Hi Catherine,
I'm a long time RECMGMT lurker, first time poster...so be kind.
From experience converting hundreds of automotive dealerships from
four-drawer to open-faced shelving throughout the U.S. and Canada, I
have a few tips to pass along.
This isn't an advertisement, just lessons learned...
What were the objections against shelf filing?
-Applying Individual Labels suck -
If you're going to do a mass conversion, check out strip label software.
There are several good programs on the market and it will make your job
much easier and faster, especially if you can download information from
your DMS system and upload them into the strip label software. This will
save you from having to hand-wrap each individual label onto a folder.
If you can't spend money on software, find out from your supplier of
labels and folders if they will pre-label folders for you. You'll still
need to pull a list together of what you want labeled, but your supplier
should be able to get you a much better price on applying those labels
compared to if you were to do it yourself. The best method I've found is
to have them pre-label the files exactly as you have them in your
current four-drawer cabinets. That will make it much easier for you to
take out the old file, put the contents into the new file, and then file
the new color-coded file into your new system.
-Four-Drawer cabinets can be locked while open-faced shelving is...open!
-
If your files are not in a secured in a locked room, you may be worried
about them being open for anyone that passes by, including the nightly
cleaning crew. Several options are now available for open-faced cabinets
which include locking roll-top doors. There are some that fit right to
each cabinet, and some that span up to 11 feet in width. Some open-faced
cabinet makers also have swivel shelving that can be turned and locked
when needed.
-Open-Faced Shelving still doesn't hold all my records.
Remember to plan ahead for growth, and purge files that are inactive (by
purge I mean either destroy or file in long-term storage). If you have a
lot of records and limited space, you may want to think about a track
system (shelves directly in front of each other that slide from side to
side) or a mobile unit (shelves placed side-by-side and moved back and
forth with use of a hand crank or electronic touchpad).
-Be careful of the weight of the shelving, especially if you're not on
the ground floor of your building!
-Think about how the shelving will be delivered to your area.
-Think about what you will do with your existing cabinets while the new
cabinets are being installed.
- Check out the building codes and fire codes in your area to see what
their requirements are for placement of files near vents, sprinklers,
electric outlets, windows, and doors.
How did you overcome objections?
See above.
How successful was your conversion?
Very successful
Where you able to do it corporate-wide?
Yes, and in many instances multi-dealer locations with centralized
filing.
Who reaped the most benefits?
-Several reapers...
File clerks - They could actually find files again!
Warranty Claims Clerks - They are audited by the OEM's to make sure
their warranty records can be found, and if they're not, they're fined.
Managers - Increased productivity allows the filing personnel to perform
additional tasks
Did you get total buy-in afterward?
Once the system is in place, it's easy for everyone to see the benefits.
It should result in a noticeable increase in productivity for your
filing personnel.
Were there any disadvantages?
-Storing paper copies is still a pain compared to document scanning and
electronic document management, but if you're locked into keeping paper
records, this is the best way that I know of.
-It's much more expensive to file by color due to the cost of the color
labels and the cost to apply them. The benefits (being able to recognize
the file by color in an instant from a distance, not having to rely on
illegible hand-written tabs, being able to locate misfiles in seconds,
no more audit fines) will surely pay for the new system.
Any lessons learned?
Plan ahead and think it through!
If you'd like additional input, feel free to contact me off-line.
Nicholas Fullenkamp
Product Manager - Service, Parts, Body Shop
Reynolds and Reynolds www.reyrey.com
Ph: 937-485-8238
Fx: 937-485-8987
_________________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Catherine Howard
Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 1:13 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Shelf filing vs drawer filing
Greetings to everyone,
Am interested in feedback from any members who have converted from
filing systems using drawer filing (vertical / lateral) to shelf filing
- either fixed or mobile.
What were the objections against shelf filing?
How did you overcome objections?
How successful was your conversion?
Where you able to do it corporate-wide?
Who reaped the most benefits?
Did you get total buy-in afterward?
Were there any disadvantages?
Any lessons learned?
Etc.
(And vendors - especially in Ontario, Canada, provide a link to your
company's website - but off list, please! My email address below)
Catherine Howard
Records Management Coordinator
Ontario Energy Board
Business Services and Planning
[log in to unmask]
416 440 7740
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
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