A successful business relies upon several important factors to ensure it runs smoothly. One important task that’s often overlooked is the efficient management of company records.
Each business has numerous types of records they need to deal with. Without adequate management, you could be wasting a lot of time chasing up records. You could also end up in trouble with compliance regulations if you don’t have various records on file.
If you want to ensure your business records are taken care of properly, there are five top tips that can help.
1: Separate them into categories
Sort out your records into four different categories. These include:
• Admin records
• Working files
• Reference materials
• Older documents
Administration records are needed for a business to carry out various routine operations.
Working files are needed by your staff to carry out their everyday duties. Reference materials could include manuals and information on training/policy documents. Then finally, there are older documents which will typically include tax records. These need to be kept for legal purposes.
Once you’ve separated them into categories, you can then work on improving the way you actually manage them.
2: Have two employees in charge of records
It’s easy to make the mistake of having just one employee in charge of records. However, what happens if they’re ill one day and you need to find something? Even the most organised records management system can be difficult to navigate through if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Always ensure more than one employee knows how to work the records system.
3: Have record clean up days
Old records will need to be deleted and cleaned up every now and again. Make sure you keep on top of all old files.
4: Keep a detailed inventory of records
Whenever you create a new record, make sure it is documented properly. Say exactly where the record is, what time it was filed and what type of record it is.
5: Hire a professional
Of course, one of the best ways to improve your record keeping is to hire a professional to do it for you. Various companies offer these services such as Iron Mountain – take a look at what they offer at http://www.ironmountain.co.uk/services/records-management-offsite/records-storage.
These are just five ways to improve your record keeping. Remember, it can be a time consuming task so getting professional help can be a great idea.
Sources:
http://www.epa.gov/records/tools/10plan.htm
http://www.epa.gov/records/tools/10quick.htm
http://www.epa.gov/records/what/quest1.htm