While you may now know how to choose the best virtual data room service, how do you know if you need a secure document management system? Here are some hypothetical situations:
- If your search for the latest version of a contract turns into a game of where’s waldo? or Pokemon-Go! then you may need a document management system.
- If you rely on your trips to the printer, file cabinet and mail room to get in your ”˜daily steps’…then you may need a document management system.
- If you arrive at work one day to find the file room flooded from a burst pipe, and your manager gives you a soggy box to sort through…then you may need a document management system.
Although we’ve offered a humorous perspective to catch your attention, we recognize document management is challenging. A document management system (DMS) can save you time and money while protecting your documents and improving operational efficiency. With a DMS, however, you’ll need to find another way to get your steps in for the day.
The usefulness of a DMS extends far beyond digital storage. A robust DMS offers a full suite of software for creating, scanning, storing, indexing, protecting, retrieving, and tracking your documents, forms, and files. A secure document sharing solution alone is worth investing in- you know how many creeps there are on the internet? Here are a few of the many reasons why you need a document management system:
1. A Document Management System Saves You Time
You may have read dozens of statistics about how much time professionals spend looking for documents. We’re not going to quote them herebecause we can’t find the original research (the Internet would benefit from a DMS!).
But we know you’ve spent time searching for the latest version of a contract, typing in a keyword that should work but fails to locate it in the shared drive folder, checking your email archives and feeling the sweat start to trickle down your back when you can’t find it. A DMS provides a logical organizational structure to make file retrieval easy and while streamlining your workflow.
2. A Document Management System Saves You Money
A DMS reduces your paper dependency. You save money spent directly on printing (paper, ink, machine maintenance), but also reduce the ancillary costs of handling all that paper — shipping (envelopes, postage), and storage (file cabinets, file folders, room rental).
With a enterprise document management system, the time (and labor cost) used to manage documents is redirected toward more purposeful activities. Whether you’re a startup or a thriving corporation, saving money is always a bonus.
3. A Document Management System Protects Your Documents
The stress of deleted, destroyed or damaged documents slideaway with a DMS. Enhanced security features such as watermarks, check-in/check-out tracking, version tracking, and permissions give you control over who can access documents, who’s made changes and what changes were made.
Having improved accountability, particularly in industries with regulatory compliance requirements, also protects your organization. Here’s a screenshot of what the Document Management System looks like from our platform:
4. A Document Management System Improves Efficiency
Collaboration becomes easier with a DMS, which allows multiple team members including those off-site to work on documents. Access is available 24/7 to accommodate geographically dispersed teams.
A DMS can provide automated workflows to share a document in the right order to the right people, capturing revisions and electronic signatures as it travels. And workflows can facilitate invoicing and payments.
With your team able to focus on growing the business, money saved on printing and storage repurposed for development, and customers pleased with your team’s responsiveness and your commitment to sustainability, you’ll reap the benefits of your document management system. And since your DMS is scalable, it will grow with you.
Contact us to let us show you how a document management systemor virtual data room can help you reach your 2018 goals.
