Whether you’re considering a document management system (DMS) for your company for the first time or improving your existing system, focusing on these five best practices can result in a more effective and successful solution.
Five DMS Best Practices
- Set Goals and Identify Key Performance Indicators – Many companies that implement a document management system don’t set tangible, measurable goals, or a way to measure progress. Because a DMS has so many applications, it’s important to be specific. Some examples: are you trying to help users find documents more quickly? Improve collaboration? Be sure to specify KPIs to measure progress toward specific goals.
- Prioritize Which Processes and Systems to Automate – One of the biggest benefits of digital document management is automation and reducing the time and effort needed to complete everyday business processes manually. Focus on those processes that are most important like leveraging accounting systems to capture payment discounts, or improving customer response times, for example.
- Consider Additional Automation Opportunities – Once you’ve decided what to automate first, look for additional ways to streamline workflows, for example, integrating data capture with databases, applications, and notifications. By automating how you capture documents, you can make them easily searchable and by using workflows, intelligently detect document types to automatically route them to the correct department or person.
- Improve and Eliminate Paper-Based Processes – Many businesses make the error of trying to duplicate paper processes digitally. A DMS allows you to improve processes to eliminate the inefficiencies of paper. Ask why you used a process in the past, and if those steps are necessary in the new digital context.
- Keep it Simple – A DMS is designed to solve problems, buy every feature doesn’t need to be included on every screen. An effective system is customizable to show only the most useful features to meet each individual’s needs. Keeping the interface simple makes it easier to accomplish necessary tasks without overwhelming users with irrelevant details.
Document management can help you streamline your workflows, simplify processes, and grow your business. Give us a call today and let us show you how a well implemented document management system can make a difference to your business.
