Getting a brand new digital document management system can streamline and improve so many processes. Did you know that providing your employees with the right tools will rank among the biggest productivity contributors? High quality software is definitely essential and luckily, you have many options to choose among.
When looking for a brand new document management system, you’ll have to go through numerous important considerations. Here are the most crucial questions to ask before committing to one solution or another.
What Are the Main Features?
Digital document management systems come packed with dozens of features. Comparing a few side by side will give you a pretty good idea about the scope of possibilities.
Do inquire about a full functionality list before buying anything. And understand the fact that getting the most isn’t always the best choice. You need the features that are most in line with the needs of your business.
Still, a few of the key features to look for in a digital document management system include access control, document encryption and other security functionalities, effortless indexing, effortless retrieval, monitoring and auditing tools, automatic backups, collaboration tools and version control.
Is There a Product Demo Available?
On paper, a software product may seem like the best choice under the sun. When you start implementing the solution, however, you may find out that it’s very difficult to master and far from user friendly.
Getting to see and test out a product demo before buying will answer many of your questions.
Many developers offer limited access to their product for free. Use this opportunity to test out the main functionalities and pinpoint potential weaknesses. The more time you spend exploring the solution before buying, the more confident you’ll feel with your choice at the end.
Cloud-Based or Local?
Digital document management systems today give you two primary choices – local storage or a cloud-based solution.
To use a local program, you should have the right type of hardware to support the software. That often means your own server and a well-developed network.
Cloud-based solutions, on the other hand, don’t have to be installed locally.
If you go for cloud-based platforms, you’ll get to access the database from any internet-enabled and authorized device. This is the reason why cloud-based corporate solutions are seeing higher rates of adoption than ever before.
The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 forced many businesses to embrace a hybrid work mode. Many employees switched to remote work. In the absence of cloud-based and remotely-accessible work platforms, ensuring the integrity of the workflow becomes difficult.
Are There Industry-Specific Digital Document Management Systems?
If you represent a particular industry, you should definitely look for a document management system that matches your specific needs.
The market does feature products out there developed for healthcare service providers, finance firms, educational institutions, law firms and others.
While such businesses can make a high quality digital document management system work, additional customization will always come in handy. In addition, some businesses have very strict requirements in terms of document security, sensitive data protection and retention schedules. Document management solutions for these businesses are developed with the very specific legal frameworks in mind.
Is Integration with Other Kinds of Software Possible?
In today’s corporate world, a digital platform will rarely be used by itself.
A good digital document management system should be easy to integrate with the other solutions that your business relies on.
Some of the common ones include email service, accounting and invoicing, collaboration and project management services.
Do talk to the document management system provider about the other tools already integrated in your everyday practices. The best document management platforms out there offer a lot of flexibility through direct integration with other kinds of software.
How about Upgrades and Scaling Up?
Technology isn’t static. The same applies to the document management needs of a business.
When buying a document management platform, always inquire about support, future upgrades and possibilities to scale up or down upon necessity.
The fact that a current system meets your document management needs right now doesn’t mean it will be optimal in the long run.
Look for a product that offers free software upgrades and improvements. Good customer support will also be crucial to get assistance with the introduction of those.
Also, seek effortless scaling options. You don’t need downtime due to technical issues or switching from one system to another. The entire process should be seamless and easy to complete on the go.
Other Considerations
Don’t rush the selection of the right document management system. After all, it will be the backbone of your data archive and the throbbing heart of many essential processes.
Think about what matters to you the most. These are the considerations to go over before buying a solution.
We’ve previously discussed important document management system features that business owners need to go over. For additional information and more suggestions on buying such a platform, visit our guide for small and medium-sized businesses.