The Procedure Of Records Management Investigated
Records management is a vital aspect of any home, business or government. Imagine your bank, insurance company, local authority or credit card company without any current, reliable and accurate records management systems.
The existence of a records management system, presupposes that the organization in question would have policies in place to regulate and control the management of the records. Records management futhermore is a procedure whereby records are produced or captured, maintained, being obtainable by authorised people (i.e. be secure) archived when required, and responsibly disposed of. Many institutions go to extreme measures to make certain that records are properly managed and employ sophisticated pc systems in this regard. Clearly security of details is of paramount importance, albeit for numerous reasons for several institutions.
It is the capture of records that poses the greatest issues as this involves big volumes that need total accuracy. You’ll find essetnially three methods to capture information, i.e. by scanning records, by capturing info online and by voice recording. Any one of these 3 methods (or a combination of them) is applied extensively by various organisations employing technology in their records management. In the case of insurance companies, voice recording and online capturing is the preferred methodology. On applying for insurance the details is recorded on the web in line with a questionnaire, though the conversation is also recorded in the event of a dispute. The same methodology is used in the event of claims or any amendment of any detail. The advantage hereof lies in the fact that the proper records are created immediately, a quote is prepared at the same time and on acceptance a policy document is produced in true time and dispatched either on the web by E Mail or posted to the buyer by slow mail. Banks employ similar systems to produce and control their consumer database and account records.
The downside of these sophisticated systems of course is pc downtime, which however is regulated and largely prevented by expensive back-up systems and standby power. Also, customs and excise is most dependent on such systems for arrival and departure management as well as the control of aliens. SAPS and the Dept. of Home Affairs share a database with finger prints although the application areas differ. In the event of SAPS the facts is employed in the solving and prevention of crime, though in the case of Home Affairs the data is used for passport and ID document production and control. The data is captured via a special scanner and stored as separate records on personal computer files. The finger prints are tagged by the name and address of the person obtained and cross referenced from Home Affairs and vice versa.
Records management is as a result a vital part of modern society and whilst it could be misused, it in the main is employed to our advantage. Part of the difficulty with personal records has always been the sale of these kinds of records, or parts thereof, to commercial operators requiring such info for promoting purposes. Whilst legislation aims to prevent this practice it never the less happens to the annoyance and outrage of the public.