Customer-facing services at the Municipality of Peel en Maas had already been fully digitised. The next step was to optimise and digitise internal work processes. In January 2019, Archive-IT began digitising environmental permits, soil files, and BSGW files. This resulted in faster and more efficient workflows. What made this project unique was that an Archive-IT employee prepared the files for scanning on-site before digitisation took place.
Working more efficiently
The Municipality of Peel en Maas was formed through the merger of the former municipalities of Helden, Kessel, Meijel, and Maasbree. To improve digital services for internal staff, the municipality decided to digitise its files. Archive-IT’s approach and service offering aligned best with the municipality’s needs. Toos Wilms, archivist at Peel en Maas, explains: “Our service provision is entirely digital, and paper files no longer fit into that. Moreover, a digital file is much easier to locate and significantly more secure than a paper version.”
Digitisation on location
Eljesa Muzlijaj, Services employee at Archive-IT, was responsible for cleaning up the files at the municipality in Panningen. She explains how the process works: "At the moment, I’m working on cleaning and digitising the Environmental Facilities files. These contain a wide range of documents with various layouts. That’s why it’s important to go through them carefully and classify them correctly under the appropriate tabs. We then compile the documents and link them to the corresponding decision date. This way, it’s immediately clear in the digital version which documents belong together."
Attention to detail
Once all files have been digitised, they are stored at Archive-IT on pallet level for a further three years. Toos Wilms explains: "During this period, we check for any uncertainties and ensure everything runs smoothly within the digital archive. If everything functions as expected, we draw up a destruction declaration and the physical files are securely destroyed. This ensures a reliable and well-organised archive."
Pleasant collaboration
The Municipality of Peel en Maas and Archive-IT have now been working together for over half a year. Toos Wilms says: "The cooperation with both Eljesa and Archive-IT is going really well. Eljesa has become a valued colleague within the municipality and we are very pleased with the work she has delivered so far. The way we’ve jointly discussed the execution of the project with Archive-IT has also been very smooth. We broke the project down into smaller phases and discussed the best approach for each part."
Results
- Accelerated and improved work processes
- File contents now comply with retention and disposal schedules
- Digital files are far quicker to access than physical ones
- Files are securely stored in compliance with GDPR