Let’s face it, everyone has a business card these days. You can quickly accumulate quite a collection of the things, especially if you travel for a living or frequently attend seminars and trade shows. And where do they end up? Stuffed into a pocket or briefcase or stacked on your desk back at the office. Then someone comes into your office and accidentally knocks them all over. What a mess! Some of those contacts could be quite valuable, and now they’re scattered in unreachable places underneath a cabinet or desk.

So, what do you do? You buy a business card scanner. What is a business card scanner, you ask? Only the business person’s best friend! It permits you to scan and digitalize the data on business cards into a handheld scanner that connects to your computer via USB cable. No external power source needed. The scanner intuitively organizes that data into the appropriate fields in your contacts manager and stores it for future use. Pretty cool, eh? And, if your computer is part of a larger company network, the other members of your team can access that captured information as well. Think of how this will streamline your networking and marketing efforts, especially since business card scanners are capable of collecting data from hundreds of cards per hour. And, if your company is watching expenses, business card scanners are small enough to share.

These scanners use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to collect and process data. Data capture is not limited to business cards, either. Scanners can also extract information from driver’s licenses, medical insurance cards, personal identification cards, passports and checks. With so many companies initiating efforts to create a paperless office environment, these little devices can make a big contribution toward achieving that goal. (And toward achieving a more organized office!)

Why not consider purchasing a business card scanner for yourself? You just may be glad you did!