Record Management

Switching Records Management Providers

If you’ve ever had issues with your current records management provider, you’ve probably thought about switching to a different one. In fact, that might be the very reason you’re reading this post right now. The fact of the matter is that many companies of all sizes experience some sort of problems with their providers from time to time and end up switching records management providers. When this happens once, you might write it off as a miscommunication. If it happens again, you might get a bit more agitated. Any more issues and you might just consider actually leaving your provider and searching for one that can better take care of your company’s needs.

Switching Providers

In today’s records management world, there are many giants of the industry. Unfortunately for some companies, relying on these mammoths is difficult to do sometimes—as large records management providers have thousands of clients and a limited amount of time to accommodate all of their needs. Here are a few of the most common reasons you might be considering switching records management providers.

Service Issues

Your records contain sensitive information that needs to be well-documented, stored in a reliable and secure facility and easily located. Finding a records management provider that fully understands these principles is essential to your business practices. It’s absurd to think that, in some scenarios, providers are:

  • Missing pickups: There really aren’t any excuses for this, as some providers are plain not showing up to pick up a clients’ records.
  • Unable to locate records: Again, no excuses here. Storing a clients’ records in a location that is well-indexed and accessible is something every provider should be doing.
  • Not providing clients with records of the stored documents: If you store your records in a storage facility, you should be receiving documentation that contains details about which file was stored where and when.
  • Not responding to clients: We get it, some providers are extremely busy. But why settle for a provider that is so busy that it can’t even respond to its own clients?

Flexibility Issues

Because every company has its own unique business practices, there is no one way to accommodate everyone. In terms of flexibility, it is crucial that a records management provider take heed of its clients’ individual needs. Here are some of the poor practices your current records management company might do:

  • Require pickups to be scheduled far in advance: Although pickups definitely have to be made with advanced notice, there is no reason why a records management provider can’t make a pickup with a few days’ notice.
  • Have a difficult time scheduling new pickup times: Because many records management providers are so large and have so many clients, it is often difficult for them to fit in new, or additional, pickups. This is something that providers with a smaller clientele-base excel at.
  • Won’t make a drop off if no one on the access authorization list is present: Yes, the access authorization list is important, being that it prohibits unauthorized persons from requesting the delivery of valuable records. However, if someone on the list makes a request but is not present at the time of delivery, the provider can be accommodating and leave the requested records in the office for when the authorized individual returns (rather than charging extra to make a delivery at a later time).

Cost

This is obviously one of the most important factors to all companies. If a records management provider is charging you a high rate, and maybe even mistreating you in some regards, you are going to want to switch providers. Many larger companies that are being overcharged won’t switch providers until the pain of doing business becomes too great. On the other hand, smaller companies that are being overcharged tend to switch providers more readily. This is mainly because smaller companies tend to have less money and therefore can’t afford to be overpaying for a service that is less than adequate. Make sure your business is with the right records management provider—one that caters to your individual needs and is fairly priced.

Relationships

Many of the large records management providers have thousands of clients, meaning they have less time to spend with each individual client on a more personal level. If you’re looking for a provider that is more receptive to your company’s desires to form and maintain a working relationship, then take a look at providers with less clients and better service. Developing relationships with people is vital in the business world. It’s important for you to be comfortable with the provider that is storing your extremely valuable records.

Process of Switching Providers

When you are ready to finally switch providers, the process that ensues can be as easy as you and your new provider want to make it. Generally, however, there are a few steps that every company has to follow in order to make the switch successful.

  • Submit a termination notice: The first step is to write a termination notice and send it to your current records management provider. This is usually in writing.
  • Add your new provider to the account: The next step is to add your new provider to the account of your current provider, ensuring that it will have the proper access to make the switch happen.
  • Your current provider will reach out to you with a final invoice: This invoice will include fees for retrieval, removal, transportation and other actions. While this must be paid for in full before anything progresses any farther, the payments might be able to be worked out between you and your new provider.
  • Pick up for the records is scheduled: Once all of this has been handled, your new provider will work with your current provider to schedule pickups for your records. As this occurs, your new provider should be updating you on how the process is going. If a client wants to access its records at any point during the transfer process, it should contact the current provider, not the new one. This way, the current provider can check its facility first to see if the record has been transferred yet or not.

Once all of these tasks are complete, all you have to do is continue normal business and wait for the transfer of records to complete. The process for you, the client, is fairly pain free. The only thing you really have to spend time on is finding a new records management provider that can accommodate your unique business needs. If you are experiencing issues with service, flexibility, cost or relationships, it might be time for your company to switch to a new provider.

Rover Records Management

Here at Rover records Management, we offer records management services in the forms of document imagingrecords storage and secure document shredding. We are able to tailor our services to each clients’ individual needs, creating flexible schedules that revolve around your requirements. Rover’s professional staff has decades of experience in the records management industry and knows how to generate compatible and reliable business structures that will ensure your company gets what it wants every time.


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