The verdict in three sentences
A physical records storage company, in Amsterdam or Rennes, lives on three things: traceability of every box, fast retrievals and per linear metre billing with nothing missed. Market packages at 10,000 to 30,000 EUR cover storage well, but often impose their own client portal and pricing logic. A custom tool at 6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT, delivered in 10 to 14 weeks, makes sense once email requests exceed 300 a month or billing is still partly manual.
The features that drive a records company's margin
From the moment a box reaches the dock, through its shelf location, retrievals and destruction at the end of its retention period, every movement must be tracked and billed. That is where leaks get expensive.
| Feature | Common practice | With dedicated software | Estimated impact (2026 order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box and location barcodes | Labels, Excel register | Scan at every movement, full history | Misfiling below 0.1 % |
| Client portal | Requests by email or phone | Online search, retrieval and scan requests | 50 to 70 % fewer emails |
| Per linear metre billing | Manual quarterly count | Automatic calculation at 3 to 8 EUR per metre per month | 2 to 4 % of revenue recovered |
| Certified destruction | Paper list, Word certificate | Retention alerts, client approval, timestamped certificate | Disputes close to zero |
| Deliveries and retrievals | Paper slips | Planned routes, mobile signature | Delivery time tracked to the day |
| Scan on demand | PDFs sent by email | Secure upload to the portal, access log | GDPR compliance traceable |
Recovering 2 to 4 % of revenue reflects linear metres left unbilled or billed late, a frequent finding when counts are manual.
Records management package or custom tool
The choice depends mostly on volume, how demanding your clients are (public bodies, law firms, banks, hospitals) and your electronic archiving needs.
| Criterion | Market records package | Excel + email | Kolonell custom tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 10,000 to 30,000 EUR excl. VAT | Close to zero | 6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT |
| Annual cost | Licences and support 15 to 20 % of price | High admin time | Maintenance 110 EUR excl. VAT a month (Standard) |
| Client portal | Standard, your colours at best | None | Designed for your clients and rates |
| Rate card | Configurable within set limits | Manual | Any rule: metre, box, retrieval, urgency |
| Electronic archiving (NF Z42-013 / ISO 14641) | Often a separate module | No | Connector to a certified system |
| Deployment time | 2 to 4 months with migration | Immediate | 10 to 14 weeks |
An important point: NF Z42-013 and its international equivalent ISO 14641 apply to electronic archiving with legal evidential value. Physical records software does not need certification itself; if you offer electronic archiving, the safest route is to connect your tool to an already certified electronic archiving system rather than pursue a long and costly certification of your own.
What to prepare before the quote
- Your warehouse layout: aisles, bays, levels, with your current location format.
- Your actual rate card: linear metre, intake, retrieval, urgency, destruction, scanning.
- Movement volume: retrievals and delivery runs per month.
- Client requirements: some public clients require access logs and in-country hosting.
- Data migration: existing inventory in Excel or a legacy tool, cleaned before import.
Mini case study
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Yann runs a records storage company with 120,000 boxes, about 12,000 linear metres billed at an average 4.50 EUR a month. Storage revenue reaches 54,000 EUR a month. With manual counts, he estimates 2 % of linear metres escape billing, which is 1,080 EUR a month or nearly 13,000 EUR a year. His assistant also handles 400 retrieval emails a month at 5 minutes each, or 33 hours. A tool at 8,500 EUR excl. VAT plus 1,320 EUR of annual maintenance would pay for itself in under a year from recovered billing alone, provided the estimated gap is confirmed during the initial inventory.
FAQ
How much does custom records storage software cost in 2026?
With Kolonell, a complete tool with barcodes, client portal and billing costs 6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT. A multi-site project with an electronic archiving connector and a route app can reach 10,670 to 22,870 EUR excl. VAT.
Does the tool need NF Z42-013 certification?
Not for physical records management. The standard applies to evidential electronic archiving: we connect the tool to a certified system, which avoids a certification project of 12 months or more.
Can we keep our current barcode scanners?
Yes, most USB or Bluetooth scanners act as a keyboard. For the warehouse, a rugged Android terminal costs 300 to 700 EUR excl. VAT per unit.
How long does deployment take?
Allow 10 to 14 weeks: 2 weeks of scoping, 6 to 9 weeks of development, then 2 to 3 weeks of inventory migration and training.
What maintenance budget should we plan?
Our maintenance ranges from about 50 EUR (Basic) to 180 EUR (Premium) excl. VAT a month. For a site with an active client portal, the Standard level at 110 EUR is usually right.
Let's scope your project. Share your box volume and rate card: we price custom records software at 6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT with a 10 to 14 week schedule through our free quote request. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
