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Components of Great Filing Systems:
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- Color coding decreases the amount of time spent filing, retrieving and looking for files. Approximately 75% of each dollar spent in filing areas is people time; color coding can save at least 33% of that money.
- Sort your records in the most efficient way for your files and for your staff. The most popular methods are alphabetical, numeric, terminal digit or a combination of alpha-numeric.
- Clearly labeling your records with letters or numbers ensures that you pull the right file every time. Many types of useful information can be discretely noted with plain color labels.
- Different kinds of files or files for different departments, clients or projects can be coded by using colored folders.
- Using open shelf file cabinets as seen in medical records shelving puts your records right at your fingertips, no opening and closing of drawers.
- Use of year labels to indicate current and out of date files allows efficient purging of old records. Keep your active files handy and store the old ones.
- Within your records, flip right to the areas you need by using dividers and/or tabbing with indexes.
- Store miscellaneous items like disks, CDs, photos or ID cards right where you need them. Use any of a variety of pockets including clear ones that allow you to view items without removing them.
- In a large file system, clearly mark sections with alpha or numeric guides. This breaks down the whole into smaller groups and speeds up both filing and retrieval time.
- Keep track of folders by using out guides when a folder is removed from the system. Besides making it easy to return folders to the proper location, you can note on it who is using the file.
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