Organizations are hastening digital reforms, swiftly embracing digital projects. However, finding the best methods, strategies, and tools for digital solutions takes time and effort. You have to sift through an encyclopedia’s worth of terminology and learn the difference between different digital methods, such as imaging and digitizing.
Going digital may seem simple, but before you hire document imaging services, you must understand the difference between different alternatives. It will allow you to choose between document imaging solutions and digitizing options to meet your needs effectively.
So, do you know what scanning and imaging entail and how these alternatives can help your business? This blog will highlight the distinctions between the two to help you make the best decision.
Document Imaging VS Digitizing
Document imaging and document digitizing are not the same, although both involve transforming paper documents into digital ones. They refer to distinct procedures.
- Document Imaging Solution: When a document is scanned, a picture of the document is obtained and turned into a digital file. This process is also known as “document imaging.” Text is legible to humans but not to computers. Therefore, machines and software are unable to interpret the metadata.
- Document Digitizing: Digitization takes scanning to the next level. It involves converting the scanned image into editable data. When digitizing a document, its data is more accessible and may be altered in many ways, such as by being indexed for easier retrieval.
Imaging or Digitizing: Which One Is Right For You?
While both methods produce digital documents, only digitization can provide editable copies. Let’s analyze the implications of both the procedures for your company.
What You Need to Know about Imaging
Imaging may be a great solution if you are looking for a quick way to reduce your waiting time. Once papers have been scanned and converted, they are much simpler to retrieve because there is no longer a need to file and re-file copies of documents physically. Your employees will spend less time searching and retrieving information.
Cutting down on paper use and switching to digital also leads to savings. You may save money on file storage by scanning your papers beforehand. In addition to facilitating faster and cheaper operations, document imaging solutions also increases the safety of the material.
As an additional area where paper falls short, we have to consider the increasingly vital role of the customer experience in modern business. A company that adopts a digital content strategy can better focus on its customers’ needs. Customers in today’s constantly connected digital environment need top-notch assistance that is provided instantly. This is true for both public and private institutions.
Information on paper is vulnerable. Anybody can retrieve it at any moment. Once you scan your files, you’ll have far more control over who can access them. Plus, information recorded on paper degrades with each manual handling. You can safely archive your most crucial records for years.
What You Need to Know about Digitizing
Digitizing is the next step of imaging, which means it provides all the benefits of imaging in addition to other unique advantages. Optical character recognition (OCR) and automatic customer retention tracking are two examples of how digitization enhances information usefulness.
OCR is a scanning technology that takes handwritten or printed text and transforms it into editable, machine-encoded text. This text can then be manipulated as required. Secondly, the time it takes to access and use the material will also reduce once the documents are digitized because the information may be changed, sorted, and searched more easily.
Metadata capture information about your material that helps you organize and find it later. Due to this, digitization further raises the value of your content. Digitalization also offers enhanced security and confidentiality.
Knowing who had accessed your documents, when they were accessed, and how they were used may greatly simplify your efforts to meet privacy regulations. A digital system provides a trustworthy, traceable audit trail.
Choose the Right Document Imaging Services for Your Business!
Paper is insufficient when you need to access and process data rapidly, securely, and remotely. Therefore, getting document imaging is a must for every business. Whether you opt for digitizing or not, document imaging solutions are the first step in making the digital transition.
However, success requires an all-encompassing approach to managing data. This requires you to work with reputable document imaging services that understand the ins and outs of scanning and digitizing and can provide you with the best services at the best prices.
If you are looking for an experienced document imaging service, consider Smooth Solutions. In addition to helping your company save money and comply with applicable laws, their digital methods will boost the efficiency with which you manage information in your organization.