Almost every office is full of files and folders that demand maintenance on daily basis. Many companies are working to create a paperless working environment to reduce the hassle of managing massive amounts of paper files.
A document management system is specialized software that manages, stores and tracks electronic documents throughout an organization. A good document management system will also feature document workflow software, which gives you the ability to automate tasks and manual processes. Tasks in a workflow may include approvals, onboarding, distributing documents or forms, adding information or transferring data.
If you are looking for ways to introduce a paperless culture in your office, then here are three things you need to consider before choosing a document management solution:
Integration of Document Management Solution
If you want your productivity levels to increase and your ROI to be strong, then you should invest in a document management system, which is integrated with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
Here you need to understand that there are different types of integrations available. The most common one is the synchronization of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and document management solutions. This way, you can easily view documents and index them using the application.
If you want to streamline the process, do not install a system that requires you to do indexing manually. This kind of software does not provide you the option to digitize documents beforehand.
Three important things that you need to consider are:
- Is it actually helping you in streamlining the process? (Most software only let you file your documents after the procedure is complete)
- Will you be able to index the documents automatically so that you can retrieve then in the future?
- Will you be able to easily and quickly access your documents?
Scalability
The document management solution proves to be beneficial in the long run only if it is scalable and extensible. It is important that the system that you choose grows with your organization. This growth is not only related to document management but also to the number of users your system can support.
A good document management solution allows you to buy the functionality that you need at the moment and to expand it later when your usage of software increases.
Specifications of the Software
The last and most important step is to know everything that you need for document management solution. Here are a few things to check before you invest in a document management solution:
- Your DMS must be able to recognize all file formats
- Your DMS should automatically recognize Metadata
- Your DMS can easily link all business processes to your records
In all 3 cases, you need to determine which documents need to be saved and which need to be archived. A good document management solution will provide immediate access to data and improve overall efficiency of your company.