5 Areas that will add VALUE to your company.

by Jon Zalinski at Mountain Scanners

1. Customer Service

2. Technology

3. Quality

4. Cost Management

5. Delivery

If you were to improve these 5 areas of your organization, you would gain a competitive advantage.  I would venture to say that customer satisfaction and sales would would go up. 

I will add some ideas to each of these 5 areas.

1. Customer Service- Ask your customers.  They will tell you.  For example,  I currently do business with my local bank, but every time I need a new service they make me fill out another application for that service.  It would be nice if the form was already filled in with my critical information so I can move on with my day.  I know that they have my critical information already.

I can buy something on Amazon with one click.  This should be easy to fix.
How about having a live person pick up the phone?
How about a follow up call from a supervisor just to make sure everything is OK with the service that was provided.

2. Technology- Use of technology can go a long way with your customers.  Can you answer a customer's question on the same phone call?  Can you automate an information path electronically? Maybe, improve speed with transactional business.  Are there ways to eliminate the number of key strokes in repetitive  data entry duties.  Maybe the use of technology would allow for collaboration across the company. Come to find out, that you have an expert in the wrong department, or you get more thorough input to help you make a vital company decision.
OK, how about one click to purchase something.
Or even better signing a contract on your smart phone.

3. Quality- There has been a big push to de-value products or services in price.  But the in doing so the have also de-valued their products or services.  An advantage would be to ADD to the quality of your products or services.  Here are some call out words that should make you think about your organization.  Testimonials, satisfaction guaranteed, try before you buy, years in business, here is our mission, on time, paperless, friendly, helpful, relationships, trust, on time, certified, and at your service.

4. Cost Management-  You have made your big cuts and you are now running as skinny and you think you can.  Where else could you streamline costs?  Spend on technology to save in payroll productivity and materials of paper and ink.  Manage your records digitally so you do not need to save the paper files in storage facilities. Spend a little more here to save a lot more there.  A robot that is purchased to help in a factory has and upfront cost but a long term reward.  These are the kind of cost management strategies I am thinking of.  Immediate cost management has passed.  So what is your strategy to manage your costs in the long term.  If you could streamline your internal fixed costs with a long term mentality and things do pick up Win Win for you.

5. Delivery- What if you could deliver something faster, or process something quicker.  How about being on time or even early.  If your competitors are delivering products or services can you beat them?  How about a bank that process your new service with just a signature...what if the signature came off of your smart phone.  How about automating the way you process your orders, no paper, all digital, and by doing so orders were entered and delivered earlier than your competitors?  This would also shorten the cycle of production to payment.

Well the purpose of this was to inspire you to think about your industry and how your company can gain a competitive advantage within your industry by adding VALUE.

I hope you also understand that this VALUE perception must be from the "point of view" of your customers.

Would you take the best WWII airplane into a combat mission today?

Kirk Tracy and Jon Zalinski
 OR   
Most would say, "No".  We have talked with several organizations and companies about how they do business today, and we have found that they are still using methods from the 1940s and 50s.  Ok, the typewriter is replaced with a computer, but their paper process is the same.  Look over our findings and see where you find yourself.

• 1) 50% have little or no idea and get by with the same Paper Record systems they have had for years.  they have information strategy.  They may not consider an email a corporate record or even a tweet.  Blogs and social media are not included in the realm of corporate information.
• 2) 40% have some idea, have done some scanning or even microfilming, they understand that business is happening on cell phones and laptops.  They understand that they should collect these forms of communication for the company.  They have an idea about the changing tools and technology that create records, and looking for ways to manage these records.  They understand that technology would help them run their company more efficiently and decrease costs.
• 3) 10% know enough to generate and issue Request for Information (RFI) or Request for Purchase (RFP)


Let's break this down a bit more.  These percentages are not official, just a composite what we observe working as a scanning service bureau that also sells digital document management solutions.

1)The first group needs education, not a definition of terms, but WHY they should even look at purchasing and using ECM software. I have heard speakers at Imaging Forums say “They don’t know what they don’t know…” Getting this type business to listen is difficult. We try to emphasize the proven and dramatic slash in overhead, most sources say a 40% reduction when implementation of ECM tools is successful. To me, the most persuasive testimony comes from users who say “we can’t do business without our “ECM” software.

2)This group understands why they need to bring the technology into their business, but are not sure which product or solution is right for them. They understand that this is a tool but still are trying to figure out the reality of using it.  This group is growing.  Once they adopt an ECM that works for them, they will have a competitive advantage over group #1.

