You’ve made the decision to move on from paper and go digital with your documents. You’ve decided it’s time to turn to document management to capture, manage, store, and track electronic versions of all of your documents. Smart move: by now, you know going paperless will optimize document handling, improve access to the data within them, and streamline searches for files while enhancing the security of your confidential information. The only thing left to decide is which document management solution is right for your business and its workflows.
When shopping around for a document management partner, here are some considerations to help you do your homework and choose the solution that best fits your needs.
Scalability – You expect your business to grow in the future, so your document management solution should be able to grow as well to continue to meet your needs as your business expands. You don’t want to change software down the road because a solution isn’t flexible enough to evolve along with your company. Choose a solution that is scalable and can accommodate expansion.
User-friendliness – A document management solution won’t provide you with the benefits you expect if it’s too complicated for your staff to use. Hence, be sure to find a solution that doesn’t require hours of intensive training, is easy to use, and has an intuitive file structure. This will help ensure buy-in from your staff and maximize your ROI.
Integration – Your document management solution must be able to integrate with the programs your business already uses. Whether it’s your customer relationship management software (CRM), email client, or your own Application Programming Interface (API), choose a partner that can easily integrate with your other existing tools for an easy, seamless launch.
Security – Robust security options should be at the top of the list of features of any technology you’re thinking of investing in. Your document management solution should have permissions and security features to limit access and adequately protect your information.
Price – While you don’t want to bargain hunt for something as important to your business as a document management solution, you also don’t want to spend more than you can afford. Find a solution that checks off all the boxes without biting off more than you can chew financially.
Document management is a marvelous technology that can end your reliance on paper documents to improve efficiency, collaboration, and security. However, there is no shortage of options when it comes to document management providers these days, and choosing the right solution for your needs can be complicated. So be sure to do your homework and factor in these considerations during your shopping.