Most businesses end up with more paperwork than they know what to do with. Some of it’s important. Some of it isn’t. Over time, it starts to pile up all around you, on desks, in filing cabinets, and anywhere else there’s space. And eventually, you can’t find the records you need when you need them, defeating the whole point of keeping them in the first place.
That’s where a professional document scanning service like ours comes in. Digitizing your records makes them easier to manage, easier to find, and easier to protect. But knowing where to start isn’t always easy. What kind of scanning service do you actually need? Who can you trust with your records? And when is the right time to scan?
Whether you’re planning on digitizing just a few boxes of paper or trying to deal with a storage room full of documents, this guide will help you move forward with your scanning project with confidence. We’ll walk you through the basics of how it all works, what to look for in a scanning service, and how to make sure you’re getting the service, security, and professionalism you need, without breaking the bank.
What Are Document Scanning Services and Why Do Businesses Use Them?
Document scanning is a service provided by a professional scanning company that allows a business to digitize large amounts of paper records in a short amount of time.
Instead of scanning your documents one by one with a desktop scanner, the process is handled at a dedicated facility using high-speed equipment and an experienced team that manages not just the scanning, but also the document preparation, organization, and indexing of your records.
There are plenty of reasons why businesses choose to outsource the scanning process. Sometimes there are just too many records to manage in-house. Other times, the equipment, time, or staff simply isn’t available. And while scanning might seem straightforward, properly digitizing your records takes more than just feeding papers into a machine. It requires the right tools, the right workflow, and a careful approach to accuracy and security.
Whatever your reason for scanning is, handing it off to a team that specializes in the process leads to faster results, fewer errors, and a lot less hassle. Professionals know how to handle sensitive records, organize files correctly, and deliver clean, usable digital documents that actually work for your business.
How To Know When It’s Time To Scan Your Records
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula to know when the time is right to scan your records, but there are a few signs that your paper system is starting to cause more problems than it solves.
You might want to consider digitizing your records if:
- You’re running out of space and can’t keep adding file cabinets or storage boxes
- Employees are spending too much time tracking down missing paperwork
- You’re preparing for an office move, system upgrade, or internal cleanup
- You’ve lost files before or struggle to keep versions consistent
- You need more control over privacy, access, or data security
If your current recordkeeping system feels clunky, disorganized, or hard to keep up with, it might be time to make a change. Paper problems tend to go unnoticed until they start slowing things down. Digitizing your records now ensures everything is organized, searchable, and ready when you need it.
What Kind of Scanning Service Do You Need?
Not all scanning projects are the same, which is why scanning companies offer specialized services to meet different needs.
Some businesses only need to digitize a few boxes or filing cabinets worth of paperwork. Others may have entire rooms packed with older, potentially sensitive records that have gone untouched for years. And depending on the type of documents involved, some records may require extra care and attention during the scanning process.
That’s why it helps to understand the different types of scanning services available. Choosing the right one for your specific situation ensures that your project runs smoothly, stays on budget, and gives you the result you are looking for.
Most scanning companies offer a variety of services depending on the format, volume, and sensitivity of your records, and SecureScan is no exception. Here are some of the scanning services we provide:
Bulk Scanning
Bulk scanning focuses on speed and efficiency. It’s perfect when you have large volumes of everyday business documents like invoices, employee records, and contracts to digitize. If you have dozens of boxes or cabinets full of files and want to scan everything in one go, bulk scanning is often the most practical choice.
Large Format Scanning
If you need to digitize oversized documents like blueprints, architectural drawings, or engineering plans, you’ll need a large format scanning service. These materials require special handling and equipment that most businesses don’t have on hand themselves. At SecureScan, we use high-resolution flatbed scanners along with proper handling techniques to make sure your large format documents are preserved accurately and safely.
Microfilm and Microfiche Scanning
Some organizations archive their records on microfilm or microfiche. These formats can be difficult to access without the right equipment, which has become increasingly rare over the last decade. Our microfilm scanning service converts these records into easy-to-use digital files, making the information searchable, retrievable, and much easier to store. It’s a technically demanding process, but one we’ve handled for countless clients in healthcare, government, and education.
