2023.

A Flexible Team

The pandemic-induced experiment of mass remote work has demonstrated its success, prompting businesses of all sizes to reconsider their need for extensive physical office spaces. By embracing scanning solutions, organisations can significantly reduce overhead costs associated with maintaining extensive physical file systems. Transitioning from reliance on physical files to easily accessible electronic documents ensures a seamless workflow and positively impacts the company's financial bottom line.

Top Tips: Streamlining Work with Scanning Solutions

Let's delve into some specific features of scanning print and copy solutions that can enhance your work experience and efficiency:

Barcode Scanning

By incorporating barcodes before scanning, organisations can automate the sorting and filing of documents based on each user's file location. Whether in the office or working remotely, employees can simply stack bundles of documents into the scanner, allowing the system to read the barcode and file the documents accordingly. Additionally, this feature includes automatic file creation, enabling the system to generate new files and organise the documents for storage.

Highlighter Zone OCR Scanning

This time-saving option simplifies the process of organising documents, such as invoices. Users can highlight sections like the invoice supplier's name and the invoice or purchase number with a highlighter pen. When scanned, the system extracts the highlighted sections and adds them as metadata to the file name, automatically filing the document in the appropriate location. If a relevant file doesn't exist, the system creates one for seamless storage.

OCR & Scan Conversion

Scanning solutions equipped with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities allow users to search for specific text within a document. Additionally, these solutions offer the convenience of converting scanned documents into editable formats like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. This feature enables easy data extraction and manipulation for improved productivity.

Scan to Cloud-Based Software

Modern scanning solutions facilitate seamless integration with popular cloud-based platforms such as Dropbox, OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive, Gmail, G Suite, and Box. This capability ensures that scanned documents are securely stored in the desired cloud environment, providing easy access and collaboration across teams.

Data Extraction

Scanning solutions go beyond simple image capture by enabling the extraction of data from scanned documents. This feature allows users to retrieve valuable information from the scanned images, unleashing the true potential of the data contained within.

How can we help?

In the face of evolving work conditions, scanning solutions have evolved from being useful tools to essential components of the modern office environment. They facilitate instant, secure access to critical information, enabling flexible work arrangements and reducing operational costs associated with physical file management. Features such as barcode scanning, highlighter zone OCR scanning, OCR and scan conversion, integration with cloud-based software, and data extraction empower businesses to optimise their workflows and unlock the true value of their data.

To explore further and determine which scanning solutions would best suit your office environment in 2024, please do get in touch.