Making the selection of right
document management system for your business can be a tedious decision. As they have the power to transform completely the way your business operates. Whether you are in search of a better to manage electronic files or solving a paper problem, there is a need of right system that can provide a wide range of benefits for businesses regardless of their size.
Let’s consider an example that yours is a business whose employees spend a majority of their office time for the retrieval and filing of the documents, or you are among those who invest good amount of money on monthly basis for warehousing old paper records, searching for an efficient document management system may tend to be a right decision for you as well as your business.
As you begin with the process of searching through numerous systems, you should be aware of one distinction that sets document management software apart from that of document imaging systems. The main difference between these two things is that imaging systems comprises of tools that aids in converting paper records into the electronic files, on the other hand document management software is implemented for managing the digital files.
A good number of "document imaging" software applications are available in the market today. From traditional imaging scanner companies, to software companies, to corporate banks, everyone wants to have the perfect solution for their problems of paper management. But before you decide to switch for a document management system process, there are some simple steps to follow that will help in reducing frustration and refine your search to get the best possible solution:
1. Understand and record your paper process first: you should be aware about the working of your process as well as the content involved. Further, you can start looking for the technology that will speed up these processes to the maximum.
2. Define the group: you should make a wise decision while choosing personnel for the evaluation of the potential document management system. Typically, companies rely on System Support Technicians/ Subject Matter Experts/Records Management/ Management people, but you can go for the one you think best suited for the job.
3. Have a decision-making process: The most prominent task is to decide on a process at the beginning, share the entire process with the people involved, and follow the same for making a final decision.
4. Set-up evaluation criteria: Prepare an excel sheet or template comprising of the required solutions pertinent to your needs. Every product that needs to be evaluated would either address or exceed your needs. A few considerations to be made for the evaluation of different potential vendors:
- What is the background of the company?
- Do their products match industry standards?
- What is the product’s market size?
- Which solid project references for the company are in question?
- Whether the company is financially stable?
- How much experience the company is having in implementation for the solution that you need?
5. Final Evaluation: you should perform a complete analysis for the data and solution for determining the features important for you application and prioritize them respectively. Once you have decided on your priorities, add their corresponding values in the feature grid. This is the right time you can go ahead with your decision on the system.
Choosing the adequate system can transform your business and the way it is carried completely. All you need to do is follow the given steps and you will be prepared for making a decision on a document management system, which will surely benefit your business in many ways.