One Time Purge vs. Scheduled Service

Organizations of every size and in every industry benefit from specialty document shredding services. Secure and timely shredding can help protect your organization’s proprietary information as well as the confidential information of your employees and clients, like their account numbers, addresses, and phone numbers. At the same time, failure to comply with retention guidelines – that is, shredding documents before it's time to shred them - can put your organization at risk.

Whether scheduled shredding, one time shredding, or a combination of the two is the best solution for your organization depends on a variety of factors, including document retention and destruction guidelines for your industry. Here, we’ll explain the difference between a one-time purge and scheduled document destruction, empowering you to make the most informed decision for your organization and its stakeholders.

Purge Shredding

Purge shredding refers to the process of going through the documents you have on hand to determine which are ready for destruction, and then scheduling a one-time pick-up from a trusted documenting shredding service like Carolina Shred. Even organizations that utilize scheduled document destruction perform routine purge shredding to keep their files up to date, open space for new documents, and stay organized. Some of the things you should review every year include:

·         Archived files; those whose destruction dates have passed should be purged

·         Active files; sort through your active files to determine which should be archived and which should be purged

·         Permanent files; tax documents and other files (depending on your industry) may require permanent retention, but it’s still important to get them out of your desk drawer and into long-term, secure storage

While completing your annual purge, reference organizational policies and procedures as well as industry-specific retention laws to ensure you’re in compliance.

Schedule Retention and Document Destruction

Scheduled service refers to routine shredding of confidential documents that don’t need to be retained. Most organizations require a combination of scheduled service – perhaps weekly, monthly, or quarterly shred service – and purge services for their end-of-year document management processes.

For the most compliant and efficient document management practices, develop and utilize a retention schedule in your organization. A retention schedule is typically a simple table listing each type of document the organization handles, how often the organization has agreed to retain the document based on industry and legal guidelines, and how the document should be destroyed once it reaches its destruction date. A retention schedule provides a myriad of benefits: it provides the guidance new employees need to maintain compliance; ensures consistency across the organization; improves compliance with state and federal law; and serves as quick reference guide, limiting the time spent on document management practices overall.

Contact Carolina Shred

Carolina Shred provides safe and secure document destruction services to clients throughout the region, ensuring that your proprietary information as well as your employees’ and clients’ protected information is not left unsecured or discarded carelessly. With experience in even the most confidential industries and great customer reviews, Carolina Shred is an easy choice for individuals and business in the region.

Whether you’re seeking one time shred services, scheduled services, or guidance so you can make a decision that best protects your organization and its stakeholders, Carolina Shred’s qualified experts can provide exactly what you need. To learn more or schedule services, visit us online or call us at 866-SHREDUS today.