A digital space or an application that stores all electronic records and documents of your business and provides their access to the staff, management, and owners through a portal is how we can define a Document Management System precisely. A DMS offers software solutions that house and provide safe access to your digital data.
There are multiple software options and different ways to use the systems, the first choice you need to make is whether you want an on-premise application or a cloud-based portal. Cloud-hosted applications save you the hardware, licensing, and maintenance costs by providing an online, protected location for records. Here’s how you can choose the right Document Management System.
Pick the Right Vendor
Your DMS vendor’s service can make you love or completely hate your experience. Research your options and select a reputable vendor with good reviews, service credibility, and considerable experience. Steer clear of “one-size-fits-all” solutions with attractive lower rates as they won’t be able to adapt to your business’s specific needs with scalable infrastructure.
It’s imperative to choose a vendor that will understand your systems and industry-specific needs. Some of the good examples include LogicalDOC, DocStar ECM, and Dokmee.
The Right Integration Capabilities
DMS streamlines and organizes your everyday administrative tasks for you, hence, the DMS you choose must integrate fully with your software systems, and core business processes. The goal is to avoid “hopping” or using fragmented systems for data retraction or entry to keep up with daily tasks. Getting a high-end DMS with tight integrations will work seamlessly even with accounting and customer relationship management.
Prioritize Security
Online or otherwise, corporate and your client’s information needs rigorous security protocols to protect it against breaches, theft, and attacks. Security should always be placed forefront of all your organizational decisions regarding IT.
Make sure that the vendor you’re choosing is compliant with all the regulations that are specific to your industry and offer globally recognized protocols and standards for security. You, at your end, would need to constantly update and monitor security levels in place to dodge evolving threats. You can ask your DMS vendor about the frequency of security update to better judge their priorities.
Consider Collaborative Features
As the workforce is becoming more mobile with technological advancements, it is necessary to implement a system that is capable of accommodating users off-site and allows them to collaborate seamlessly.
They should be able to access files, track revisions, and co-author documents in real-time simultaneously no matter where they are and without having to log out. This is possible only if the system you implement has cataloged all the changes regularly in a logical order.
Verify all Available Support Options
When finalizing a Document Management System vendor, make sure that the provider is known for their premium product support and offers a service level agreement (SLA) for clearing/highlighting their obligations. Prefer ones that offer support in several formats such as email, telephone, and online chat support options for easy reach. You can confirm turnaround times for support requests from your potential vendor beforehand and make sure they are not too long.
Look for a Simple Interface
Your staff should face no hindrance when navigating through your system. A confusing User Interface (UI) can frustrate employees and affect performance, which is why you should be looking for a system that is efficient, straightforward, and simple.
The UI should have clear commands and crisp visuals that your staff can easily learn and get used to with minimum training. Your employees shouldn’t have to revert back to a user manual to access and operate the DMS every time they need to.
Bottom Line
Without getting overwhelmed by the options right away when choosing the right Document Management System, you have to first understand the needs of your business and the available options that can cater to those needs. You should consider incorporating a social intranet that integrates calendaring, document management, and communications.
To sum it up, picking the right DMS vendor will back up your data, implement strict security protocols, offer a proven customer support system, and will eventually provide a considerable return on your investment.
Interesting related article: “What is Software?“