Upfront

ARMA Survey Finds Businesses Still Lack in Best Practices for Information Management

The ARMA International "2009 Records & Information Management Survey" shows a disconnect between information management issues deemed important by the organization and training and monitoring of adherence to those policies.

The survey of ARMA International’s membership asked respondents to analyze their organization’s total information management landscape to provide a snapshot of current information practices as they relate to general management, policies and procedures, information management training, information technology and legal/compliance.

According to the survey results, 73 percent of boards of directors or comparable executive teams have approved a records and information management policy statement that obligates employees to create and maintain records in accordance with the organization’s stated requirements, while 61 percent of executives demonstrate the importance of managing records and information.

Organizations are increasingly adopting a standards-based approach to developing information management policies and procedures. Fifty-five percent of organizations use ANSI/ARMA or ISO standards to develop vital records programs, and 89 percent use standards to develop retention policies.

ARMA concludes that training to ensure employees are aware of policies and procedures related to records and information management is lacking. Only 25 percent of respondents say they train their employees on their individual roles and responsibilities for managing records and information.

More information regarding the survey is available at www.arma.org.

Selling Retrieval

Records centers should think of imaging as a document retrieval option that improves an organization’s access to its information and sell it accordingly, said John Becker of Fort Docs, Santa Rosa, Calif. He offered his advice for effectively selling the service in a session titled "Selling Imaging" at the PRISM International 2009 Annual Conference.

Imaging sales are more complex than the typical box storage sale in that they represent a higher dollar value for clients as well as greater integration into the clients’ operations, according to Becker. Imaging services can cost 50 times more on average than the cost to store a box of documents in a records center, he said, therefore, service providers need to generate 50 times more value for clients who select the service. Vendors can achieve this by highlighting the quick access imaging provides as well as the process savings, the ability to access the document from a client’s multiple locations—which could be key to the client’s cost justification process—the ability to access many related documents in one search and the level of integration with the client’s business processes, he said.

Common imaging applications include accounts payable, medical records, proof of delivery and loan processing, Becker said, with accounts payable and loan processing being easiest to cost justify. To aid in the cost justification process, he suggested asking clients how much time it takes staff to do the portions of their jobs that involve accessing the documents in question. Becker also said he asks clients what else they do with the documents to aid in indexing and to further justify the cost of the service.

The five factors to consider during an ROI (return on investment) assessment for prospective imaging clients are breadth, repeatability, cost, collaboration and knowledge, he said.

"In the end, organizations image to improve retrieval," Becker said. "Your job is to figure out how you can justify it, eliminate obstacles, help your contact sell it both up the ladder and across the organization" and implement the service.

The PRISM International 2009 Annual Conference was May 6-9 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The association’s 2010 Annual Conference will be May 11-14 in Reno, Nev.