Companies with vast data to sort or file often have issues with categorizing and accessing information from multiple silos. The problem can be so bad that over half of office workers spend more time looking for documents than responding to emails. Luckily, data management systems exist for the sole purpose of improving office productivity. But even then, the most advanced document management system won’t help you much unless you use it properly. Here are the core benefits and practices for using these systems.
Benefits of Implementing Document Management Systems
File management systems are a natural result of the human brain’s proclivity to establish patterns and keep them organized. Even companies that solely use paper filing have some sort of record-keeping system to ensure they generally know where files are located.
However, digitizing documents can significantly improve how quickly employees can find what they need when they need it.
Centralizing Access and Search
Traditional filing systems rely on separating documents across physical and digital repositories (filing cabinets, PCs, external hard drives). This might seem intuitive in theory, since it keeps similar documentation and filing in its own category where you can find it quicker, but practice proves different. According to a study, an average worker takes 18 minutes to find a document.
By implementing a document management system, you can centralize most, if not all, of your files on one platform. The digital indexer can then search for all the files relatively quickly.
Reducing Waste
Digitizing your documents can save waste in multiple ways. First, it reduces how much paper filing and handling equipment you need. You will need fewer filing cabinets, as well as less office space to store all your vital paperwork.
But more importantly, keeping your files digital allows everyone in the office to share documents digitally. Ideally, you won’t have to print a paper multiple times to disseminate it to key team members, instead relying on a digital version easily accessible on their computer to keep everyone involved.
Additionally, having documents stored in digital form allows them to be updated without spending even more resources to print and distribute new copies. Considering that some statistics show that up to 50% of office waste is composed of paper, digitizing records can do wonders to reduce a company’s environmental footprint.
Improved Collaboration
With the rise of remote and hybrid office work, companies have to rethink how they store and distribute documentation. Storing all vital paperwork inside a single office might not be feasible when key personnel are spread across the nation or even the world.
Digitizing documents and keeping them on a single online platform allows every employee to access and contribute to the information repository. It allows the entire team to collaborate on projects seamlessly and keep track of a document’s progress throughout its pipeline.
Furthermore, if the document management system has version history tracking, management can quickly see how the file has changed over the course of its lifetime. Additionally, the file could be retrieved in case it ever gets accidentally removed or lost.
Improved Safety and Security
Digitizing your documents improves their security in two ways.
First, since the physical documents can be stored in a single location, you can ensure that they are kept under lock and key and in safe environmental conditions. The latter might not be seen as important, but many places lose access to vital files in natural disasters and can never recover them.
Secondly, a secure document management system can implement various security protocols to prevent files from being accessed without authorization or need. They can be secured with passwords to prevent misuse and improve a company’s cybersecurity efforts.
Maintaining Compliance
Laws can change at any time, and your documents have to be regularly updated to ensure they meet the newest compliance standards. If you don’t have a clear overview of your vital operating files, you can’t be certain whether they are fully updated.
With a document management system, you can easily find those files and keep them updated year after year. It also ensures that you can have them available for any audits.
Best Document Management Practices
As mentioned, a document management system is a tool you can use to improve productivity and reduce paper waste. But it won’t do much if you don’t pilot it properly. Keep these tips in mind to ensure you’re getting the most out of your system.
Create a Naming Convention
You won’t be able to find your documents in your system if you don’t know what they’re called. Make sure to create appropriate file organization structures to keep the files in place and in check:
- Use nesting folders that are logical are named based on what they’re holding and how vital they are.
- Create naming conventions with codes that clearly outline what a file contains.
- Attach dates to the file name so you can track them easily by month or year.
- Keep related documents organized by year in separate folders to reduce visual clutter.
- Review any legal guidelines to ensure mandatory documents stay relatively connected to one another and are easy to access.
Maintain an Import Workflow
When digitizing documents, you might fall into the trap of only doing it every once in a while. It might seem like a hassle to scan and upload every receipt or invoice that you get. However, what happens if you leave the paper version somewhere and it gets misplaced?
To ensure your online files are in sync with your paper ones, devise a clear document intake pipeline, importing new documents as soon as they come in.
Designate a Manager for the Task
A digital management system ensures that every team member can access and add to the company’s document repository. However, this can lead to people working on a document simultaneously or using multiple naming and storing conventions that butt heads with one another.
It’s best to assign a single person to oversee the document storage and periodically review all files to ensure they’re properly integrated into the system. Depending on your company’s size, this is usually within an office manager or assistant’s duties, but it can be incorporated into other roles.
Create a Granular Control Hierarchy
In traditional paper filing systems, only a select few people may have the cabinet key to access truly vital files. The same concept can apply to an online document management system.
By creating a hierarchy of roles, each with its own access permissions, you can ensure that your confidential information stays confidential.
Create Backups
Typically, an online document management system will come with an online backup option to prevent total loss during an outage.
However, that might not be enough. For best results, consider using good old external hard drives to offload vital files.
This is a great option if you need to keep a lot of documentation that doesn’t get changed often. Just make sure that you keep the offline copy updated with the live system, at least periodically.
Optimize for Mobile Access
The rise of remote working has also seen many people adopt their smartphones as the primary way to conduct traditional office work. However, many applications fail to properly format documents to be easily viewable—and editable—in a mobile environment.
Use a document management system that comes with a streamlined mobile interface that can provide vital functions. It doesn’t have to be as elaborate as a PC version, but it should allow people to upload, download, and make smaller changes or comment on the files from their phone or tablet.
How to Get the Best Results
In most cases, moving from a paper-only filing system to a digitized one can be a monumental effort. Many companies hesitate and delay the move, only to realize that they only have more documents to upload as time goes on.
If you want to get the most out of your document management system, start as soon as possible. You can implement the barebones uploading and storage solutions by yourself and allow key members to access and share documents.
Or, you can enlist professionals to install a seamless document management system for you. For San Francisco businesses, that professional provider can be Golden Gate Office Solutions. We specialize in business document management systems and take all the guesswork out of it with customized, turnkey solutions to improve your workflow. Contact Golden Gate Office Solutions to start your digitization process today.
