Document Management Is More Than Just "Folders In The Cloud"

TAMPA, FL, March 18, 2014 (Press-News.org) For over 25 years, DocuVantage's expert engineers and consultants have assisted businesses with their document management and workflow automation needs. But, the team has stumbled upon a familiar theme amongst its clients: Most organizations, from small startups to high-ranking enterprises, don't know the difference between robust document management and "folders in the cloud." Their first job, then, is to drive that difference home for their clients.

DOCUMENT SEARCH
Locate files easily by using the file metadata, which represents important information about your documents. Choose to search using one, two or more fields.

Folders
Cloud-based folders provide you with only one path to the file you're in search of, and you have to embark on a bit of a "clicking crusade" to finally land on the one you want. And heaven forbid there is more than one version in there.

Let's say your boss asks you for a list of signed contracts organized by vendor.
- In a document management system, you simply search for "signed contracts," sort the list by vendor and then export the list to excel to share with your boss.
- If you're dealing with folders, you've got a few more hurdles to tackle. You probably have the folders set up by vendor, which requires that you open each vendor's folder, identify each signed contract and then type it into a list. This may be manageable if you only have 100 contracts, but if you have 10,000, the process gets tiresome and frustrating pretty quickly.

Now your boss comes back and says, "I only need to see leases."
- With document management software, you just filter the search by contract type to drill down to leases.
- With folders, you have to go back through all of your contracts - 10,000 or more - to strain out the leases.

PROCESS AUTOMATION
The backbone of a successful business is its processes (i.e., procedures). The more organized and seamless these processes are, the greater your operational efficiency. Many of these procedures involve documents that must be reviewed, modified and approved by multiple people. The system's workflow management software allows you to create and manage these processes electronically. See exactly where each document is in its lifecycle, who has it and how long they've had it. Set notifications and alerts to keep documents in sight and on track.

Folders
Folders don't have workflow automation. Instead, you rely on often-chaotic email communication and manual tracking of document lifecycles. You don't know who reviewed the document, who's modified its content or whether it's been approved. Worst yet, you don't know if it's caught in an information bottleneck or trapped by a communication roadblock.

Let's say you like to keep track of things, like contract renewals and employee reviews.
- Digital triggers from a document management system help you keep things moving on schedule. Time to renew that contract? The system alerts you. Employee reviews need to be performed? The system sends alerts out automatically.
- No customized reminders when it comes to folders, so that leaves you with manual tracking in a spreadsheet... and yes, that involves yet another folder.

Let's say you need to comply with a records retention policy.
- A strong document management system integrates records management so you're able to seamlessly comply with records retention guidelines.
- Mention "records management and auditing" to the folders fans and you get silence and ceiling gazes.

Document management does everything a folder does, plus the invaluable workflow automation your business needs to run lean and clean. From ditching unnecessary resources and space-wasting cabinets to embarking on organization-wide process improvement, document management solutions are the seeds you need for your business to grow.

Sure, you may choose to start with more simplistic folders. But, when you finally realize how uncontrollable and clunky they are, you'll end up investing more time and money transferring all of your folders to the more structured system you needed in the first place.

For more information on how DocuVantage OnDemand amps up your organization's operational efficiency, visit docuvantage.com or call 866-367-3467, ext. 1.

Document Advantage Corporation offers an integrated document management solution and business process management solution for every organization or department, regardless of size or industry.

Any document generated can be managed more efficiently through SaaS document management, and protected more securely through effective records management. The ability to scan, revise, store and retrieve documents while sharing or distributing to others who need the information at the same time reduces costs and is more effective in overall workflow automation. Companies are no longer dependent on copying, faxing or mailing physical files. Anyone can locate the information they need within seconds through document management solutions. The resulting savings and benefits are immediate.

The ability of the Electronic Document and rules-based Business Process Management application to integrate with your existing business applications creates a single source of access to mission critical information, and provides your organization with a competitive advantage.