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January 2011: In This Issue
Dear Records Manager,
Records management policy is critical to the success of your program, but creating an effective and usable policy is one of the biggest challenges facing RM professionals. Fortunately, it’s an area that TAB has deep and extensive knowledge of and we’ve distilled it into this month’s download, 7 Tips for Developing an Effective Records Management Policy. So, whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to improve what you already have, these tips will help you create a policy that works for your organization. This month we also have a great piece on the top 3 RM challenges of 2011, compiled from the results of our year-end survey. Thanks for participating! We value your feedback. If you have any questions, or want to discuss any of the issues raised in this newsletter, please get in touch! Regards, TAB 1. 7 Tips for Developing an Effective Records Management Policy  Do you have records management policy in place? If so, is it as effective as it could be? If not, you may be exposing your organization to risk and missing out on realizing the full benefits of your RM program. A good RM policy will clearly and simply document processes for managing records, outline roles and responsibilities, and help your organization meet regulatory requirements. It’s also vital that employees understand and apply the document. So how do you develop the right policy and ensure employees actually adhere to it? Although the answer will vary from organization to organization, there are general best practices that can apply to any industry or sector, and we’ve put them together in this comprehensive resource. It outlines the things you need to know when developing an RM policy, such as:
2. Year End Survey Highlights—Top 3 Challenges for 2011 Thanks to all of our readers who took the time to participate in our Year End Survey—we had a great response! One of the most interesting findings was the response to the question, “what are your RM priorities for next year?” We’ll take a quick look at the top three challenges our readers identified, as well as some resources that will help you meet them head on. 1. Electronic records Let’s face it, electronic records are a fact of life for today’s RM practitioners. It’s no surprise then that over 68% of respondents indicated electronic records as one of their top three priorities for this year. The good news is that when managed effectively e-records can be a huge asset to any organization because they improve access and collaboration. Here are some resources you may want for your library:
Retention seems to be a perennial challenge for our readers, and this year is no exception. Fully 46% of respondents indicated that developing retention schedules is one of their top three priorities. This makes sense as retention is a fundamental part of the success of any records management program and in the age of litigation, creating the right schedule for your organization is critical. The following resource is a great asset for anyone looking to ensure their retention situation is solid:
Your RM program may be great on paper but that won’t matter if your staff doesn’t follow it. Clearly this point is not lost on our readers, with 41.5% indicating that training and development is in the top three “to do’s” for 2011. If you want to get a better understanding of your organization’s training situation, check out this excellent resource:
3. Bank improves customer service with TAB FusionRMS! Citizens Bank employees pride themselves on their customer service. So when management realized that records management software could help them handle their complicated workflow and manage 250, 000 loan-related documents, they knew it was a great opportunity to take their customer service to the next level. The financial institution chose TAB FusionRMS because it was the only tool that could update multiple loan documents at one time and produce an amalgamated report. Now, with improved access and retrieval times, Citizens Bank can instantly provide customers with the information they need, and that’s great service. Learn more about how TAB helped Citizens Bank help their customers. 4. Developing Records Retention Schedules: The Case for Partnering with TAB Every organization needs a records retention schedule--it’s a fact of life. Whether you are using electronic records, paper records, or a hybrid of the two, the challenge lies in creating a schedule that covers all the regulatory and legal requirements, and then applying it to all your records management functions. Researching and developing your retention schedule can be a time-consuming process, requiring deep RM knowledge to get it right. The situation becomes even more complex if you need to apply it to RM software or an electronic content management system. That’s where TAB comes in. We take a holistic approach to your RM program, and retention schedules are a fundamental part of that approach. Here’s a quick overview of what an engagement with us looks like:
5. What Your Colleagues are Downloading Want to know what your colleagues are reading?These are some of our most popular recent downloads: Green Records Management Toolkit Green practices can take your RM program to the next level. Whether you’re looking to cut costs through resource conservation or improve customer and shareholder confidence, environmentally conscience RM initiatives can help improve your organization’s bottom line. So to help you make your records management practices more environmentally friendly, we’ve put together this toolkit. In it, you’ll get:
Space Planning Toolkit Thanks to risking real estate costs and growing records collections, RM professionals need to make do with a lot less. So to help you store your records better, save space and improve retrieval times, we’ve created this toolkit which includes:
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