With each office following organization–wide policies and procedures, records management increases productivity and efficiency, reduces records–related costs, and provides litigation support through:

   Developing cost-effective standards for recordkeeping and filing standards and procedures so that clerical costs are reduced, filing activities are made more efficient, and the number of expensive misfiles is minimized.

   Publishing a well-indexed, organization–wide records retention and disposition schedule showing specifically which office maintains the official copy of each record series and for how long. Specifies how long other offices should maintain convenience copies of such records. Also shows when records are to be transferred—as agreed upon by the office of record—to the inactive records center.

   Identifying in the records retention and disposition schedule records needing special handling or protection or those records classified as vital to the continued functioning of your office in the event of loss through disaster (e.g. fire, water damage), theft, or vandalism (e.g. disgruntled employees).

   Providing policy-based litigation support by insuring that all records are retained only as long as legally required and then destroyed in a systematic and timely manner.

   Reducing the amount of valuable floor space, filing equipment, and clerical time consumed by inactive records being unnecessarily stored in office areas.

   Discouraging creation of duplicative information available elsewhere.

   Systematic purging of multiple convenience copies of records needlessly maintained for long periods and in multiple files in various offices.

   Continuous, systematic transfer of inactive records to a low-cost, high-density records facility.

   Providing a centralized, well managed repository for inactive–but occasionally needed–records; records stored, retrieved, and delivered on demand by vehicle or fax on a timely basis.

   Providing centralized, reduced–cost microfilming services for records with long–term or permanent retention requirements and those which need duplication for security or backup reasons.

   Offering centralized document destruction/shredding services on both scheduled and on-call bases, thus eliminating the need for acquisition and maintenance of duplicative shredding equipment.

   Providing an information clearinghouse for offices on the continuing changes in state, federal, and industry retention and disposition requirements, as well as interacting with vendors to assure cost–effective selection of records technology or equipment.

   Identifying, preserving, and facilitating use of records of enduring or permanent value (e.g., legal, administrative, financial, or historical).

   Insuring that all records—regardless of media—are stored in climate–controlled environments appropriate to their proper maintenance, pending final disposition (includes video and audio records as well as all digital and paper media).

   Providing consulting on workflow/simplification, development–or revision–of office filing systems, and solving recordkeeping problems—such as design or analysis of printed forms and their use in business functions.

To find out more about information management and records management, please visit a link below:

    What is information management?

    Information management questions and answers

    Presentations on information management

    Do you need information management?

    Records management facts, laws, statistics, and wisdom

    About retention schedules

   Cost Reduction/Avoidance Case Study