When most businesses think of archives, they make think of tax records or personnel files. But a well-managed archive is much more than that. Archival services can give business abilities that they would never have otherwise. An archive ensures that assets are not just safe, but can be efficiently and quickly be accessed for use. Most companies commonly think that they have to be ‘old’ or well established before using archival services. The truth is that most companies can benefit from these services, whether they were established 10 years ago or 200 years ago. If your company is to stay competitive, innovative and forward-looking, you must recognize that heritage is a strong asset and a formal process is required to manage it.
Here are just a few benefits of use-driven archives:
* Protect assets that you can put to use any time
* Increase the value of your product with authenticity and detail
* Maximize efficiency company-wide by having direct access to assets
* Develop a structure for what to save, what not to save and how to collect
Use-Driven archives support the following strategic needs:
* New hire orientation
* Engagement and alignment
* Legal support
* Marketing and sales
* Mergers & acquisitions
* Leadership transitions
* Knowledge management
* Branding and identity
* Community relations
* Product development
* Upcoming milestones
* Change
What an archive contains
An archive contains assets that businesses are not legally required to preserve, but will provide insight into who the organization was at any given time in the past. Some call this the “inventory of experience”. The value is not only what the archive contains, but how it’s accessed. It’s important to not only have this information but be able to quickly and efficiently access it. The information should be organized in a hierarchical, flexible structure that can accommodate growth. Here are just some items that an archive should contain:
* People and products
* Images and stories
* News clippings
* Press releases
* Newsletters
* Milestones and events
* Philanthropy
* Organization charts
* Video and photos
* Manuals
* Policies and procedures
* Press kits
* Products and services
* Promotional merchandise
* Product manuals
* Memorabilia
* Speeches
* Research and development files
* Histories
* Trademarks and patents
* Statistics and key data
This may seem like an overwhelming task, to organize all of your company’s data and organize it so it is easily accessible and usable. That’s where archival services can help. They will help you build your story and organize all of your assets so you can have access to it anytime you wish.
The History Factory offers archival services by specialists who will help you and your company build a story that is valuable to both you and your customers. To know more information visit Website.