Like most agencies, we made a lot of mistakes when we first began scanning documents six years ago. Perhaps you might find our experience instructive.

After several false starts, we decided to analyze our agency's optimum workflow. We explored the possibilities of scanning in advance of distribution, during work processing and after the fact. We decided back then that the best solution for us was for service representatives to chose which documents to scan and do the scanning at their individual workstations. The scanned documents would then be stored on a central server.

We started with Visioneer Strobe Pro scanners and thought everything worked fairly well. However, we discovered several frustrating problems with the scanners. One was that they tended to pick up ink on the scanner surface, creating a black line across the scanned document that could not be corrected by calibration. The only option was to disassemble the scanner, clean the glass surface and then reassemble the device. Each workstation scanner had to be cleaned about five times a year. Another problem was that we began to experience fatal scanner failures at roughly 18-month intervals. It cost about $300 to replace a scanner–not intolerable but an expense nonetheless. Finally, our single-page scanners scanned only about four pages per minute, which is pretty slow by 2006 standards, and they were incapable of duplex scanning (scanning both sides of a document at once).

So we began exploring other scanners as well as changes to our workflow. First, we looked at alternative single-side scanners. We tried Visioneer XP200 scanners, which had a much lower failure rate but still ran slowly. Next, we tried a Dockport scanner. It was capable of duplex scanning and had the same physical profile as the Visioneer scanners and a track record for durability. However, staff complained that the feeder opening had a limited size tolerance, leading to persistent feeding errors, due to the scanner's failure to pick up the edge of the paper properly.

So we remained frustrated with desktop workstation scanning solutions. We also found we needed to scan larger policies, up to 60 pages long. We concluded that a single-side scanner was no longer a realistic solution for us. In 2002, we turned to a Canon DR2080C scanner, which was capable of duplex scanning and skipping blank pages. The scan rate was about eight pages per minute (16 pages per minute in duplex mode). It became our centrally located scanning solution for larger policies. It cost about $1,000 in 2002 and had a small “footprint.” We did experience initially undetected problems with document feeding, however. A 60-page scanned document might be missing one to four pages because two sheets of paper were pulled into the scanner's feeder rollers at the same time. Such omissions were discovered only well after the fact, and they eroded our confidence in this solution.

When our copier needed to be replaced, we also looked at alternative large scanners. As a result, we bought a Canon copier that could be connected to our network and function as a central scanner, network printer and copier–all for little more than the cost of a conventional copier. We finally had a dependable central scanner for large jobs, but service representatives had to leave their workstations to use it. A workflow analysis and time study indicated that each trip to the scanner took five minutes or more.

We saw the ideal solution was to have a reliable high-speed scanner with a small footprint at each workstation. Recently, we picked Canon 2580 scanners for the job. They list for $999 but can be bought for as little as $680. Their footprint is smaller than a letter-size piece of paper, and they scan at a rate of 25 pages per minute in the single-side mode and 50 pages duplex. Now, our service reps can scan everything needed for their files at their desktops. We invested about $4,000 in six scanners, and we think we'll save enough staff time to recoup our investment in less than a year.

As they explore scanning options, agencies of different sizes may come up with different solutions. Large agencies, for instance, may find it best to use centralized scanning and supplement it with individual workstation scanning for certain departments.

Even the smallest agencies can implement cost-effective scanning and move into a paperless environment. When an agency combines scanning with Microsoft Outlook and integrated desktop faxing, giving it the option to attach scanned documents to e-mail or send them to others via fax, it can take its efficiency to a whole new level. No matter how an agency approaches workflow or how much it has to spend on technology, there's a scanning solution for it.