There are over a dozen important benefits to look for when contracting a document shredding service. Hopefully this list will help you to make sure all of your requirements are met and that you get the best deal. A good shredding company does not need to have to meet all of these criteria, but this should give you a good idea of what a competitive service offers.
- Frequency – How often will the shredding company perform shred services? Some companies need services a few times per week while others may only need services every few months. Most companies are somewhere in-between requiring weekly or monthly pickup, with the option for call in service.
- Is Call In Service Available? If you need to schedule an immediate extra shred job due to an unusually large volume of paper in a specific time-frame, does the company offer call in service outside of the regular schedule? If so, what time frame will the guarantee?
- Storage Containers – Does the company provide free storage containers? Do these containers lock? Do they look good? If they are going to be used inside the office, are they furniture quality? Does the shredding company provide enough containers? Will they help you strategically place the containers on-site for ease of use? Also, will they provide you with additional consoles if needed and will there be any extra charges?
- Is The Company NAID Certified? NAID is the National Association of Information Destruction. They require each company to meet strict security standards before they are get certification. NAID is the top association in the shredding industry and they have a lot of resources to help both their member companies and the businesses that they serve. Ask if the company is NAID certified.
- Certificate of Destruction Does a representative provide you with a Certificate of Destruction upon completion of shredding services? A Certificate of Destruction is a legal document issued after a paper has been shredded by a shredding company that provides evidence that every document has been totally destroyed. It should be signed by the company rep., Document the date and method of destruction, date of destruction and include a reference number. This an important legal record for proof of compliance with state and federal laws and should be kept on file. Keep in mind It does not completely absolve the company of all responsibility though. Some companies provide certificates every time while others may provide certificates with monthly invoices.
- Live Observation – Can the shredding process can be witnessed in real time by your company representative. Many modern shredding trucks have viewing monitors so that you can watch a little screen and see your media being shredded.
- Contracts – Are There Long-Term Service Contracts To Sign? The good news is many shredding companies do not use these hard-binding contracts (Like our good friends in the cell phone business). Make sure you are comfortable with the terms of service and if they want you to sign a long term contract, you should know there are many very reputable shredding companies that do not require any contracts.
- Do You Have To Pay Up Front To Start The Service? Shredding is competitive and many top companies will not require you to pay any start-up fees or initial costs of any kind to get your service started.
- Will They Destroy Other Media? Is the shredding service capable of destroying all your confidential office waste? Many offices generate all sorts of confidential data in forms other than plain paper. Hospitals may generate X-rays, some companies may generate CD's. While this is short work for any shredding truck there are some materials that may require special equipment. For example, do they offer hard drive destruction? This may not be necessary, but can be a useful service if your organization uses many computers.
- Are the shredding personnel bonded and insured? You want to have some sort of insurance in place, especially if you are a large company.
You may want to refer to this checklist when you are talking to a shredding company representative.