When a business is young, it’s easy and cost effective to utilize free resources for your document management needs. That can range from keeping papers in a file box to utilizing built-in Microsoft software. As you grow, keeping your documents organized becomes more complex, and this can really hurt your business.
You’re probably well past the papers-in-a-box stage of development, but how do you know if your business is ready for the next step? What are the signs that it’s time to implement a document management system to make your Microsoft solutions more effective?
7 Reasons to Implement Document Management
Every business is different and has its own unique needs. You know your business better than anyone, but there are a few common signs that every business will notice when it’s time to upgrade its method of managing important data. How many of these resonate with you?
Paper Is Taking Over
If you can’t find your desk under the pile of paperwork, contacts, and other documents, it’s time to rethink how you organize your data. This may sound humorous, but it can be a real problem that prompts many businesses to opt for a paperless office.
How much time would you save if you didn’t have to sort through a mountain of paperwork to find what you need? How much space would you save if you didn’t have to devote as much to storing paper files? How much money would you save if you didn’t have to purchase ink, printer paper, and other office supplies needed to manage all the document chaos? Upgrading your document management system will help you save time, space, and money.
You Have Too Many Folders
When you don’t have an efficient method for organizing your data, you will quickly find that you have too many folders. You might even have folders for folders. It doesn’t take long before you can’t remember if you have a folder or if you need a folder, and you can’t keep track of what is in the folders you have.
Are you lost yet? The answer is probably yes, and if you’re lost, you aren’t giving your clients the best service possible. M-Files document management uses a metadata-driven platform to automatically and logically organize data into the correct folders.
You Have Too Many Versions
Work can come to a standstill quickly when you have to take time to figure out which version of a document is the correct version. When several people collaborate on a project, having the wrong version passed around can be a disaster.
When you use M-Files, there is only one version—the right one. Older versions can be saved and archived and accessed if the need arises. This makes collaboration simple, and compliance is a breeze.
Finding Documents Is Time Consuming
As your business grows, the number of files and formats grows accordingly. For this reason, finding the files you need can be difficult. To make matters worse, you may have files with duplicate names or even duplicate documents. And who hasn’t said, “I know I saved it …” while searching for that elusive file that seems to have disappeared into cyberspace.
Searching wastes time and reduces efficient workflow. It’s difficult for anyone to get their job done when they can’t find needed data or work with outdated data. Implementing the right document management system allows files to be located quickly, and you’ll always have the current version.
Stagnant Workflows
There is only so much time in a day, and employees must make the most of what they have to work with. If they can’t find what they need in a timely manner, the result is a bottleneck. Bottlenecks directly impact your business because if you can’t get the work done promptly, you can’t take on more clients.
With an efficient document management system, the workflow keeps moving, ensuring you won’t have to tell a potential client you can’t help them because you’re too backed up.
Operational Growth
When operations are spread to multiple locations, workflows and collaborations can get tricky without an effective document management system. This can result from opening new offices or remote work situations, but you need to be prepared for it, whatever the reason.
The best way to prepare is by using a document management system that can grow along with your business. That kind of growth isn’t something a basic built-in system can handle; you need to upgrade before things get out of hand.
Security Risks
One effect of remote or expanded work situations can be a lack of security during collaboration. Employees will use whatever system they have handy to send documents to other employees at various locations, and it isn’t difficult to see how this puts security at risk.
When you have a single source for accurate data with administrative controls that limit access to sensitive data, you eliminate the risk of corrupt data and files and don’t have to worry about information getting into the wrong hands.
It’s Time to Optimize Your System
Your business isn’t going to stop growing. The time to prepare is now, before you have bottlenecks and security breaches. Contact us for a free consultation if you’re ready to see how a document management system can keep your business running smoothly as it grows.