How Can Universities Benefit From Document Scanning?

May 28th, 2015

Due to the sheer numbers of students attending higher education institutes in the UK, universities have to deal with mountains of paperwork year on year. This can slow down how quickly admissions are dealt with and even affect student satisfaction.

Universities have started to take notice of how their document management processes may be slowing down progress and have begun transitioning those processes to a more easy to manage digital format. For those universities who have not yet come across the digital revolution, here’s some useful information about scanning for the education sector.

So let’s start with the basics…

What Can Be Scanned?

  • Student Admissions Files
  • Student Leaver Files
  • Application Forms
  • Student Accommodation Files
  • Exam Papers
  • Research Papers
  • Historical Records
  • HR Documents
  • Financial Documents
  • Student Satisfaction Surveys
  • Other Forms, Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Large Format Plans

But that’s not all…

As well as paper documents it can also be useful to scan other archives such as photos (from before the days of digital cameras) and microfiche (used to store newspapers and other large format documents). To fully see the benefits of going digital, you can also scan books from library archives to an online PDF format so students can view the reference material off-site and collate information efficiently.

So Why Scan?

Document scanning can bring a wide range of benefits to all areas of administration and records management. By storing fully indexed files in a digital format, you can improve the efficiency of your organisation as well as saving vital costs otherwise wasted on storage, paper and unproductive tasks.

One of the more appealing features for universities to go digital with the way they handle documents is the ability to secure important information and store them for the necessary file retention periods. This means they can remain compliant to file retention laws without the worry of having to incur the costs of storing hundreds of thousands or even millions of files.

Secondary benefits of scanning documents include the ability to take steps towards a paperless office and boost the university’s green credentials. Overall the benefits of scanning documents can not only improve the efficiency within the university but it can also provide an enhanced student experience which can only do good things for the reputation of the university as a whole.

We Can Help

Pearl Scan Solutions provide professional scanning services for universities in the form of scanning documents, scanning books, scanning photos and scanning microfiche. We have the infrastructure to handle both small and large scale scanning projects as well as on going services for our clients.

For more information about how we can tailor our services to your needs, contact us today and our sales team can draw up a free quote for your project. You can get in touch by phone, email or by filling in our online form by following the relevant links below.