Key Questions to Ask a Potential Shredding and Destruction Partner

Picture if you will…

…After years of having to deal with in-house shredding, your company’s staff is cheering and high-fiving each other because the boss has decided to outsource your company’s document destruction to a professional. Finally, the frustration of DIY shredding is over!

The boss then turns to you and says, “Can you find us the best and perfect shredding company for our business to partner with?”

And you say, “I would love to, but …”

And just as you say the word “but” and all of your fellow co-workers have instantly slid back to their workspaces, the boss says, “Wonderful. I knew I could count on you. Let me know who you recommend in the morning.”

In the morning? Like, tomorrow morning? You don’t even know where to start, never mind how to find a suitable shredding company. Fortunately, you’ve come across this blog offering key questions to ask a potential shredding and destruction partner. So, you get on the phone and start asking these key questions:

1. What is your history in the shredding business?

Finding out how long the company has been in the secure shredding business is a good starting place to help you determine their experience level.

2. Can you provide client references?

Any reputable shredding company should be able to provide several customer references you can speak to. Also be sure to check out the prospective company’s online reviews for an unfiltered look at what their customers think of their service.

3. Do you offer mobile shredding?

A mobile shredding company that can destroy your documents on your premises, and allows you to witness them being shredded, can offer you both convenience and peace of mind that the information you have entrusted to them has been destroyed before it leaves your property.

4. Are you a NAID AAA Certified shredding company?

The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) requires shredding companies to have the highest security and ethical standards in the shredding industry in order to achieve NAID AAA Certification. This ensures that they meet or exceed state and federal privacy law requirements. Certified companies are subject to regular and surprise audits conducted by trained, accredited security professionals.

5. Does your company ensure a secure chain of custody?

The safety of confidential documents from the point of disposal to destruction is vital. Does the shredding company provide tamper proof shred collection containers to protect documents until they are shredded? Are staff screened and trained? Is a Certificate of Destruction provided to verify your information has been destroyed on a specific date and to a point that it can’t be reconstructed?

6. Do you recycle your shredded material?

Protecting the environment is an important factor when choosing a document destruction company. Recycling turns your shredded paper into new paper products while keeping the paper out of landfill sites where it generates greenhouse gases and must be replaced by new wood fibers. Help maintain a sustainable world by choosing a green shredding company.

7. Do you shred more than just paper?

Obsolete hard drives, backup tapes, and electronic devices need to be disposed of securely as well as in an environmentally-friendly manner. Shredding both hard copy and digital information under one roof will save you time and money. Since you will almost certainly need hard drive and media shredding at some point, choose a full-service shredding company that can destroy everything under one roof as well as recycle electronics.

Apex Shredding will happily answer any of these questions or others you may have about secure compliant shredding. We are a NAID AAA Certified shredding company serving Northern Colorado businesses. Call us at 907-532-5007 or complete the form on this page to ask us all about secure shredding and destruction.