Independent School District gives FileBound an A+ for eliminating 1.5 million pages of wasted space.

Limited by time and budget, the school district was on the verge of using portable buildings to increase much needed physical storage space. FileBound Document Management Solutions created a virtual file center to reduce clutter and increase organization of student files.

Company Profile

As one of the largest independent school districts in the state of Texas, they dynamically manage to administer and service sixteen individual schools. With regular attendance campuses and special education centers, thisdistrict tailors the agenda in a multi-faceted way to suit all educational needs.

---

Business Challenge

Constrained by need for space and manpower, the school district was literally running out of room to grow. Situated on the Administration Campus, the Special Education Records Department had all four walls of the storage room lined with filling cabinets, additional cabinets placed atop the old and two additional rows in the middle of the room. The wall-to-wall filing system was inefficient to navigate and staff. Managing the central file room through paper archives left records administrators without a substantial mechanism to track files. The system created disorganization of student records between multiple users, duplication of student files, and limited accessibility to one person at a time. When the time came for expansion the school district’s only optionwas to bring in portable buildings to hold more paper archives, increasing costs and the need for staff.

---

Solution

In 2005, the district began to look for new ways to solve their problem without increasing actual physical space and costs. While many potential vendors proposed solutions using multifunctional copiers and software to relocate documents to online repositories; the high cost of the machines and low quality images made the solution inadequate. Instead FileBound Document Management Solutions was chosen because of high quality imaging abilities, overall cost effective strategy, and quantifiable experience working with large organizationsand sensitive data.

Upon implementation, FileBound software began scanning documents into virtual folders. The simplicity of the Imaging program allowed administrators to scan and file incoming documents the same day. Through software setup, the automated file program created files for new students and filed documents automatically into their coordinating files. Within 6 months of implementation, entire Special Education back-files were scanned and paper archives discarded. Ease and usability has energized the district to expand FileBound intoother departments.
 

---

Business Benefits

FileBound created a 180-degree turn around in the independent school district’s
business process. With access to an online database, FileBound eliminated the need
for multiple personnel to manage files, instead streamlining file requests down to one
records administrator. Each individual campus is now able to access student records
through the system directly, but limitation to each individual campus maintains
students privacy. Expanding into other departments enabled the district to see even
more quantifiable benefits:

• Eliminated 1.5 million pages of paper archives
• Freed physical space in two storage spaces, providing room for office growth
• 100% adoption by Accounting and Human Resources Departments has increased overall ease and efficiency on Administrative Campus
• Lubricated interdepartmental communication and raised employee moral

Despite all other benefits, if nothing else FileBound has delivered the exact solution requested by the school
district. The online process now provides a single administrator with a definitive tracking method to account
for the use student files. Discarding paper archives has reduced the need to staff a storage room, reducing
costs, and given organization to the records system. With increased efficiency the school district now has the
ability to properly manage their growing student population.
 

Filed under: