How Laserfiche Improves Your Records Management

Modern web network and internet telecommunication technology illustration

Records management software is a significant improvement over paper storage, allowing organizations to capture, identify and store documents with advanced levels of searchability and audit trails for organizations of all sizes. Laserfiche is a flexible, proven enterprise content services platform (CSP) that can improve your organization’s efficiency.

With records management software, you can use automation to reach goals.

How to Improve Records Management with Laserfiche

If you’re moving to Laserfiche from a predominantly paper-based environment, you likely have boxes upon boxes of files. You may not even know what you have, much less what needs to be scanned and what doesn’t. If you already have digital documents, you may be in slightly better shape. However, it’s often the case that different users at your organization have named or stored documents differently over time.

Regardless of the current state of your files, take an inventory of your documents. Create a plan for what you’re going to scan or import and when.

For each type of document that you plan to store in Laserfiche, make a few decisions ahead of time about how you’re going to manage the files. This allows you to configure the appropriate settings.

We suggest the following steps:

1. Establish folder structure and naming conventions
Don’t simply take messy paper documents and turn them into messy digital documents! Set yourself up for future success by deciding the organizational structure of your digital documents. Organize your documents in folders to suit the records manager's duties. For instance, an HR (Human Resources) manager may need to retain documents for ten years after employee separation. You want to ensure that each employee folder has a unique name and that all records with related time retention are stored together in the archive by year. You can then create shortcuts and subfolders to allow day-to-day users to access these folders as needed. Establish consistent naming conventions for success with automated record management. The document names need to be clear and informative, recognizable not only in the folder they live in but also when you are doing a search.
2. Configure filing automation
With Laserfiche, users scan their documents or import them into a single folder. That folder then has a rule that triggers the system to use the document’s metadata to name the document and put it in the correct location. .
3. Set up permissions
Use Laserfiche’s security and auditing tools to limit which documents individual team members can access. For instance, some personnel records may be limited to HR only. Other documents may be available for access by anyone in the organization.
4. Set up rules for disposition and freezing
Based on the time each document is required to be kept by the state or other governing body, Laserfiche gives you tools to store it elsewhere for archival purposes or send it for disposition and destruction when needed. Laserfiche can also provide legal holds to protect records. For instance, if you are being audited, there are simple tools inside the records management edition of Laserfiche to ensure those documents are not going to be destroyed, even modified, while in a protected legal hold state.
5. Digitize and structure data
You’re finally ready to begin scanning your documents. This gives structure to their unstructured data as you bring them into the repository. This allows you to store documents in the cloud or an on-premises system, whatever suits your IT and security needs.

What are the Benefits of Laserfiche Records Management Software?

Once the documents are in Laserfiche, you can take advantage of the full power of enhanced records management. These benefits include:

Powerful Search Tools

Drastically reduce the time you spend looking for records.

Versioning

Save and access previous versions if you are using Laserfiche to store live documents.

Security & Audit Tools

View a comprehensive audit trail that keeps a log of all the activities that took place on a document, from import and edits to disposition.

Workflows

Set up custom workflows for processing invoices, employment applications, and other incoming records.

Embrace the Future with Records Management Automation

MCCi is a business automation company that accelerates digital transformation by adding intelligence to your processes, including Laserfiche. As an IT service company, we have expertise in delivering end-to-end content services and intelligent automation solutions.

Are you interested in learning more about records management software? Let’s chat!