Document Shredding – Things to Consider When Choosing Shredding Service

There are over a dozen important benefits to look for when contracting a document shredding service. A good shredding company doesn’t necessarily have to meet all of these criteria, but this should give you a good idea of what a competitive service offers. A good shredding company doesn’t necessarily have to meet all of these criteria, but this should give you a good idea of what a competitive service offers by the selected company.

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 wills 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 to strategically place the containers on-site for ease of use? Also, will they provide you with additional consoles if needed and will there be charges?

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 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 document shredding trucks have viewing monitors so that you can watch a little screen and see your media being shredded.

You may want to refer to this checklist when you are talking to a shredding representative.