3)This group knows what they want and will list specifications and desired tools. We like these because issuing an RFP means the client knows that they need this product or service, and has budget money to pay for the solution. They understand the benefits in such a way that the budgeted cost as "necessary cost of doing business BETTER", and that if they were to use it in its fullest capacity... it would not only have a very quick return on investment, but it would propel their company or organization.  We see a lot of governments and large corporations in this category.

I see group #2 growing because of the ECM product mixes available and the costs associated with these products are now very affordable for the small and medium sized businesses and organizations.

• No IT department?  No Problem
• Want it to just plug it into your network behind your firewall?  No Problem
• Want access 24/7?  No Problem
• Have a server with many applications running and would like to get answers from a single source?    No Problem
• Have multiple locations and need to share information in real time.  No Problem
• on and on

Where do you find yourself?  1  2  or  3

If you would like more info on what we do and how we can help, please visit us at http://www.mountain-scanners.com/.  Work Smarter.

Something NEAT!

There is a growing awareness what Mountain Scanners is able to do for medium to large scale companies. We are seeing a growing trend with companies trying to use technology to improve their productivity, and gain a competitive advantage in their market. 

Because our focus was on the medium to large business customers, we really didn't have a product that would help the small business until we teamed up with NEAT.

NEAT is a neat company.  Their products offer ways to organize your life. 

Most professional people are still collecting business cards, receipts from dinners, documents from car rentals, etc.  AAAH! What do you do with all of that?  Waste a day entering the info into QuickBooks, and then saving the paperwork for 7 years in your basement?

NEAT has worked hard on not only solving this issue, but packaging it into a box at an affordable price.

Still not convinced NEAT is for you?

What if the same product would organize your receipts?  I mean categorized your expenses automatically.
Ok, now what if you could tie this information to Quicken, QuickBooks, Turbo Tax, Excel, Outlook, and PDF?

No more boxes in your basement, either!

This product is so affordable that you will want one for your office AND your home.

Mountain Scanners is in the business of streamlining  and improving productivity for medium to large organizations.  We are amazed what NEAT is doing for our small business customers, and we are glad to to now meet their needs.  So they can be more productive.

Check out NEAT's products.  Get one today!

Works with Windows and Mac OS.

Paper to Digital to Archive to ECM

  Our company started by taking Customer paper records from closed transactions and converting the documents to microfilm images in the 1970's...in almost every case the suggested retention schedule for the records was 'permanent retention'-Court Cases or Orders signed by the Judge (SBJ), Medical Records, signed by the Physician, Human Resources personnel data-stuff that could not be thrown away, ever.  But the driving force then was not to become compliant, it was more to reclaim the space the old records were occupying.  We gave Clients more filing space to handle current paper transactions.  We also introduced the Microfilm Reader Printer into their fileroom as the method of researching Archives.
  It is ironic that this search to 'free up' space led to present day ECM systems.  I think there were several reasons for this, but one that sticks out is the difficulty of retreiving records from the microfilm, even if the client was using CAR tools, or Computer Assisted Retreival, where the user did a database look up to find Roll and Frame number to input into the Reader/Printer.  A tedious and uncertain task, harder then retreiving from paper in some instances.  So, when the first CD-ROM based image retreival systems came out, where scanned images could be retreived using simple metadata, it was a huge success.  Now research could be accomplished by everyone on their desktop instead of sending the request to the basement Mircofilm system.  It was a short step to go from Archival Search and Retreival to managing current and critical information and business processes's electronically.  All business activites could be managed electronically, and with the Internet, any time and any where.
  Now, forward thinking clients have converted all Archival paper documents-from storage sheds and closets and garages-to digtial documents.  Then, they replaced the analog business routines with workflow and e-forms.
  And, the size of the enterprise doen't restrict their acquisition of a workable ECM.  Small companies without IT departments can rent applications like Filebound as an SaaS or ASP solutions.  A monthly fee covers storage, usage, and maintenance-all the user needs is a browser.
  Larger companies, like a 90 bed Hospital and a town of 500,00, need a solution that can go onto their WAN yet still provide controlled publice access.  Laserfiche ECM software deployed with their SQL or Oracle databse provides solid platforms for these type companies.
  Business's who do not adobt digital techniques are suddenly more and more at risk, suffering conpliance issues and serious competitve disadvantageous.  Picture a Lawyer in Court with a File cabinet versus a Lawyer with the same data on his laptop, or a Bank responding to a request from a PC or a basement File Room. 

Better Business Process Management BPM

Better Business Processes
by Kirk Tracy
"We see a lot of mix between analog and digital processes in records management today. For instance, you can access forms or applications on a website but you need to print the application out to complete and sign. Chances are pretty good that as the application is processed, it will be scanned and once again become a digital document. This illustrates my point of diverse procedure, going from paper to digital and digital back to paper. The technology exists for the form to be filled out on line and all the meta data entered saved to your ECM. The level of commitment to business processing without paper needs to expand to the complete transaction, not just a part of it. When the form or application or waiver is found online, then the user should be able to open and complete the document, then hit transmit or send and the electronic file goes into the ECM and the meta data from the completed fields is used to populate any future transactions."

