The Rising Cost of Business & a Step Toward the ‘Office of the Future’

We live in a technologically advanced world that has, in the recent decade, taken leaps and bounds into the future. We’ve reached Mars and found traces of water. We have cars that now drive themselves. Yet, an astonishing 73 percent of businesses still rely on printing for their business processes. Along with that statistic, imagine the costs that are associated with the printing. Costs, which if minimized, can result in substantial increase in year end profits.

Alan Purchase, senior industrial economist at Stanford Research Institute says, “Costs in the office are running uncontrolled. Where office costs used to be 20% to 30% of the total in a company, they have now grown to 40% to 50% of all costs.”

With such advancement, why is it that businesses are so bent on living in the past? Could it be the fear of the unknown? The uncertainty of change? Or the fear of disruptive technology, that in truth, is simply one that could positively transform an organization’s processes?

Document management for small business could be that factor that levels the playing field, giving them a competitive advantage. This software not only organizes, stores, and tracks data, but it also contributes to the overall productivity of the organization. The right DMS will seamlessly integrate with your systems and organize workflow and collaboration.

Tips for Deciding On a Document Management System

You can’t just throw in technology into your business without really understanding what you’re trying to fix. Therefore, analyze your organization’s document management business requirements before you invest in the technology. Here are some factors that you should consider when purchasing the software:

1.      Look For a Simple Dashboard or User Interface

The system should offer you an intuitive user interface. It could be the most powerful platform, but if your employees cannot easily navigate, they will get frustrated. The introduction of any technological innovation into an organization will encounter resistance; thus, the product needs to be designed in a well thought out manner, so as to model your exiting work flow. A simple solution is one of the best ways to gain approval quickly but may not be robust enough for your business requirements. The best document management service providers will offer you unlimited training, and customer support to aid the transition to a new platform.

2.      Select Software With Full Integration Capabilities

It is important that you look for a comprehensive solution – one that will not have your staff hopping from one software application to another to perform various tasks. Along with the organization of the files, it should incorporate communication means, scheduling and tagging features. Make sure it is compatible to various operating software.

3.      Make Collaboration a Priority

When you have a system in order, you want to make sure that it makes life easier for your employees with seamless collaboration. When one member makes changes on a file, is it updated for everyone authorized to see? Are the revisions and changes cataloged appropriately?

4.      Don’t Forget Security

When you take your business to cloud, you ensure that it is protected against any data loss that is usually a concern with on-premise storage. However, is your data safe online? Protecting your sensitive business information, client details, etc. are imperative. Ask your vendor about their security features and how often is it updated.

Think you still have questions? We’ve got the answers. We bring ou the very best in collaborative software, intranet/extranet solutions and document management software. If you have any queries regarding which software platform is best for you, please call us, and our eStudio customer representative will be happy to guide you.