Hollard saves time and money with Nashua Scan Centre

Digitising paper documents allowsfor greater efficiency.

February 2016

Storing highly confidential client information and documentation is a challenge for many organisations. We live in

an age of information with the result that in some organisations, paper documents are literally piling up. Finding and

retrieving information is often a time-consuming exercise and off-site storage can be expensive.

Hollard was one such organisation where literally thousands of documents, some containing highly confidential

client information, was starting to prove a significant challenge. By virtue of the nature of Hollard’s business, there is

a requirement for the documents to be securely stored, but, should it be necessary, the documents need to be easily

retrieved. With a growing team of administrators, Hollard recognised that access to historical data is going to become

even more frequent.

“The challenge was that these thousands of documents, 55 000 to be precise, were packed in endless filing cabinets.

However, some of the client information contained in these documents is highly confidential so it would not have

been appropriate to give our administrative staff access to the data,” explains Hollard Client Administration Manager,

Michelle Govender. She adds that, considering the vast number of documents, it would have been a significant

challenge and very time-consuming for the company to handle a project of this size internally.

Hollard had previously used an external data storage company but the system was cumbersome as it allowed only six

registered and licensed users to access the data and, with a monthly storage fee included, it was expensive.

The challenge: 55 000 confidential paper documents

Based on recommendations and an existing relationship

with Nashua, Hollard appointed Nashua’s Scan Centre

to process all 55 000 documents and to digitise each

document. The Nashua Scan Centre, which opened its

doors in early 2015, specialises in providing an efficient

service to scan clients’ existing paper documents,

enabling them to save time, money and storage space

as well as helping them to move towards a full Managed

Document Solution (MDS). The Nashua Scan Centre

establishes exactly how the client wants their documents

scanned and indexed. According to Selwyn Newman,

Acting Chief of Sales for Nashua Solutions, the process is

even more important than the actual specialised scanning

hardware. “Preparation is difficult for large volumes of

many thousands of documents, which may be in binders

or folders or even loose in boxes,” he says.

The Scan Centre removes staples and paperclips,

flattens dog-eared corners and removes documents from

binders and files. Using specialised software, the scans

are indexed, sorted and filed digitally. The software

automates time-consuming data entry and filing with

a centralised, systematic way to work with documents,

and also certifies that each scan is a legitimate scan

of the original with the overall system ensuring POPI

compliance. On completion of scanning, each document

is returned to its original state – all without any damage

or loss of any pages.

Once all the documents are scanned they are made

available to the client in a usable format as either TIFF

images or as PDF documents, either on a DVD or on an

external hard drive. Index information provided by

Nashua’s Scan Centre allows for easy search and retrieval.

While paper documents may be required for compliance

reasons, Nashua is able to advise companies on what

they need to do in order to be compliant in their

particular industry. The Scan Centre’s processes also help

companies comply with regulations by providing a clear

audit trail and evidence that all pages have been scanned

correctly.

The solution: Digitising documents

“We were very impressed with the standard of service provided by Nashua’s Scan Centre.”Michelle Govender, Client Administration Manager, Hollard

Challenges

Time-consuming access to thousands of paper

documents

Access limited to a few

High storage fee

Compliance and regulations

Solution

Digitisation service provided by Nashua

Scan Centre

Electronic storage using specialised software

Benefits

Efficiently and accurately scans large volumes of

paper documents

Easy document retrieval with searchable electronic

versions and a full index of scanned documents

All documents are certified as copies of the original

Saves space and money as on-site storage is no

longer needed

For more information please visit www.nashua.co.za

“They sourced boxes and physically packed the data

into boxes themselves. We were given a six-week time

frame for the completion of the project, but in fact it

was completed and all documents scanned and indexed

within three weeks. From our perspective it was a totally

seamless process and we have been delighted with how

easy it is to access and retrieve any of the documentation.

We have also been impressed with the very high quality

of the scanned documentation.”

“We now have a very efficient data storage system in

place which meets all the necessary Financial Services

Board requirements, image quality and resolution is

assured, documents can be easily retrieved if there is any

ombudsman query, and we no longer have an ongoing

monthly storage fee,” she adds.

But what really impressed Govender was how quickly the

Nashua Scan Centre representative understood what was

required of this project. “He knew my business, what was

required and provided even more solutions than I had

initially considered. His skill and efficiency were very

apparent from the start of the project.”