Bob @ Docuchive's Blog

Often overlooked benefit of efax, myfax, etc…

Bob @ Docuchive (DOCUCHIVE ) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:18:05 -0700

Many professionals use efax, myfax, etc. for incoming fax to email service. What surprises me is how many users are unaware that these services can ALSO be used for "paperless" productivity by creating digital files for storage on your desktop.

Everyone knows that when you get an incoming fax / email, you can print it and put it in the file. What is frequently overlooked is that this email fax IS already a digital file and can be saved to a file on your desktop just as easily.

NEED SOMETHING SCANNED BUT DON'T HAVE A SCANNER? Just fax yourself those documents you want scanned and save to your desktop when they arrive in your email. Obviously, if you need large numbers of scans, you caninvest in an inexpensive scanner from someone like Fujitsu.

Once you've gone paperless and are ready for the next level of connectivity...Virtual Desktop Technology; please visit us at Docuchive Connect to see how we can help you pull it all together.

AND AGAIN…THE RACE HAS GONE TO THE SWIFTEST!

Bob @ Docuchive (DOCUCHIVE ) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:46:14 -0700

Technology is a wonderful thing, but only if you understand how to use it. For many professionals, keeping on top of technology is challenging, time-consuming and often counterproductive to taking care of the business at hand. How then, do we manage to "be all" and "know all" without jeopardizing our core business and limiting our long-term potential? Tools!

Tools are today's way of being Tech Ready without necessarily having to be Tech Savvy. Tools allow us to perform at optimum levels on our own, without the need for huge support teams or a major outlay of capital. From contact management software to mobile phone technologies, we are now able to be responsive to our clients needs - TRULY at a moments notice.

For any Professional seeking to supplement their activities with enhanced connectivity and paperless file management - please feel free to visit us at DOCUCHIVE CONNECT and see how you could become more Tech-Ready.

Thank you!

THE THREE D’s OF SUCCESS MANAGEMENT

Bob @ Docuchive (DOCUCHIVE ) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 11:59:13 -0700

We live in a world where paper dominates so much of our lives that we become overwhelmed and our productivity quickly begins to suffer. In short, chaos breeds ineffectiveness and we need to be effective in order to succeed.

Every piece of paper, every phone message and every email, carries with it a task, ranging in difficulty from relatively simple to complex, time consuming and extremely challenging. In order to maintain control and remain on top we need a system that allows us to move expeditiously through volumes of time-robbing, though essential, duties.

The most effective system for staying organized that I have ever come across has long been referred to as the Three D's. The D's stand for "Do", "Delegate" and "Destroy." When a task first arises, you should immediately decide which of the following dispositions is best suited and than act on it.

Note: For the purpose of this writing, "task" shall also include the disposition of items of paper, phone messages and email.

•1. DO - Simple tasks and urgent tasks should never be put off, not even for a short while. Each and every time a task resurfaces for consideration; your valuable time is further wasted. If the task is important or requires immediate attention, DO it now. If the task does not fit these criteria, proceed with one of the remaining two choices.

•2. DELEGATE - Consider the significance of the task at hand. Is the task something that could be handled more efficiently or more cost-effectively by someone else? Delegate non-income-producing activities to clerical staff or consider outsourcing to individuals who specialize.

It may feel good saving $15 or $20 by doing things yourself but you may very well be cheating yourself out of thousands of dollars in missed opportunity. Top Earners do just that...they earn! Top earners achieved that level of success while paying others to do their legwork and complete their menial tasks. Remember, the old saying? "Jack of all trades, master or none." You'll never get to the Big League doing it all yourself.

•3. DESTROY - Any task not important enough to fit into either of the above classifications is probably of little or no value and should be DESTROYED.

One final thought:

Take care of the most challenging and "dreaded" tasks FIRST.

Years of experience have shown me that when this advise is followed; the procrastination caused by dread is gone, the remaining tasks are a breeze in comparison, and your energy levels skyrocket because this weight has been lifted from your shoulders.

Thank you!

ARE YOU READY FOR THE BIG LEAGUE?

DOCUCHIVE & DOCUCHIVE CONNECT have the tools you need to get there faster!

Please feel free to visit us at Docuchive.com.

Let our expertise and efficiency become your stepping stones.

The Paperless Office - or at least, paperless archiving.

Bob @ Docuchive (DOCUCHIVE ) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:49:25 -0700

THE WORLD IS GOING DIGITAL!

ARE YOU READY???

For anyone wishing to finally enter the 21st century of Document Imaging, Digital Documents, File Sharing, Electronic Records Management and all the cost-saving advantages that go along with... DOCUCHIVE would like to extend to you an invitation to our services and expertise.

At DOCUCHIVE, we provide you with all of the benefits of digital file management and secure archiving while allowing you to avoid the hassle and expense of having to create an in-house program. While anyone can implement an in-house Document Imaging & Records Management program - why would anyone want to? The task of Document Imaging is tedeous, time-consuming and a general pain-in-the-rear. Like office cleaning and many other outsourced duties, document imaging is a project that is more cost-effectively handled by trained personel who specialize exclusevely in this technology. There comes a point when Professionals need to stop the non-income producing multi-tasking and focus instead on the more important business at hand - NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT!

For all of the benefits and none of the hassles - outsource to DOCUCHIVE!

FOR THOSE OF YOU STILL WANTING TO GO IT ON YOUR OWN...I would like to provide a few essential and frequetly overlooked tips that should help you make your program as successful as possible.

DON'T treat the task of imaging as a "spare time" activity. Attention to detail is critical to producing accurate results and should never be left to chance. The old "garbage-in, garbage-out" could not be more applicable.
File pages need to be "prepared" prior to scanning. Corners need to be straightened, staples must be removed, torn or damaged pages should be replaced. These few steps will help you obtain a better capture with fewer multi-page feeds, jams or skew errors, reducing the amount of time needed to re-run failed capture attempts.
Just because the pages went through your scanner doesn't mean the the "capture" was a successful one. ALL PAGES of an imaged document need to be viewed and validated for accuracy, readability and reproduction qualities. If your imaged documents ever need by relied upon for legal defense or prosecution - minimum standards must be met in order to comply with legal statutes or precident.
Imaging equipment, especially less expensive models, is very high-maintenance and needs to be serviced frequently to provide for error-free imaging. Even with the more expensive equiptment used by companies like DOCUCHIVE, service and maintenance costs represent about 12% to 15% of every dollar of revenue. Read your manual and follow maintenance schedules religiously!!!
Now that your files are "imaged", a method of File Sharing needs to be implemented for your efforts to be most beneficial. Is a heirarchy of indexed files and folders going to be constructed for this purpose or would a database be more effective when fast retrieval is required? Local or Internet based access?
A final word about imaged files and file sharing. Your new digital files are now like any other digital file on your computer; data needs to be backed-up regularly and permissions need to be set to restrict access by unauthorized persons. If a file is accidently deleted or misfiled (yes, that can happen with certain types of digital filing system too), you will need a system to detect and correct this instance of lost or misplaced documents.
If files contain sensitive client information, protection systems need to be in compliance with various Government and Industry Regulations.

I hope everyone has found this information to be useful and beneficial. Thank you for allowing me this indulgence.

Bob