Buying Document Management Software: The Biggest Problems & Solutions

A paperless office environment is the next big thing in information management. Using document management software is the perfect way to edit, sort, organize, and distribute your documents. In fact, it won’t be wrong to say that this innovative technology is designed to help businesses:

  • Save time & resources
  • Become more organized
  • Streamline processes
  • Enhance productivity
  • Operate in multiple locations
  • Meet compliance requirements
  • Support remote staff
  • Speed up communications
  • Reclaim office space

Standing at the intersection of the information highway like a traffic cop, document management software enables you to effectively manage, index, sort, and direct the flow of information, liberating you from the ominous burden of managing mountains of papers.

Truly, a document management system (DMS) is a form of an electronic library that is easy to search, manage, and share. However, before switching over to a paperless work environment, it will help to identify the challenges you might face in the process and how to resolve them.

A Big Investment

True, a DMS can prove to be a big investment for a small business with limited resources and budget. Implementation issues must be anticipated before shifting to DMS. Cost continues to be the most obvious problem for small businesses since most of these turnkey solutions sell for thousands of dollars.

However, as per industry estimates, the return on investment from an imaging system is less than six months, which isn’t that long a time that would prevent you from transitioning to a digital environment. Moreover, given the advantages that accrue from the digitalization of information, making an investment in an electronic document management system is a rational decision even for small companies. It will pay off in the long run!

Resistance to Change

A DMS offers umpteen benefits to users after it becomes fully operational. However, the initial phase of document scanning, imaging, and storing can make the transition to digitalization difficult. The resistance to change is greater in employees, since it affects their productivity and draws their attention from other core activities.

Statistics reveal that 83% of knowledge employees lose their valuable time on document collaboration issues every day, which means significant losses in productivity. Moreover, since this revolutionary digital document management solution puts increased responsibility on the shoulders of information system managers, they are often resistant to change, considering the time and efforts it would take them to digitalize all the existing documents.

“Statistics reveal that 83% of knowledge employees lose their valuable time on document collaboration issues every day…”

However, preparing employees to take the big leap forward for this major advancement in information management will certainly prove to be a step in the right direction. The problem primarily arises as most businesses forget to pay adequate attention to version management, which is the root cause of the problem.

But the fact of the matter is that once things are set up and everybody is acquainted with the system, you cannot get better version control elsewhere. DMS provides an initial basis for implementing version control, enabling you to see which versions are saved where and by whom. This facilitates your task of looking for required versions.

Failing to Define Needs

Rushing out and investing in document management software may have its own pitfalls, especially if you do not first figure out the needs of your company. Overlooking your needs could have catastrophic consequences.

Spend some time to assess how many of your documents need to be digitalized before making a technology purchase decision. It is important to consider the paper size, type, text color, or highlighting as the most critical issues in a software purchase decision.

Sort out these issues before spending any money to make sure you are all set to make the right investment that actually meets your business requirements.

All in all, document management solution can prove extremely valuable to any paper-laden organization. When you can get all the information in a digital format, it makes it more searchable, findable, and shareable, thus proving more valuable to the organization.

So make proper preparations before jumping on the bandwagon of digitalization and spending lots of money on a revolutionary investment that will change the way you store information.

At ITQlick, our experts can help simplify the research for a smart document management system to help you make the right decision and streamline the business processes.

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