Medical Records Scanning
Scanning medical records requires a different level of care and expertise than everyday paperwork. Because these files contain protected health information (PHI), they fall under strict privacy rules like those outlined in HIPAA. That means everything from how records are packed and transported to how they’re scanned and stored needs to follow clearly defined security procedures.
Facilities that handle medical records need to have numerous safeguards in place, including restricted access areas, HIPAA trained staff, and a well-documented chain of custody throughout the process.
At SecureScan, all of our scanning services meet this level of security. We are fully HIPAA compliant and undergo random third-party security audits to ensure our processes continue to meet the standard. Every employee receives a full background check upon hiring and completes annual training and testing to stay current with data protection best practices.
When you choose us as your scanning partner, you don’t need to have all the answers before reaching out. We will help you figure out what services you need based on what kind of records you have, how you use them, and what your long-term goals are.
What To Look For in a Scanning Vendor
Once you’ve decided to hire a scanning company, the next step is finding the right one. There are a lot of companies out there offering document scanning, but not all of them offer the same level of quality, security, or service as we do.
Here are a few things to pay attention to when evaluating scanning companies:
Experience with Projects Like Yours
Look for a scanning company that has handled similar types of records, especially if your files are sensitive, unusually large, or come with strict privacy requirements. Experience goes a long way when it comes to avoiding mistakes and keeping things on track.
Security and Compliance Standards
Your records should be handled with care from the moment they leave your office to the moment they’re returned or securely destroyed. Ask about things like background-checked staff, chain of custody procedures, secure transport, and compliance with industry regulations like HIPAA or FACTA.
Clear, Upfront Pricing
Scanning projects can vary in cost, so it’s important to understand how pricing works before you commit. Look for vendors who provide detailed quotes and explain what’s included. Be cautious of vague pricing or unusually low rates, they often lead to unexpected fees later on.
Capacity and Turnaround Time
Make sure the vendor has the equipment, staff, and availability to complete your project on a timeline that works for you. For large jobs, ask how many pages or boxes they can process per week and whether they can scale up if needed.
Flexibility and Customer Support
A great scanning company will make the process easier for you, not harder. That means helping you prepare your files, answering questions quickly, and staying responsive throughout the project. You’ll usually get a sense of their service early on, how they respond to emails, how clearly they explain their process, and whether they take the time to understand your needs. Don’t ignore those early interactions. They often tell you everything you need to know about what working with them will be like.
Ask Lots of Questions
Before you commit to a vendor, it helps to ask a few key questions, about pricing, security, timelines, and how your records will be organized. We’ve put together a full guide that walks through what to ask and why it matters. If you want to make sure you’re covering all your bases, check out our list of questions to ask a scanning company before getting started.
How To Make Sure You’re Not Overpaying
Scanning projects can vary widely in cost depending on the details, but that doesn’t mean pricing should feel unpredictable. A good scanning provider will be upfront about how their pricing works and help you understand what’s driving the total cost. Most quotes are based on a few key factors:
- The number of pages or boxes you need scanned
- The condition and organization of the records
- Any prep work required, like removing staples or sorting files
- How the files are delivered (PDFs, searchable text, indexed folders, etc.)
- Whether you need secure shredding or offsite storage afterward
If you want to keep costs under control, a little preparation goes a long way. Taking time to remove duplicates, toss what you no longer need, and group your files in a way that makes sense can reduce both scanning time and file management work. You don’t have to do everything perfectly, but even a small amount of cleanup upfront can make a noticeable difference.
If you’re still in the early planning stages, our Document Scanning Cost Estimator can help you get a ballpark idea of what your project might cost. Just enter the number of documents, filing cabinets, or banker’s boxes you have, and we’ll give you a rough estimate to work from.
Wrapping Up: Getting Started With Scanning
Switching from paper to digital recordkeeping is a big step, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. The more you understand about the process, the easier it is to make smart decisions about what kind of service you need, how to prepare, and who to trust with your records.
Whether you’re tackling a small batch of files or managing a much larger scanning project, the right partner can make all the difference.
At SecureScan, we’ve been helping businesses go paperless for more than 22 years. Our team handles every part of the process for you, from secure pickup and scanning to digital delivery and secure shredding of your originals. We work with you to understand your goals and make sure your project is done right, from start to finish.
If you’re ready to get started or just want to talk through your options, we’re here to help. Reach out for a free quote or speak with a scanning technician to see how we can support your project.
