How to Create Efficient Processes with Paper (Yes, Really!)

By adopting a digital-first approach, you can avoid a total overhaul while making immediate improvements. But what does a digital-first strategy look like? Unlike paper versus paperless, it’s a little less black and white.

Essentially, you’ll keep using paper when appropriate (like when a client prefers a physical document), and you’ll also optimize your practice through digitization (so your team can easily find the documents they need quickly).

Digital-first plays well with all your current (and future) clients, making it easier for you to focus on being the best — rather than worrying about turning away valuable clients because they prefer one method over the other.

Setting up your infrastructure

Before you implement your digital-first strategy, you’ll want to examine and optimize the system you currently use to store, digitize, and monitor your paper documentation. This looks like taking the following steps:

1. Create an efficient scanning station
2. Organize incoming paper documents
3. Invest in storage solutions for pre-scanning
4. Establish quality control checkpoints, naming conventions, and organizational structures

Get your team on board with this new strategy — the people who will use this new system daily can’t resist adoption for it to work. Meet with team members to hear their hesitations and ensure them that a digital-first approach gives them the best of both worlds.

Once your infrastructure is in place, it’s time to invest in solutions that enable digital-first workflows, such as SmartVault and ScanSnap.

Blending digital and paper with SmartVault and ScanSnap

Your firm is busy, and digitizing takes time. Or, at least, it used to. Enter SmartVault and ScanSnap — two solutions that work seamlessly together to digitize files fast. SmartVault is an advanced document management system (DMS) built with accounting firms in mind. ScanSnap is a professional scanner brand that integrates with SmartVault to make uploading physical documents easier than ever.

Using these two solutions in tandem, your team will benefit from:

• Standardizing and streamlining the digitization process with ScanSnap’s auto-rotate, page size detection, cropping, and color features
• Instantly organizing files through SmartVault automations
• Providing secure client sharing through the SmartVault client portal
• Offering Mobile access on SmartVault’s cloud-based platform
• Ensuring version control with activity tracking and auto-lock in SmartVault
• Maintaining compliance with SmartVault’s industry-leading security certifications
• Creating searchable PDFs through ScanSnap’s Optical Character Recognition (OCR) functionality

Step-by-step scanning process

Scanning your paper documents into SmartVault is as simple as just a few steps. Here’s how to get started:

1. Create a SmartVault ScanSnap profile: Right-click the ScanSnap icon on your desktop and select the Scan Button Settings. Under Profile, click the SmartVault Inbox option, click on Apply, and then select OK.
2. Open the SmartVault Launchpad: Sign in and click SmartVault Inbox.
3. Select your destination folder: Click the All Folders tab, find your destination folder, and click the Select button.
4. Scan your documents: Leave the Upload Documents window open, place your documents into the ScanSnap scanner, and then press the Scan button. Depending on which SmartVault tools you currently have open, a dialog window will appear asking for the destination of your scan. Then click Inbox.
5. Review and accept your scanned documents: The Upload Documents window should now contain a preview of your scan, file names, and a description of your scanned documents. If the information is correct, click Accept. If not, correct the name and description information, and then click Accept. SmartVault will then upload the scanned document.
6. Shred your documents: Follow your shredding protocol or securely file away any documents marked for retention.

Once your documents are digitized, SmartVault will intelligently route them to their respective files. SmartVault helps you structure your files in a way that’s easy to access through templatized folder structures and smart routing. Your paper documents will then be accessible to your team through SmartVault’s cloud-based storage system — making them shareable with your tax program of choice.

Retention and destruction policies

Now that your documents are digitized and secure, you need to establish clear guidelines your team can follow when determining which documents should be retained and which should be destroyed after they’re scanned. These rules should be easy for your team to understand and remember. Documents approved for destruction must also be destroyed using an approved method, such as shredding, to guarantee the security of private financial information.

Retained physical files must be organized and locked in secure file cabinets. Establish clear rules on who is authorized to handle, view, remove, copy, and destroy these documents.

Batch processing vs immediate scanning

Choosing between batch scanning and immediate scanning methods depends on your chosen workflow. Regardless of the method you choose, it’s important to keep these key steps in mind:

• Invest in the right solutions: Whether you choose to scan documents as they come in for speed or process documents in batches for a more efficient upload process, the technology you rely on will ultimately determine the efficiency of your workflow. Solutions like SmartVault and ScanSnap let you choose the best scanning method for your needs and enable your team to implement them successfully.
• Test your chosen workflow before peak season: Before your business gets flooded with peak-season work, ensure your scanning process can keep up with your expected work volume. For example, test both immediate scanning and batch processing beforehand to see which is more likely to help your team keep their heads above water during your busiest season.
• Standardize your scanning method and train staff on procedures: Comprehensive training is vital to your success. Take the time to train your staff on a unified digital-first process to avoid costly mistakes that could be detrimental to your results.

Common pitfalls to avoid

A digital-first approach will positively impact your firm — if done correctly. Stay on track by avoiding these common pitfalls:

• Not checking the title, description, and destination folder of your scanned documents
• Not establishing and maintaining consistent organizational structures, workflows, and goals across your firm
• Not using a unified file naming convention when creating and sorting files

Start your digital transformation today with Smartvault and ScanSnap

With the right tools, you can extract the same value from paper documents as your digital files. Solutions like SmartVault and ScanSnap make creating an effective hybrid practice centered around digital-first accounting easy. These solutions can accelerate your firm’s output, reduce costs, and increase your team’s efficiency — especially during your busiest season.

Ready to get the most out of your paper documents? Schedule a demo with our team today to learn how SmartVault and ScanSnap can help.