Most of us spend a lot of our time looking for files, especially when we are in urgent need of them. It’s only human to keep a file somewhere and forget its whereabouts. If you are one of those who fall in both the categories, then you need to find Storage Solutions that would make records easily accessible to you while storing them safely. Here are a few tips that will help you get the most out of your filing system.
- Colour Coding System:
Creating a personalized colour coding scheme will make the process of filing, sorting and retrieving less time consuming and could potentially reduce your retrieval time by 40%. Having a colour coded scheme makes it easier to spot if something has been misfiled, as you would be able to tell simply by looking at the shelf. Along with reducing the risk of loss of files, it also increases efficiency and employee productivity as it reduces the amount of time spent on looking for files - Consistent Naming Conventions:
Naming conventions are essential irrespective of whether you are maintaining records electronically or manually or a combination of both. Implementation of this system for your files and training employees to follow the guidelines can help to avoid future chaos, which might occur when different labelling systems are used by everyone. Having consistent guidelines will help any employee to find a specific file irrespective of the fact whether they’ve accessed it before or not. - Get a retention policy in place:
A record retention policy is a plan regarding storing, keeping and destroying records. This policy helps to lay guidelines which ensure that, the data is stored as per the needs of the organization. It also lets you know when certain documents or files need to be destroyed. Having a record retention policy in place will help to improve security and also saves the organization potential litigation costs while reducing storage costs. - Making a decision about whether to choose folders with Top Tab or End Tab:
When making decisions about filing systems, another element that you need to decide about is whether to use the top tab or end tab folders. Organizations which have fewer records tend to opt for folders with top tabs. The files are usually stored in filing cabinet drawers within hanging folders. If these files are to be accessed only by a few people and are not used daily, then the top tab folder system works seamlessly.
On the other hand, if the organization has a lot of records which need to be accessed by different people quite often, then an end tab folder system should be considered. The end tab folder is placed on a shelf instead of a drawer, making them easy to see and retrieve, especially when colour coded systems are being used. They can be stored in high-density shelving systems and can cut the storage space of the office to half.
