Why the surge of interest in document management?
For many companies, it’s because IT projects involving document management have an extremely high return on investment (ROI). A study by the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) revealed that 87% of the document management projects met or exceeded their anticipated payback. The benefits of document management systems hinge on their ability to improve your business processes without altering them. While one reason to choose document imaging—that you’re drowning in paper files—is fairly obvious, there are benefits to be had across a wide range of situations and industries.
Compliancy issues due to the increasing federal regulations legislating privacy and fiscal reporting represent another key motivator for companies to consider document management solutions. The Patriot Act’s requirements of immediate government access to records apply to a wide range of businesses, and ISO 9000/9001 certification efforts can also benefit from document management. Manufacturing and government are two sectors that pursue document management for these broader regulatory reasons.
Other drivers for document management include the desire to reap strong productivity gains and cost reductions associated with the elimination of paper documents, and the movement to social responsibility and becoming a more “green” organization.
Because they benefit business units inherent in almost all companies, document management systems are used in a broad spectrum of businesses. Human resources and accounting departments are traditional heavy users of paper files, making them huge beneficiaries of document management and typically the first departments to adopt the solution. Essentially, any organization that wants to eliminate its paper-based bottlenecks and put more processes in place can benefit. Document management systems are used to enforce naming conventions, ensure strict approval processes are followed, and generally add consistency to existing procedures.
So now that you’re interested in incorporating a document management solution to your organization, where do you start? There are many different companies with products to help you go paperless. How do you determine which product will best suit the needs of your particular organization?
A common concern voiced by many in charge of evaluating the myriad document management solutions available in the market is—first and foremost—knowing what questions to ask. Vendors can come in and impress upon you the features and benefits of their solution, but without a knowledge base or past experience, you can potentially commit to a purchase of a solution that does not give you the breadth of functionality you ultimately desire or the ability to
grow that you may need. Additionally, deciphering the true competitive differentiation among the different document management solutions available can be a challenge unless you know to ask specific questions.
To put yourself in a better position to select the most appropriate solution for your organization, minimize costly “surprises,” and ensure the smoothest transition to a more streamlined and paperless environment, you need to “arm” yourself with key information. We've complied a list of ten considerations to help guide you through the vendor selection process and ensure that you are making the best decision for your organization.
Oasis Solutions Group can help you with Document Management software selection, training, maintenance and support. Interested in learning more? Attend a FREE and informative webinar from Oasis and partner ACOM to learn more about Document Management in a low-pressure environment.
Read 10 Document Management Considerations Part 1 & Part 2
