Every business or program must address well-defined objectives which will add value, either directly to the bottom line or toward the achievement of the organization’s goals and objectives.  Records Management objectives usually fall into one of three categories:

1. Service (effective and efficient)
2. Profit (or cost avoidance)
3. Social (moral, ethical and legal) responsibility

Records Management programs must manage organizational information so that it is timely, accurate, complete, cost-effective, accessible and useable.  Better information, at the right time, makes better business.  Records Management programs are not generally an organization’s primary business, and even though records management programs don’t usually generate income they are of paramount importance to an organization.

Here are the 10 Things I Know {and consider important} when planning to set up a records management program in an organization of any size.

1. To Control the Creation and Growth of Records
2. To Reduce Operating Costs
3. To Improve Efficiency & Productivity
4. To Assimilate New Records Management Technologies
5. To Minimize Litigation Risks
6. To Ensure Regulatory Compliance
7. To Safeguard Vital Information
8. To Support Better Management Decision Making
9. To Preserve the Corporate Memory
10. To Foster Professionalism in Running the Business

Despite decades of using various non-paper storage media, the amount of paper in our offices continues to escalate.  An effective records management program addresses both creation control and records retention which stabilizes the growth of records in all formats.

Impacts to Productivity & Efficiency

Time spent searching for missing or mis-filed records is non-productive.  A good records management program can help any organization upgrade its recordkeeping systems so that information retrieval is enhanced with corresponding improvements in office efficiency and productivity.  A well designed and operated filing system with an effective index can facilitate retrieval and deliver information to users as quickly as they need it. 

Consider implementing a technology that will provide a complete suite of asset management, records tracking, and labeling functionality.  Systematic Asset Management available exclusively from National Office Systems in the Mid Atlantic, Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD areas and Systematics in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island provides an ideal alternative for streamlining your filing processes.  Eliminate lost files, save time creating files, retrieve current data quickly, and implement integrated color coded labels with SAM (Systematic Asset Management). 

SAM Quick FAQs:

• Requires no third-party operating system, database, or software licenses, and operates in Windows or Linux environments.
• Costs are minimized, as the need for I.T. resources and computing/networking are minimized.
• Workstation computers only require a browser application and Java — there’s no software to buy, install, or maintain.
• Production, back-up, and test servers provide redundancy, interrupted performance and seamless upgrades.
• Nightly backups to external media for disaster recovery.
• Uncompromising standards for security, power supply, and environmental control — with data center security and support maintained 24/7/365.

To learn more about SAM (Systematic Asset Management), ask me here or call 617-548-2481.

To achieve accurate filing with visual and computer controls, I always recommend an office implement color coded strip labels to save time and reduce costs.  Color-coding defines how files will sequence in your filing systems.  By incorporating color coding, RFID, bar coding, and text sections you will give your business multiple ways to identify and find files, plus indexing redundancy for efficient and accurate filing. 

Printing labels and originating new folders is fast, easy and inexpensive  because you use any standard office laser or ink jet printer.

Color Coding of Files will guide you to the right location – right away.

Color coded file information provides a powerful visual control for efficient filing and controlling of misfiles.  Alphanumeric (A-Z and 0-9) characters are assigned unique colors to index primary information (such as file name or number) and secondary information (such as type or year of file).  The colors form patterns when viewed on open style shelving.  Users are guided to the right file location at a glance.  Entire systems can be visually audited for misfiles in a matter of moments.

What if you want more on a label?  Today it is easier than ever to add an embedded RFID tag (antenna), custom text, or bar codes.

What should you look for when researching a color coded filing system?

1. The software should allow for the import or manually typing of data and view in easy to use spreadsheet rows.
2. You should be able to verify and edit text prior to printing to eliminate waste.
3. You should have a “delete rows” function to eliminate duplicate entries.
4. The software should provide the capability to print multiple, different labels on one sheet.
5. The software should be continuously updated with current Java versions and utilize open software source code.
6. The software should provide bar code and/or RFID record tracking/location control.
7. The software should be web-based for ease of deployment and training.
8. The software should provide for unlimited users.
9. Special designations and alerts should be provided.
10. And most importantly, the software should provide for input screens that are customized to your specific label designs and departments.

Color coding can be implemented in healthcare for medical records and X-Ray jackets, pharmaceutical for legal patent folders, manufacturing for product data folders, and for law firms for the storing and tracking of client records … and more.

If you are interested in learning more about color coded filing and how to best organize or reorganize your filing system, contact me at jmcdonald@nosinc.com or call me at 617.548.2481.