Paper shredding is a secure and permanent way to deal with sensitive information. Many companies fall victim to identity theft from something as simple as an old document. Shredding your documents is necessary for protecting sensitive information associated with your business.

Doing shredding yourself isn’t as simple as it seems. This blog post details some reasons why you should consider using a professional shredding company.

1. Shredding helps you stay responsible & compliant

Shredding sensitive documents isn’t enough. Paper shredding services go the extra mile and mix your bits of shredded paper with shredded documents from other companies. This extra step makes it difficult to piece information back together. Unfortunately, dumpster diving for sensitive information is still common. Mixing the shredding is essential for maximizing privacy and safely disposing of confidential information.

Shredding is a technique that’s compliant with most regulations for destroying personal information. Most businesses hire professional shredders to ensure the documents are properly destroyed and for peace of mind.

2. Outsourcing your shredding helps you save money

You might think doing your shredding in-office is as simple as getting a shredder; however, many hidden costs come with in-house shredding.

Not only do you have to make an initial investment in the shredding machine, but you also need to regularly buy disposal bags, pay for the additional electricity costs and perform regular maintenance on the unit. Your team already has enough to do without being assigned the duty of managing the shredder. A one time or regular shredding service helps you eliminate these costs and time burdens.

3. Shredding reduces your environmental footprint

Shredding is an excellent way to do your part for the environment. Shredding and then recycling your documents helps prevent paper from filling up landfills. Paper is among the most used materials today, so there’s no shortage of uses for your recycled records. Your shredded documents are quickly transformed into paper plates, paper towels, newspaper and other environmentally friendly products.

4. Ensuring your customer’s confidentiality creates a strong bond

Filling your customers in on how you handle sensitive data shows them you have their best interests in mind. Shredding sensitive documents significantly lowers your risk of suffering a data breach. Not only would your reputation suffer from a breach, but your customers would also become wary of doing business with you. Shredding documents is an excellent way to circumvent unwanted data leaks.

5. Shredding save you time

Another reason you should consider a shredding service is the time you’ll save. Shredding companies can arrive at your business and quickly destroy hundreds of pounds of paper in almost no time at all.

Hiring a shredding company saves your staff many unnecessary trips to the shredder and keeps them from fiddling around with paper jams. When you have your shredding in-house, you also have to spend time removing paper clips, staples, and safely disposing of the shredded paper.

On top of all that, it’s crucial to keep the shredding blades oiled and well maintained otherwise your shredder will stop working. Anyone who has worked in an office knows a few minutes at the photocopier or shredder is a welcomed reprieve from work. Outsourcing your shredding is an indirect way to increase employee productivity.

From a time, environmental and customer service perspective, a shredding service is an investment that’s well worth making. Using a shredding service takes the burden of destroying sensitive information out of your hands. In-house shredding disrupts workflow, creates a distraction and brings many unnecessary risks. The benefits of a shredding service far outweigh the costs!