Editor’s Note: The following article is brought to you by Comarch in partnership with the Supply Chain Network.
Document management is crucial for any organization, no matter how big or small, across all industries and in every country. Every year, we come across new trends. Some are short-lived, but some are here to stay. In this respect, document management software has taken the lead in 2018. Has your company introduced any document management software? If not, you are already falling behind the competition. In this article, we focus on the most important predictions for the future of document management in business.
1. Digitization
Companies are switching to digital document management all over the world. This trend is absolutely irreversible. Some organizations demand that their partners operate on digital files, and drop those who fail to meet this requirement. So, if you want to cooperate with the best, you must say “bye-bye” to paper.
2. Your employees need time to adjust
In order to prepare your employees for digitization, the automation of some processes, and a complete change in responsibilities, you need to guarantee appropriate training. They will have to learn how to operate new software, for their jobs might depend on it. Do not worry, for a reliable service provider, along with an appropriate platform, will ensure that everyone in your organization has the necessary skills.
3. Paper will not disappear magically
The transition between physical files and their digital counterparts will not happen overnight. A lot of small, family-owned companies are reluctant to introduce “complicated” systems. That is why your vendor needs to take that into consideration and give you the opportunity to manage an archive in a single database including not only digitized files, but also paper invoices and other documents.
4. Multi-format
Even though PDFs and TIFFs are the most popular formats (which is unlikely to change), some companies tend to use different file formats, including paper. For digitization, you need to choose a platform that converts incoming and outgoing files to the formats chosen by all partners, without damaging the original file.
5. Multi-channel
People in your company use different devices, such as PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. That is why they need to be able to access the document database on any given device, at any given time. The documents need to be formatted for different screen sizes and resolutions, so they are easily readable for both sales representatives on their phones, and accountants on computer screens.
6. The cloud
Instant, on-demand access to the most up to date documents is vital. People are constantly moving around between company offices, attending business meetings and conferences. They require constant, unhindered access to important files. In order to facilitate this, document management software comes equipped with cloud options. Thus, data can be accessed from anywhere in the world. All you need is an Internet connection.
7. Security
Although data can be accessed via the cloud, there must be some physically storage somewhere. Massive data centers will keep your data safe, guaranteeing round the clock monitoring and administration by skilled engineers who repel cyber-attacks and other security breaches. This is indispensable in the case of highly confidential data such as medical files, financial reports, clients’ personal information, and so on.
It is also important to store and handle data accordance with security measures imposed by state institutions and international organizations, such as the new European Union GDPR laws.
8. Social and collaboration features
When creating or working on a document, people communicate via email, Skype, Slack or traditional phone. It can get quite confusing, and you can easily lose track of changes and versions. You need a single space to collaborate on a document, one that allows you to comment, verify changes, access particular versions or view who has access rights to edit or view a certain file. With a proper collaboration tool, document management becomes much easier.
9. Adjustable services
“One size fits all” no longer applies. Document management software has become affordable even for small companies, due to intensive personalization. Platforms are adjustable so they can meet a given company’s size and needs. Even when an organization grows and need more resources, software is flexible and can be expanded according to requirements.
Document management software is here to stay. Digitization has made the process much easier, and we cannot see global businesses returning to time-consuming manual paper processing. If you want to learn about a vendor that offers all the features listed above, click here.
