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According to a report issued by Canon Business Process Services, New York, only 15 percent of business executives surveyed said their organizations had implemented a risk assessment to determine appropriate retention periods for their documents. Such an assessment offers these companies the opportunity to reduce risks associated with noncompliance with applicable regulations and to improve their litigation preparedness. This need also creates a consultative sales opportunity for commercial records and information management companies. Education is the cornerstone of the consultative approach to sales, helping to attract and maintain clients. As Marylee Jacobs, vice president of Crown Shredding, Winter Haven, Fla., reminds readers in her article “Scheduled Disposition” in the September/October 2012 issue of SDB: “If you can provide useful information to make your clients’ lives easier, you will be in a much better position to gain and retain their business.” Jacobs writes that retention schedules and policies should be viewed as dynamic and not static. “In other words, the retention schedule should be reviewed periodically (approximately every 12 to 18 months) to determine if there have been any legal changes concerning retention periods.” She also advises updating the records classification system on the same schedule to reflect changes in a company’s business and record classes. Jacobs encourages her clients to consider input from as many members of their teams as possible, writing, “If a company has representation from different business segments from throughout the organization, it is less likely to miss a document type. Explain to your client how this is an opportunity for all employees to support the organization and to have direct input in shaping their employer’s policies.” Jacobs cautions that a retention schedule is unique to the business developing it and must consider federal and state regulatory requirements, contractual obligations, intellectual property requirements and statutes of limitations as well as business considerations. If your company’s experience in helping clients establish records retention schedules is limited, I suggest you read Jacobs’ article for additional information so that you can begin addressing this need for your customers. If your company is adept at assisting clients in developing records retention schedules, I invite you to share your suggestions for facilitating this process with us on Twitter using the hashtag #retentionadvice. |
