Every year businesses confront reality in the form of their records. Whether it’s renovation, regulations or retirement, large quantities of old paper records can create obstacles on the path to worthy goals. Many businesses know it’s time for a clean out or purge, but they don’t know where to start. As part of our commitment to legendary customer service at Secure Records Solutions, we’ve created a process that can cut through the stress of preparing for a large clean-out or shredding project.
Step 1: Quantifying Your Records
Implementing any storage solution will always require an important first step: Quantifying, or counting, the records in storage. For some storage situations, this can be the most intimidating step. Luckily, there are some methods of counting records that will save you some time and trouble and ensure your business is ready for a new records storage solution.
If your records are stored neatly in banker’s boxes, estimating amounts is as simple as counting boxes. Banker’s boxes, after all, make the perfect standard unit of measure when quantifying any records storage solution. But what if your records are stored loose, on shelves or in bags or non-standard size boxes? The following tips will help you understand how to visualize your stored records in the form of banker’s boxes.
- For open shelf filing systems, records can be quantified by measuring the length of each shelf and dividing it by the length of a standard size banker’s box. A bankers box measures 12.5” x 10.5” x 15.5”, meaning each box can hold about 15 inches worth of open shelf files. One shelf that’s sixty inches long will contain about four boxes. You can further this calculation by multiplying by the number of shelves present.
- File cabinets contain about two and a half banker’s boxes worth of records per cabinet. For purge projects, Secure Records Solutions’ drivers can supply bins designed to hold four file cabinets (or five large file boxes) worth of records each, eliminating the need to convert to banker’s boxes.
- For less conventional methods of storage, like loosely stored records in bags or non-standard size boxes, there are a few options. If the job is manageable, records could be simply organized into banker’s boxes. For bigger or more complex amounts or storage methods, measuring stacks of records: Neatly stacked paper measures about 150-200 sheets per inch. Every 2000-2500 sheets, or about 14 inches of stacked paper, accounts for one banker’s box. Finally, you can always consult a team member at Secure Records Solutions for options when quantifying large amounts of records stored in things like plastic bags or boxes.
Step 2: Providing Detailed Information
With any document management solution, the more information you can give a Secure Records Solutions team member about your records, the better you can equip SRS with information needed to deliver the legendary customer service experience we’re known for. This means keeping us in the loop on how many records you have as best as you can quantify them, but also how they’re stored, where they’re stored and in what kind of containers. Our drivers will come prepared with the correct equipment depending on your unique storage situation. Records in an attic or basement? No problem. Want to keep your banker’s boxes? Just let us know and we’ll bring bins instead of pallets. There’s no situation too complicated for Secure Records Solutions, and our ability to deliver solutions thrives off communication with our clients.
Step 3: Communicating Changes in Scope
Finally, keep Secure Records Solutions informed of any changes to your current record situation in the days leading up to a purge project or clean out. If you move items to a new location, or add records previously stored somewhere else, letting a team member at Secure Records Solutions know ensures our drivers are best prepared to serve you on the day of your purge or clean-out. Being as informed as we can on all details related to your shredding project helps us deliver the legendary customer service we promise.
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