If you’re ready to pitch the office shredder and opt for a more secure service option, we are pleased to hear you are taking your security to the next level by outsourcing this job to the professionals!
That said, you may be wondering what the next steps are and how in the world you’re supposed to choose the right shredding company to look after your documents. Fair enough! When you’re new to the world of document destruction, it can feel like an overwhelming task, sifting through various companies not knowing what key benefits to look for in the process.
To help show you the way, we’ve covered a few key considerations to keep in mind as you do your research and determine who to partner with.
Let’s dive into 3 main tips for choosing a document shredding provider:
Consider Your Needs
The first thing you need to determine is what your shredding needs are, exactly. If you’re a resident, your needs will likely differ from those of a business. While the services are much the same as a resident you may not require regular shredding services.
For this example, let’s assume you are a business owner. Do you produce a large volume of documents on a weekly basis? Are desks overflowing with paperwork day to day? Alternatively, your business may be working towards electronic records management, and as a result document accumulation is more sporadic.
Maybe you only notice documents at the end of every quarter when you’re cleaning up the office. In either case, these are important questions to ask yourself as they will determine the service type you’ll require. If you are only producing a small number of documents over an extended time period, then chances are you will only require a purge or one-time shredding service.
On the other hand, larger companies who are producing documents regularly will need a shredding company that provides on-going shredding to stay on top of things.
This brings us to our next tips – reviewing the shredding company’s services!
Review What Services are Available
Once your needs have been figured out, it is time to browse the service catalogue. These services are tailored to meet any need you might have.
One-Time Purge
As mentioned above, this is an ideal solution for large clean-outs or if your business is relocating and has boxes of old files requiring secure destruction. It’s also perfect for residents and small companies that generate documents only occasionally.
Scheduled Shredding
ngoing shredding, or scheduled shredding as it’s also referred to as, is for those businesses who are in a regular need of shredding, producing large quantities of paperwork all the time. Scheduled shredding is a fantastic solution that is entirely flexible to the client’s preference.
You decide the schedule that is most beneficial, or the day and time you’d like your documents shred, and the shredding company will collect your files for secure destruction. This option is preferable for many business owners because it ensures you remain in compliance with privacy laws and it means you don’t have to worry about document pileup – service is all predetermined and taken care of for you.
Hard Drive Destruction
Many document shredding companies provide additional services that go beyond paper shredding. With that in mind, why not look for a provider that also offers hard drive destruction services. Bearing in mind how much we rely on our computers these days, the amount of data stored on a single hard drive is exceedingly high – once that hard drive is no longer of relevance or your business is updating its computer systems, how can you be sure the sensitive data stored on these little devices is in fact secure?
Through hard drive destruction, you can rest assured that all confidential information will be physically destroyed and irrecoverable for good. Opting for a shredding provider who can also destroy your hard drives is an investment worth making!
Whether you need hard drive destruction now or not, chances are you will at some point down the road. Have your documents and hard drives shred conveniently by the same provider!
Research the Company’s Experience and Reputation
Lastly, like any product or service it is always recommended to confirm you are choosing a company that is trustworthy and reputable. In the case of document shredding, you’ll want to partner with a knowledgeable and experienced company that practices only the highest level of security measures.
Ensure that the shredding company you’re considering, provides lockable collection containers for you to store documents in, prior to having them shred so they remain protected at all times. Take a look also at how long they have been shredding, and the industries they service.
If ever in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask for customer references. Alternatively, check their website for past client testimonials. Many display their testimonials right on their website. This will give you a good understanding of the overall satisfaction level previous customers have had.
We encourage you to look for a provider that is AAA-certified by the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), the only recognized independent source for security and ethics standards in the document destruction industry.
ATI SecureDocs Meets All these Considerations
ATI SecureDocs offers one-time purge shredding, scheduled shredding, and hard drive shredding services, off-site at our secure facility.
Our NAID AAA-certified offsite document shredding enables you to set up a program that meets your specific needs.
Get in touch with the team at ATI. We will work with you to determine what solutions fit your needs, and will create a custom plan to increase your office efficiency and ensure you meet all regulatory requirements. We are looking forward to serving you!