We’ve all heard the saying “time is money” and while it sounds a bit Wolf of Wall Street, it’s true. At first glance it may seem as though storing documents on site is less expensive than working with a storage partner, diving a little deeper reveals this isn’t always the case.
We’ve outlined a few scenarios to get you thinking about whether on site storage is really working well for you.
| What you are doing now… | … but have you thought about |
|---|---|
| Our documents are safely stored in the basement. | Basements are great for storage and might seem like a safe place for documents but they’re most likely taking up space that could be used for IT equipment, seasonal decorations, cleaning supplies, spare furniture, and other items you need to access on a semi-regular basis. Often basements are difficult to get to and sometimes poorly lit which presents safety issues. There’s also the consideration that they’re usually areas staff aren’t keen to spend lots of time and they often feel safer going down with a colleague, therefore taking up two peoples time. Another thing to consider is if your documents are at risk of damage due to flooding, dust, or unsuitable containers. Compromised documents can be a real headache to rectify. By storing with us you can be safe in the knowledge your documents will be at a significantly lower risk of flooding, fire, and damage! As well as better protected, your documents are well-organised and easy to access from our warehouse. |
| If staff need a file it’s easy for them to go and search for it themselves or ask someone else if they’re busy. | If staff are regularly taking time out of their day to retrieve files you could be surprised at how quickly it adds up. This is especially true when documents are stored in another part of the building or a different building altogether! If staff were able to spend less time looking for documentation you’d probably be surprised at the increase in productivity you’d see. |
| Our receptionist/administrator is already doing a great job of managing our documents. | Receptionists and administrators really are the unsung heroes of the office, they quietly take care of everything in the background. Along with taking phone calls, preparing meetings, taking meeting notes, sending invites, organising staff get-togethers, and all the other things they do managing documentation is just another thing on the list. Every Archive-Vault client has a dedicated account manager who ensures accuracy and speed when indexing files and updating your information. This means nothing is missed and you can be confident your documents are in safe hands. The only thing on our list is your documentation! |
| We have an archiving pile where files go once they are no longer needed. | While piling documents up when you’re done with them is tempting, it’s not technically a system (not one we’d recommend anyway). Documents are at risk of being lost, put away incorrectly, not indexed, your carefully-created spreadsheet not being updated, damaged, and other potential issues. We can collect your files on a daily basis to be securely transported, scanned back into store, and most importantly put back where they belong; giving you full peace of mind. |
| We have a dedicated archiving area at the back of the office which makes files easy to access. | Having a dedicated archiving area is fantastic, especially if you’ve circulated clear best-practice guidelines and everyone is sticking to them. It can, however, be tempting to quickly grab the closest box at the end of the day and promise to file everything correctly tomorrow, forget about updating the indexing system whenever a document is removed or replaced, or forget about retention dates when it’s not your full-time job. With us it is our full-time job so we keep on top of everything, letting you know when documents are due for destruction so you can make an informed decision. We can also index every item, making it available to view on our Client Portal, so you know exactly where everything is. With your documents securely stored offsite your new-found space could house another team or be put to use as an area dedicated to employee wellbeing. |
Secure offsite storage is so much more than simply putting paperwork in a warehouse and forgetting about it, with Archive-Vault you get a document management system (our wonderful client portal), stress-free archiving (we collect everything), and all the organisation done for you (all documents in storage are barcode tracked). Who knows how much time and money you’ll save by giving staff back the time they were previously spending on retrieving and managing files and by reclaiming some much-needed office space!
If you’d like to discuss your needs, give us a call on 01603 720722 or email info@archive-vault.co.uk.
