Issue 2 2009 > Industry Expert
Industry Expert: One-on-One with Tim Powell
General Manager, Crown Records Management Japan
Tim Powell
General Manager
Crown Records Management, Japan
Email: tpowell@crownrms.com
Tim Powell, an Australian national, has been working in the records management industry since 1999. In 2005 he was part of the launch and operation of a full-service, information management company in Tokyo, Japan. He has worked in all areas of information management from administration, sales and marketing to compliance and staff training.
In 2009, Tim joined Crown Records Management as general manager.
You were a key player in Crown’s recent acquisition of Quraz Records Management in Japan. What were some of the challenges involved in managing a seamless transition for your clients?
Although I had been involved in large moves of client records previously, this time was somewhat different. Since Crown had acquired the premises, equipment and all the key personnel, we continued working out of the same building with the same staff. Therefore, there were very few “physical” or logistical concerns for the operations crews.
What was of most importance was to maintain client trust. We began a program of informing customers of the pending acquisition. Both Quraz and Crown sales teams worked side by side educating clients about the Crown company–its long history, position within the industry and business strength. Over a period of weeks we visited every one of our 140+ clients.
As the database software was identical to Crown’s, many processes were similar. In the few cases where processes would change, client re-training was also undertaken. On the changeover day, really the only thing to do was switch over the IT systems. Fortunately, it was business as usual for our customers and staff. Before the acquisition, Crown Japan also had a number of existing clients and all of their records were imported into the same database as the newly acquired accounts. The Tokyo RMS operation is now fully merged and will continue servicing local and international businesses.
Are there any major career accomplishments you’d like to highlight?
Prior to Crown, I was involved in the launch of a new records management company. I was part of a team who saw it grow from an idea on paper through to finding a warehouse, to fit-out, to hiring staff, to marketing and compliance and finally to an operation with thousands of business records. There were definitely some bumps along the way but it was also a very rewarding experience.
I was also involved in the first Japanese-language customization of records storage using O’Neil Software’s RS-SQL barcoding software and the setup of a client-specific Web portal to give customers a truly personalized experience in managing their information online.
Please give some examples of how the industry is different and/or unique in Japan compared to other markets you’ve worked in?
The industry here is younger. Previously, in places like the U.S. and Australia, business has been affected by more strict compliance factors. Therefore in these markets, records management companies have been operating for a longer time compared with Japan and Korea.
Another factor is outsourcing. Traditionally, Japanese enterprises have tended to try operating all company functions internally, but outsourcing has been very common in the U.S. for 15 years or more and outsourced records management has been around since the 1950’s.
What challenges are records management clients facing in today’s marketplace in northern Asia?
Likely similar to those around the world. Over the last few years, information and record security has become increasingly important for companies here. This is partly a result of new legislation, such as Privacy Law, the New Corporation Law, and the arrival of JSOX, as well as data leaks that have cost some companies money and credibility.
What advice would you offer these clients?
Outsourcing records management functions has many benefits and any enterprise which generates records can utilize an offsite provider. Increasing regulatory compliance has created growth in the volume of records that companies must retain and manage. This results in increased cost, and more management focus is necessary to keep records safe and available. Professional records management providers like Crown can help clients minimize and even offset these costs.
We can provide a more reliable and quicker service than companies can do internally. Features like our Crown Interact web portal allow companies to securely access record information and services 24 hours per day, seven days a week. We include services such as the notification of compliance matters e.g., destroy dates, review dates regular reports, etc. By outsourcing, clients can hand over the entire Records Lifecycle to a professional.