6 Things to Keep in Mind While Choosing a Document Management Business Software
Written by Jigar Patel
May 7, 2021
Document Management System
The traditional method of handling the documents is not the best approach in today's world. Companies are finally acknowledging the benefits of incorporating a document management system to amp up organisational efficiency. According to research by the Association for intelligent information management (AIIM), there will be a significant rise in the volume of data and information adding into an organization up to 4.5x by the year 2022. Having a full-fledged robust document management system is a dire need of any company to function correctly. Therefore, if you are considering getting a new document management system for your company but cannot make a suitable choice, here is a comprehensive guide to choosing the best document management business software. Let's get started.
Why does choosing the right software matter for your business?
With so many files and documents come great challenges. A few of them are:
Unorganized databases
Messy desktops
Cluttered network drives
And so much more…
The hassle is quite evident since information without a proper document management system will be scattered within the teams and individuals. This way, there is a high risk of missing, outdated, or even mishandling the documents, resulting in a massive loss for your company.
This also hinders the workflow of the company and thereby degrades productivity and efficiency. Compliance risks are another significant risk that can prove consequential financial liability if not appropriately treated. Comprising such essential documents is not even an option here.
Thus, it is crucial to choose the right document management business software for your company to prevent such mishaps.
What are the six things to keep in mind while choosing a document management business software?
Here is a list of factors that you should consider before investing in document management software. This list will prove as a checklist and will help you in making a suitable decision. Let's check them out. Security
Be it any industry, the security and safety of the files and folders are an absolute necessity. There is no way you can compromise even the slightest bit here and get away with it. According to the BBC news, the recent data breach that occurred in the largest financial institutions in the US has affected over 100 million people.
Even at the most basic level, various confidential documents are present on both the client and the company site. Having an ethical and fiduciary obligation is essential to maintain the safety of the data adequately. An ideal document management system should include:
Audit trail
Role-based access
Encryption
Revision indexing
Support Secure Socket layer(SSL) security
Nowadays, most companies wish to have stringent control over their documents and require the instant deletion of the data upon delivery to maintain confidentiality. Thus, managing the file retention actions is essential to keep the regulations and laws. Scalability
As your company grows, new requirements and customer expectations rise. Having a document management system that can plan for scalability is another very essential factor you should consider.
If you do have better growth and profit but do not have the right technology to handle all of it, you will eventually incur losses. Thus, a document management system that can advance and deliver as per the changing customer demands is essential. This helps in better agility in the near future.
Collaborative Features
Let's not forget one of the most important goals for any company to flourish – Collaboration and communication. There have been countless times when employees tend to miscommunicate or misunderstand certain aspects of a company, leading to severe repercussions.
A good document management business software has various collaborative functions, which also facilitates remote working. The collaborative function includes a cloud-hosted platform that guarantees centralized access control amongst the employees. This will enable a systematic approach and easy access to all the required files and documents regardless of any possible geographic location. This eventually aids in better communication and collaboration within documents that keep all the team members or employees on the same page and prevent miscommunication. Frequent Backups
Document disasters like sudden deletion or formatting of the system can result in the loss of essential documents. This can adversely affect the overall company venture to a massive extent, and therefore, adequate measures should be taken to prevent such unwanted situations.
The best document management business software ensures consistent data backup, which will increase reliability and a sense of assurance even during the worst scenarios like document loss. You can easily retrieve from the backup stored, which is an incredible feature of a document management system. Simple User Interface
Using a document management system regularly is important for many reasons. Thus, if the system has haphazard designs with improper placement of visual cues and other typographies, it is certainly very complex to navigate properly.
A good document management system should have a simplistic user interface that will be easier to use. This will help in easier navigation through the different commands and help access the requirements quickly without wasting any effort figuring out the system's whereabouts. Integration Capabilities
There are several administrative tasks in a company that is mostly handled by the document management system. Your company might already have many internal processes either additionally installed or added. Thus, it is highly crucial for a document management system to seamlessly integrate with the inbuilt functions like CRM, accounting, etc. This helps in a consistent and thorough process which improves the overall efficiency. It is advisable to have a checklist of all the most frequently used processes and applications and compare their compatibility with the document management system.
Final Thoughts
Even though choosing the right document management business software can be overwhelming and confusing, these few tips and tricks will help make the right choice for your company. The benefits of a good document management system are not something we are unaware of. Thus, leveraging the power of such incredible technologies like a document management system rightfully will directly help in growing the overall growth and profit of the company.