Although we live in the digital era and many companies want to “go paperless,” paper consumption is still incredibly high. The U.S. is one of the largest paper consumers in the world. Per capita, paper consumption in the U.S. is around six times greater than the world average.
One of the ways to consume less paper is for companies to use a document management solution. Here, we’ll explain what document management is and how you can benefit from a solution tailored to your industry and workflows.
What Is Document Management?
Document management is dedicated software and services that optimize and manage an organization’s document infrastructure. It handles the entire document output process, from capturing and indexing to security and archiving.
Companies that provide document management solutions offer a holistic approach for any organization that wants to explore its full document potential and reduce costs. They apply different technologies to increase communication, enhance productivity, save paper, and cut costs. To achieve this, document management providers combine software, hardware, strategic consultancy, and services while handling every aspect of document indexing, storage, retrieval, and security.
It’s natural to wonder why you would need document management if you already have managed print services. It’s important to clarify that document management is a solution with a different meaning.
Managed print services focus only on print operations and handle printers, office copiers, printing processes, and networks. Document management solutions, on the other hand, deal with how documents are managed, delivered, accessed, and stored.
What Are the Benefits of Document Management?
Here are the most important benefits of document management for any business to consider.
Reduced Costs
While some business owners may hesitate to implement document management solutions because of the perceived cost, the reality is that integrating document management software will reduce overhead. While there is an initial investment, reducing paper use, streamlining workflows, and enhancing productivity lead to a good return on investment (ROI) relatively quickly.
Enhanced Security
Keeping your information private is becoming harder all the time. If you deal with sensitive information daily, you want as much security as possible to ensure bad actors can’t access it. By implementing document management, you can lower the risk of data breaches. Authorized access to devices, rules and permissions settings and usage tracking are only some of the strategies for enhancing data security.
Improved Productivity
Employees often deal with unexpected malfunctions, administration issues, and tech support, which can take much of their time. With document management, you can optimize file storage and retrieval. Consequently, you enhance collaboration and allow your employees to focus on value-adding tasks.
Energy Efficiency
Document management can have an important role in making your organization more energy efficient. Once you consolidate your electronic data management, you’ll enjoy more energy efficiency and save money.
Efficient Information Processing
When workflows are streamlined, collecting and processing information becomes much easier and faster. As a result, you’ll have more detailed insight into your business operations. Based on this data, you can potentially make some changes and create value.
The Document Management Onboarding Process
It’s important to clarify that implementing document management should never be approached as a one-size-fits-all solution. An effective strategy needs to be tailor-made to fit your organization’s requirements. Onboarding document management into an organization typically consists of the following stages.
Assessment
During the assessment stage, the company you hire will observe and analyze your current document workflows, including how files are processed, indexed, stored, and retrieved. Based on their analysis, your chosen vendor will explore options for cost reduction, minimizing waste, and improving file processing and retrieval.
Developing a Solution
Your document management provider will use the data from the assessment stage to design a dedicated file organization and access solution for your company that best suits your needs. The solution should outline process development, software implementation, and file conversion services where necessary. This solution should match your organization’s goals, requirements, and budget.
Implementation
The third stage represents implementing the solution. Here, your chosen provider will install the necessary software and train your employees to use it efficiently according to pre-set indexing guidelines. This will be done with minimum disruption to your typical business operations.
Management
The process doesn’t end with implementing the solution. For optimized performance, cost efficiency, and reliability, your document management provider will offer continuing support and training. Additional oversight, new rules, permissions settings, and scaling your solution up or down can help you better leverage your new solution.
Optimization
What works for your company today may not be the best solution in a few months. Your organization evolves, and your document management solution should mirror those changes. Your partner will continue to monitor and analyze your business to come up with new ways to reduce costs, enhance productivity, and minimize waste. New strategies will be developed when necessary to improve data security and prevent information breaches.
Reap the Benefits of Document Management
A document management solution can transform the way you conduct business. Implementing these services gives you a new level of control over your costs as well as file management, access, and security. The solutions designed specifically for your company can enhance your employees’ productivity and overall job satisfaction.
If you’re looking for a reliable document management solution and do business in the New York, Totowa, Pennsauken, Edison, or Ft. Washington areas, contact Docutrend. We offer tailored technology solutions that can help you organize and grow your business.