Issue 1 2009 > Industry Expert
Industry Expert: One-on-One with Trevor Garratt
Business Manager for Grace Information Management
Trevor Garratt
Business Manager
Grace Information Management, Australia
Trevor Garratt has over 32 years experience in the document imaging industry, including his last role of 12 years as Business Unit Manager for the Document Imaging division of Kodak Australasia. Trevor currently serves as Business Manager for Grace Information Management and is based outside of Sydney, Australia.
Grace Information Management is Crown Records Management's local affiliate in Australia and also serves as Crown's global imaging partner.
What is your current role?
I joined Grace Information Management in 2007. In my current role as Business Manager, I am responsible for the day-to-day business functions of Information Management including operations, account management and business development.
Are there any major career accomplishments you’d like to highlight?
One of my major accomplishments was leading the project to relocate the Grace Information Management business from our service bureau located in Hornsby (a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney) to a purpose-built operation in Seven Hills (34 kilometers west of Sydney’s central business region). The project required setting up a team of individuals to transition the business seamlessly and ensure the move was totally transparent to our clients. It involved completing the transition of all aspects of the operation over a holiday weekend to ensure that we would continue without delay in full production mode the following Monday morning. The team and I were all very proud of the successful transition.
Grace Information Management
Clients Approach to Scanning
Approximately what percent of your clients in Australia perform their scanning in-house vs. using an external service provider and/or use a hybrid approach?
Australia has a good cross section of all three: in-house, outsourced and hybrid. What is commonly seen in our industry is that some clients take on the scanning projects inhouse, only to find out that it’s not as easy as they first thought. Subsequently, they often transition to a hybrid approach and eventually, to a total outsourced solution using an external service provider. It is estimated that the percent breakdowns are 30 percent in-house, 45 percent outsourced and 25 percent using a hybrid approach.
Could you share a hypothetical story of a client who implemented an imaging and hosting service?
EXAMPLE 1
A leading Australian financial organisation has achieved major cost and productivity benefits from digitising their hard copy files and utilising the Grace ImageSilo OnDemand solution. This solution has enabled its staff to access all the back office documentation directly from their desktops. By outsourcing the scanning capture and hosting aspects to an imaging bureau, the organisation is able to focus on its core business.
This solution has resulted in vast improvements in time efficiencies and staff productivity, as staff can be working on a file in less than 30 seconds on his or her desktop. Filing is eliminated and misfiles have become a thing of the past. Value add benefits can be realised, as the solution caters to the disaster/business continuity plan including:
- automatic generation of an additional copy of their files
- freeing up their facilities department of all back-ups
- additional storage capacity handled by the bureau
- better utilisation of floor space by the elimination of filing cabinets
EXAMPLE 2
A leading mobile phone telecommunications supplier has improved their business efficiencies by imaging all their contracts and hosting them on the Grace ImageSilo OnDemand solution. This solution has enabled their internal staff to access information from remote stores and affiliated company locations. The contracts are sent on a daily basis from stores throughout Australia to our centralised imaging bureau, where each document is prepared and imaged, and the relevant key field data is extracted to populate pre-determined index fields.
An updated database is provided to the client on a regular basis. The updates contain all of the new contract details which are then used to produce exception reports, which are forwarded to the company’s central compliance department. The system not only automates the day-to-day operations but also enhances its Quality Assurance systems, which has improved their quality service delivery.
What have you found to be the biggest challenge for clients who are considering transitioning their hard copies into electronic images?
One of the major challenges for any client is the organization of the documents e.g., removing staples, paperclips, etc. If documents are assembled inside file folders, it can have an enormous impact on the approach to imaging the files. Unfortunately, file folder assembly techniques have not been optimised for imaging projects.
There are many other predetermined conditions that can affect what clients can and cannot do during a conversion process. Many questions need to be answered prior to commencing the project, such as, are the documents generally in good condition? Are they in good order? Are they grouped together? Is the paperwork filed in chronological order? Over time, have contents of the files been duplicated, cross-referenced to other files, combined or interfiled with related folders?
The activity of actually scanning the documents into a scanner is only a small aspect of the project. It’s the preparation and organization of the files that are critical to ensuring that the scanned images are meaningful and easily accessible. These steps have proven to be quite challenging for clients.
What advice would you offer these clients?
I’d say "You don’t need to image everything!" Think about what files and documents your business will need to access quickly and easily. Those are the documents that should be imaged immediately so you and your staff can enjoy the true benefits of imaging.
Prior to any hardware or software purchases, I recommend that your business conducts an internal survey and assesses the current records workflow processes, identifying which documents are being accessed repeatedly. Without this effort, implementing an automated solution to an ill-defined workflow process only serves to automate the "mess," and the benefits of a new automated solution will not be realised.
Grace Information Management is part of the Grace Worldwide Group, Australia’s largest records management and storage company, with a reputation for excellence since its founding in 1911.
Grace Information Management is also Crown Records Management's local affiliate in Australia and serves as Crown's global imaging partner.