The Cost of "I Can Do It Myself"

Every parent has cringed at one time or another when their child announces "I can do it myself." Sure, they can but it often takes longer and isn't as precise. Yet, how are we to learn if we don't try on our own? 

And sometimes doing it yourself is better and more rewarding. Often it is less expensive, too. 

But is it? 

When it comes to document destruction, consider these three questions when deciding whether to "do it yourself" and purchase an office shredder or calling Data Guardian for a confidential document destruction quote: 

Labor
Usually the most expensive factor in our business are employee costs. The manager needs to consider how much it costs, salary and benefits, for your staff to shred their own confidential documents. And don't forget to add the time they are NOT doing core business work. Many firms use a cleaning service or landscapers to provide a clean and neat working environment. These business owners have calculated the benefit of service providers. 

Security
Are your employees destroying confidential documents routinely? Daily? Hourly? Or is there a pile of papers on the corner of desk or in an empty paper box waiting to be shredded? You are doing the right thing by ultimately destroying confidential information, receipts or identifying data but you still incur a risk of who might see it before your employee puts it through the machine. Having a third-party destroy your documents regularly forms a paper trail that reduces your liability as well. 

Maintenance
You know the chaos when the office printer goes down so you'd best plan on basic maintenance for your shredder. Depending on how much you invest on the front end, a business owner can expect to spend up to $10 a month for oil, cleaning kit and supplies (like bags). The average office shredder will last 36 months. Be sure to include annual maintenance and supplies when pricing a shredder.

Data Guardian customers have found the convenience, the low cost and the reassurance of security to be profound reasons for using our service. Before you purchase more office equipment, give us a call to learn if there is a better way. Submit a pricing request or contact us at 877.739.5913 today for pricing and details.