A Guide to Choosing a Document Management System for Small Business
Despite the digital world we live in, documents remain the lifeblood of a business, and the method of keeping and managing records for quick and easy retrieval is paramount to a business’s success. Before computers, businesses kept paper records stored in file cabinets, which, while effective, used a considerable amount of space and time. Today, in the digital age, a business must rely on an effective electronic document management system (DMS) to create, organize, store and manage pertinent files that are essential to the business as a whole.
Essential Components of DMS It is important to choose a DMS that meets the needs of your business. In selecting the best system, you must know the essential components and select accordingly. You will also have to decide whether you want a system on-site or one that is cloud-based. Essential components to consider in choosing your business DMS should include: • Storage: This could be onsite, or cloud-based, and will be a huge factor in deciding what is best for your business. Given that many businesses may not have the infrastructure to support onsite servers, cloud-based may be your best option.
• Search Method: You will need to find needed information so the system should have a way of navigating and finding it easily and quickly. Most effective systems leverage metadata and tags will help organize files, as well as built-in search engines to easily and rapidly find information.
• Permissions: This will determine who gets access to files on the system as many of your business’s records may be confidential or proprietary and not suitable for all members of your organization to view. This is an important component of hospital and clinic management software as well as legal practice management software.
• Monitoring: To allow you to see who accesses the files. • Versioning Tools and Control: To track edits made and recover old versions of documents if needed. This is important as it can help troubleshoot or mitigate any clerical errors that could affect your business.
• Controls to determine when documents become outdated and should be deleted. • Mobile device support to allow mobile access for sharing.
Additional Features and Considerations for an Effective Management System In choosing a DMS, it is important to consider what is important for your specific business needs and what else you would need to succeed.
• Cloud storage and connectivity: While storage was previously discussed, it is important to ensure that your digital infrastructure can support the needs of cloud-based technology. Although on-site servers can be cumbersome and require additional space and upkeep, a sub-par internet connection can hinder the true benefits the cloud can offer.
• Scanning Ability: While most business is done electronically, there are still many hard copies of documents used in business; especially in the healthcare and legal fields. For new businesses transitioning to a digital document management system, scanning features will play a vital role in getting you fully digital and organized.
• Built-In Creator-Editor: To allow you to create and edit documents without the trouble of having to download and reload them after editing, a built-in editor tool is crucial. This seemingly simple application can save hours of downloading/uploading time and space on your system’s hard drives.
• Universal Format Support: We all know how frustrating it can be to receive files in multiple formats only to find that a system or editing software doesn’t recognize them. Universal format support will ensure that no matter if you are dealing in .doc, .docx, PDFs or JPEGs you will be able to access, organize and retrieve the files without incident.
Prominent Benefits of Virtual Document Management Solutions As noted, space and time saving are some of the most evident benefits of a DMS, but there are certainly more to consider. Ease in document access leads to a less stressed workforce, which means employees are more content and healthy. An effective DMS also has proven to lead to higher productivity as time is not wasted with mundane clerical work that once required additional energy and perhaps labor. A paperless business means less overhead on things such as office supplies, and of course a smaller carbon footprint. And lastly, with the level of security and authorization requirements offered by DMS solutions, your documents not only easily shareable but secure.
Document management systems are without a doubt the most important software solutions your company can invest in and are often the first building block to other solutions that make businesses succeed. The key to any software solution success, outside of proper use and implementation, is integration. If a system can’t interact with the other solutions your business currently uses, then you risk lapses in productivity, poor communication, and data silos – where information is not freely shared between solutions. To counteract this, as well as implement a system that benefits the unique needs of your company, business owners and managers should turn to custom software developers. Companies, like Chetu, are able to not only integrate your current DMS with other software in your solution suite but also build on to it with services and functionalities not originally offered. Additionally, for those looking to have a truly tailor-made system that expands its business, Chetu can build a solution from the ground up with all of your company’s needs in mind.
Whether you are looking to customize current solutions or build your own, it is important to pick a custom software developer that has expertise in both DMS solutions as well as your specific industry. With experience in over 40 industries, Chetu can build or modify the DMS solution your business’s needs, whether you are a healthcare provider looking for HIE software, an engineering firm, a law firm, a school/university or a small business, custom software solutions from Chetu can help your business thrive in the digital age.
Contact Us: 10167 W. Sunrise Blvd. Suite 200 Plantation, FL 33322 Phone:
(954) 342 5676
Website:
https://www.chetu.com/