We currently have these functions available to improve your business process. Our eForm functions include capturing secure signatures, accepting processing, application, or document fees, and routing these eForms automatically through your normal business process electronically.
The benefits of this are many, but the most significant are increasing processing speed, properly and completely filled out forms, and the ease of retrieving documents with a few clicks of the mouse. You will never lose a form again.

If you use paper forms and need to improve your business process of how these forms move through your office, you should implement the use of eForms with an ECM solution. It will save you time and money.

Company Growth

Your business might have more potential.
How would I know that? I could speculate, but there is nothing to measure with speculation. Potential in my business? Where? How can I have more potential?

There is potential in your bottom line. Now I have got you listening. Potential is driven by money. Money moves people and ideas. So I guess I should say “Potential Money”. Now you’re listening.

Where do you find potential money for your business?

More customers, more sales, more production? Today it is very hard to find new customers that will increase sales which increases production.
Where is the answer? You said more money for my business!
Before I get into the just telling you the answer I have to set up a scenario.

Say you manufacture something. An employee suggests a way to speed up your production. Would you listen? Assuming your quality doesn’t suffer, speeding up your production might save you money by being more efficient. More units – same time.

What if a new machine made your product faster and better than the way you’re making them now? Could you see past the cost of the new machine to the days where you will have the machine paid off and you’re making more money?

What if… this new machine gave you not only more efficiency and a better product, and you gained a competitive advantage which added to better consumer support, increased production, and more sales. (The new machine would be paying for itself)

So getting back to your employee’s first suggestion of doing what you are already doing, but doing it better and more efficient. Now match that with adding a new machine to help position the company for a better competitive advantage with a greater growth potential.

Now, you have not grown your customer base, but the potential is there. Your sales have not increased yet, but you’re doing things much more efficiently, and have gained a competitive advantage. Are you making more money on your bottom line?

For a lot of companies and organizations the answer is “Yes!” To be more efficient with today's work load is worth it. Now add to that the repositioning of the company for growth. Win Win

There is a term being used called Business Process Management or BPM. If you were to evaluate or better yet find someone to evaluate your BPM. I would venture to say that your day-to-day business processes could be more efficient. By adding this efficiency to your business processes you will gain more productive time and a competitive advantage.

I am suggesting that you call on someone to evaluate your BPM.

At Mountain Scanners we offer a free first visit with one of our consultants. There is no obligation tied with this meeting. Suggestions are offered after the meeting. If you would like to move forward with some of these suggestions Mountain Scanners would be happy to assist you. If not, you get some “food for thought”.

Position your company for growth. Analyze your company’s BPM today. You have everything to gain.

HIPAA and HITECH

If you feel HIPAA is changing the way it is being audited or you feel that the rules are changing as we speak, the answer is.......You are right!

HIPAA and HITECH have rolling changes that you should be aware of.

This are a few points that you should ask your legal department about.

Fines have increase which fund the auditing of HIPAA compliancy. Be aware and be ready. Here are a few points that I have pick up through my reading. You have about a month to prepare for these.

By February 17, 2010
• HITECH Act’s restrictions on marketing and fundraising take effect.
• Deadline for the HHS secretary to issue guidance on how covered entities must comply with “de-identification” of PHI, or limits that apply when CE’s use patients’ information for research purposes.
• HHS (& FTC) study on privacy and security requirements for PHR vendors and applications.
• GAO study on best practices for disclosures for treatment (and use of electronic informed consent).
• First annual report on HIPAA enforcement.
• First annual guidance on the most effective and appropriate technical safeguards for health information.
• HHS study on de-identification.
• HHS implements health information privacy educational initiative.

Effective February 17, 2010
• Application of rules to, and accountability for, business associates.
• Clarification of which entities are required to be business associates (although arguably already accomplished for most RHIOs & HIEs through HIPAA guidance issued by HHS in December 2008).
• Right to restrict disclosures to health plans.
• Deeming of limited data set as satisfying minimum necessary standard.
• Right of electronic access/electronic copy.
• Clarification of marketing provisions.
• Opt-out for fundraising communications (although current HIPAA Privacy Rule provisions remain in effect).
• Clarification of ability to impose criminal penalties against individuals.
• Civil monetary penalties and settlements flowing to OCR for enforcement.
• Requirement for Secretary to periodically audit entities covered by HIPAA.

As I said before please get the advise of your legal department. You may be exposed.

If you would like to read more about some of these rolling changes see our link.