Written by Mario Zules on January 24, 2020
Paper intensive processes are not only time-wasting; they can also lead to decreased productivity in your business. Document management systems offer an effective way of organizing your business records and restoring order to your organization.
However, finding an ideal DMS for your organization can be a painstaking task. It often involves a lot of research, and having a list of DMS questions to consider can significantly help in this process. Let’s look at ten questions you should ask your document system provider:
A document management system is an electronic filing system that an organization can use to organize all their paper and digital documents. The software uploads all hard copy documents through a scanner. A document management system enables you to enter tags and metadata that are used to organize all stored files.
Document management systems come with build-in search engines that enable users to navigate their vast document libraries to access the appropriate files. They also come with permission settings that ensure that only the right persons can access valuable information.
Some of the essential features of a document management system include:
There are several critical features to look for in a document management system. You need to let your document management system vendor know your needs so that you can get technical specifications and pricing. At a bare minimum, your document management system should include the following.
Document management is not generalized to all businesses. The documents you produce are based on many unique factors that include the industry in which you operate.
If, for instance, you operate in the manufacturing sector, using a document management system designed for businesses in the education sector may hinder your operations instead of making your work easier.
Your document management software provider should understand your industry and the specific challenges it faces so that they are better able to help you get the best solutions. A provider who knows the ins and outs of your industry will be able to customize a system that caters to the unique needs of your business.
If a software provider cannot offer customized solutions, you will find it challenging to integrate the system into your current business processes.
Having a document management system is not enough if it does not work as you expected. For you to be able to use it effectively, your document system provider must accommodate your transition into the new system. They should offer support from the beginning of the document conversion process and lasting long after you have officially launched the system.
To ensure that you will get the right assistance you need once you have begun using your new software, you have to directly ask your software provider whether they offer any support and what type they provide. A reliable system provider should support both the software and hardware.
Reliable support is vital because it will help eliminate or minimize any disruptions that may prevent your document management system from becoming an essential part of your business process.
Your company already uses software systems that make your day-to-day operations easier. Introducing a document management system should not require you to discard your other solutions or engage in redundant efforts.
Your document management system should, therefore, integrate seamlessly with other vital systems in your organization to avoid unnecessary challenges.
There is more to document management than buying and installing software. You have to ensure you get a solution that fulfills the document management needs in your company. To identify the issues you need to address, ask your employees what problems they encounter on a day-to-day basis.
A document management system should:
Dropbox is a cloud storage and sync application that is commonly used for file sharing and collaboration in work settings. It is an easy way to automatically back up and synchronize your work across all your devices.
Dropbox allows you to create and save folders in a shared folder and work on the folders collectively with some degree of version control. Recent upgrades have given Dropbox more functionality making it more like a DMS.
However, if you are looking for an enterprise-level file sharing and collaboration tool, you should not use Dropbox. Since it was not designed for document management purposes for organizations, Dropbox does not offer the same level of security, integration, cost-effectiveness, version control, and search capabilities that an enterprise-level document management system provides.
An electronic document management system is a software solution used to organize and store different kinds of documents. An EDMS is a more particular type of document management system that enables its users to organize and store digital documents.
Electronic document management systems specifically refer to software systems that handle digital documents rather than paper documents, although in some cases, these systems can handle scanned versions of paper documents.
9. What are the best document management systems?
There are many document management solutions out there. The best solution for your organization is the one that solves your most significant document management issues.
Here are several points to consider when determining the best solution for you:
A reliable and reputable DMS vendor will stress the importance of the security features of their systems. These features are essential for protecting your company’s intelligence and guarding your corporate and client information against external attacks.
Keep in mind that you will frequently need to monitor and update security levels to address evolving threats. Ask your vendor how often they offer security updates and how you will receive communication about the new patches.
Not all document management solutions are created equal, and not all vendors offer the best software and services for your organization. These ten questions to ask your document management system provider will help you determine whether they are the right people to work with and whether their DMS solutions are the best fit for your organization.
Here at OpenKM, we are happy to answer your questions and offer advice to help you choose and implement the best document management system to address your current business needs. Contact us today to discuss your requirements
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