5 Online Record Management Errors and How to Avoid Them

Imagine you’ve spent an hour typing a document; you thought it’d only take about five or ten minutes to review, so you sealed it for the meantime and worked on something else. When you came back, you found the document riddled with mistakes you have already fixed before!

Unfortunately, your organization may experience these mistakes regularly without a comprehensive record management system. It can damage the efficiency of your organization. However, by protecting your documents with the right system, you can stop litigation in its tracks.

Here are the different online record management errors and how to avoid them. Read on!

1. Not Backing Up Your Records

Not backing up your records can be a huge mistake, as data loss is one of the most common online record management errors. In some cases, data loss is due to hardware failures or user errors. However, it can also be caused by malware, hacking, or other malicious activity.

Having a solid backup plan in place is crucial to preventing data loss. This should include regular backups (at least daily), storing backups off-site, and using a backup service that offers history and versioning. 

2. In-house Record Management

When handling records internally, it’s easy to make a few recurring mistakes in management. You may not have a system in place to track all of your online forms, which can lead to lost or misplaced records.

To avoid these errors, it is crucial to have a well-designed system to track and store your managing business records, regularly back up your data, and secure your documents with passwords and other security measures.

3. No Retention Schedule

Without a retention schedule, organizations risk retaining records for too long or not long enough, both of which can be costly and cause legal problems. 

Having a well-defined retention schedule in place will help you prevent these kinds of mistakes. This schedule needs to be revisited on a regular basis to ensure that it continues to evolve to suit the requirements of the business.

4. Improper Document Shredding

This generally occurs when individuals improperly dispose of confidential or sensitive information by throwing it in the trash instead of shredding it. This can lead to identity theft, fraud, and a host of other problems.

To avoid this, always shred documents containing confidential or sensitive information before disposing of them.

5. Having Inconsistent Labels on Files

It’s easy to forget to update names for files when they’re moved to new locations or when new versions are created. This can lead to inconsistency and confusion when trying to access records.

Maintaining order and knowing where files are stored might help prevent this problem. Use a consistent naming convention for files and folders, and update labels whenever records are moved. 

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Time-saving Tips To Avoid Online Record Management Errors

Despite the advantages of online record management, there are still some errors that can occur. Avoid these online record management by familiarizing yourself with the basics of record management. Ensure that you have a backup plan in case things go wrong.

By following these tips, you can avoid costly errors and ensure that your records are appropriately managed.

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