Portland Development Commission records keeping system ‘needs to improve’

May 14, 2013

There are a multitude or reasons for businesses or organizations to keep their records up to date and organized, including for efficiency and money-saving purposes. But as the Portland Development Commission (PDC) found this month, there is the legal incentive as well. For many businesses, not having documents and files organized can lead to legal trouble either directly, such as when audited, or indirectly, if a missing file or document prevents an office from completing a task or from fully protecting information. Regardless, having documents organized and managed correctly is a must-have for any business.

An article in and/index.ssf/2013/05/post_322.html” target=”_blank”>the Oregonian said that the Portland Auditor's Office found that the PDC records management system needed to improve when it reviewed the agency's practices. PDC employees were asked to receive specific  files, and the auditors found it took multiple people looking in different areas to track documents down. The report also found that the rooms where documents were held was "not up to standards" as well. 

To improve their current situation, the report "recommends a number of steps for the PDC to take, including updating the records management policy and retention schedules, instituting records management training, creating a repository where records can be found and upgrading the storage facility or moving to a new one." 

PDC executive director Patrick Quinton has already said that the organization is looking into ways to improve their records management system in response to this news. Still, there are many other groups that may find themselves in similar situations as the PDC. By partnering with a document scanning service, organizations can improve record keeping and document management to improve their service and avoid any legal repercussions.

Tab Service Company is a Chicago based company with over 53 years of experience as a data processing service provider.  We provide business with outsourcing solutions for document scanning services, data entry services and mailing/lettershop services.  As a SOC2-approved service organization, we apply industry-best practices to our approach with clients.