Web Document Management – The Revolution
For some companies, web document management is old news but for others the process of implementing or utilizing web document management technology would still be a revolutionary one. For these companies, there are various considerations that need to be factored into the “Should-I-buy-it?” equation so often overlooked by web document management shoppers.
High-Level Considerations
The first steps of searching for a web document management solution actually have nothing to do with software vendors themselves (no matter how reputable they are). These considerations are generally high-level ones–duly so–and consist mainly of the following points:
1. Consider the reasons you want a web document management solution and what you need to accomplish with the system. Record these reasons and needs. This will essentially provide you with a list of URS (user requirement specs) when you start speaking with vendors later;
2. Based on your users requirements, decide whether a implemented, web-based system would be most effective or whether a SaaS solution would be the way to go;
3. Finding a person (or persons if necessary) who are willing and qualified to be responsible for the system;
Searching for the Right Vendor
Once you’ve determined the most important considerations for purchasing a web document management system (i.e., your own needs as a buyer) its time to start considering that vast array of solutions available from a vast array of vendors. Here are some high-level considerations to take into account:
1. Find a vendor who knows your industry. Not every employee from the vendor’s company needs to understand the intricacies of the legal or healthcare industries but one expert employed by the vendor as a consultant or full time employee can make or break your first experience with a web document management solution; Find out more about those vendors that employ these experts. Stronger solutions result from greater expertise;
2. If you are a large company, chances are high that you may need customization or company-wide configuration for your company’s own system. Find a vendor who can provide that;
3. It may sound trite, but find a vendor with a friendly sales team and a supportive services team. Bully vendors are too ridiculous to consider seriously;
4. If your company is a start-up company or a medium-sized enterprise, search for a solution that can grow as your company does.
Additional Considerations: Solution Features
Okay. So eventually it’s nice to know what features you should look for in a web document management solution even though it is essential to remember that benefits always trump features from a buyer’s point of view (and from a vendor’s point of view if the vendor is smart!).
1. Search for a solution that allows every department in your company to participate in document management;
2. Search for a solution that is easy to use or at least user-friendly enough that every employee could perform basic web-based document management tasks after one or two training sessions;
3. Search for a solution that can interface with the tools you use everyday like MS Word, Outlook and SharePoint. That way you don’t have to jump from application to application just to make sure the documents created in Word have been archived in the document management system;
4. Find a system that will allow you to scan your hard-copy documents into a centralized document archive;
5. Find a system that offers advanced meta-data options. Advanced meta-data equates to advanced searching options;
Remember that Less Time with Paper Means More Time for Real Business
At the core of online document management technology is the logical ideology that administrative tasks don’t contribute to real value-added work, which means time spent organizing hard copy paper documents is nothing more than a tragic waste of time. Just consider the possibilities of even the most reasonably priced web document management solutions. Your company could spend less time doing the following:
* Shuffling through papers;
* Rewriting documentation that has been destroyed (accidentally or otherwise);
* Routing hard copy documents from one approver to another;
* Looking silly in front of clients who are more likely to be impressed by a digital presentation;
* Remembering where documents are stored;
* Filing papers;
* Alphabetizing or organizing papers;
* Sorting documents;
* Editing or making changes on hard copy documents that subsequently have to be edited digitally;
* Highlighting paper on hard-copy documents;
* Nursing paper cuts