Managing paper documents can be an organizational nightmare, but when electronic documents multiply, the problem is even worse. Electronic documentation now outpaces paper, and businesses must use a structured document management system or risk losing valuable information.
Document Management Advantages
Think of the many ways documents enter your business. Paper documents still arrive in the mail, and electronic documents flood inboxes on a daily basis. A document management solution gives your organization a way to capture, convert, distribute, and store both electronic and paper documents from the moment they enter your workflows.
Here’s how a document management system can bring new efficiencies to your organization:
Fast access
How much time do your employees require to find a document using your current system? The average is about 20 minutes per document; when multiplied by just six documents a day, that’s two hours each workday spent searching for information.
A document management system recoups that valuable time, allowing users to access documents in just a few seconds. Your employees can spend less time searching for information and more time doing something with it.
Improved collaboration
Document management systems give your organization one centralized storage repository for every document. Your staff can access information and collaborate from any location. Version control features ensure that everyone is working with updated information—a far cry from searching through emails only to find out your team has been working with an outdated document.
Enhanced security
Lost documents inhibit productivity, but that’s not your only concern. Privacy regulations dictate how your company handles protected information, with stiff penalties for noncompliance. A document management system provides tools that make compliance much easier, and features that track user access and changes can help prove that you’ve followed applicable laws. Security solutions that limit access to authorized personnel also protect your documents from theft.