Five Procedures Every Records Manager Should Follow

Regardless of size, properly stored records add intrinsic value to your organization. Every member of your staff is a potential “record creator,” and this leads to the need for Records Information Management (RIM). Larger companies may employ a certified records manager, but even the smallest and even virtual firms need a good system of records management. And if that responsibility falls to you, do you know the steps to follow? Here is an easy checklist of some basic procedural guidelines:

1.

Plan the information needs of your organization

Depending on the nature of your business, you may be dealing with legal documents, personnel data, classified materials, evidence, and more.  Are there documents that are used as legal records and need to be authenticated? Are there copyrighted materials – such as corporate logos, graphic design, or advertising – that should be preserved?

2.

Create, approve, and enforce record policies and practices

Every organization should have a written and enforceable policy concerning its RIM. There is evolving legislation about how companies manage their corporate records, including retention policies, group standards, and procedural compliance. You should consider the life cycle of each record, from creation to final disposition. Develop consistent guidelines as to what might be stored electronically and what must be preserved physically.

3.

Identify, classify, and develop a document storage plan

Short-term? Long-term? Once your storage policies are in place, you can determine where your records should go for easiest tracking and access. A professional data storage company like Corodata can make this step seamless and relatively painless. A good records management company should be able to guarantee that any of your records can be delivered – either physically or digitally – within 24 hours.

Pro Tip

No one wants an audit or a lawsuit, but accurate and accessible records management can make those events much less stressful and can greatly improve outcomes. learn more

4.

Coordinate internal and external access to records

Consider the needs for confidentiality, data privacy, and public access when balancing the accessibility requirements of your business. A good records management company should be able to guarantee that any of your records can be delivered – either physically or digitally – within 24 hours. Corodata has a scan on-demand service and a two-hour delivery time for most records.

5.

Execute a fool-proof retention policy

At what point can you eliminate your old files? If you’ve worked on the front end to develop a detailed storage plan, retention scheduling should be the logical next step. Professional information management firms like Corodata can give you some specific guidelines and can create a detailed database with robust query features that will help you to decide when to shred.

Bonus Tip: Consider retrieval methods

As one of the largest privately held records management companies, Corodata offers storage and retrieval features not available from many firms. We offer the most economic methods to store printed materials, and can deliver them back to you in either physical or digital formats. We pick up your files, organize and store them, then eventually destroy records upon your instruction.