5 Problems That You Can Solve With Effective Document Management
Managing paperwork can be a burden, but there are ways to make it better. Here’s how to fix a handful of common document management problems.
Some people will tell you that there is only one constant in this world: change. Businessmen, on the other hand, will tell you that there’s at least one more constant that they must contend with, namely paperwork. Every company on the planet has a way of keeping track of their documents. Yet, in spite of the technological advancements made over the years, many businesses are still relying on outdated methods.
Modern document management technology uses software and scanners to store digital copies of your documents as well as the digital information in your databases. This technology can help you avoid some of the difficulties faced by companies that use outdated or poorly structured document management systems.
Here are 5 problems that you can solve with effective document management:
1. Unable to Find the Right Document
If you can’t find a file when you want it, then your document management system isn’t doing its job. A quality system ensures that your files are organized and easily accessible. It should also feature a good search function, so that you can quickly look up a document.
2. Working on the Wrong Version of a File
It is amazing how much time is lost because an employee was working on the wrong version of a document. A 2013 survey from the Harris Interactive market research firm showed that 83% of knowledge workers in the US and UK lose time every day due to versioning issues. Nearly half of them have sent the wrong version of a document to a client, colleague, or supervisor and 57% are often confused about whether or not they are working on the right version.
Companies that use high-quality document management systems don’t have to worry about this problem. These systems show when a document was changed and who made the changes, so you’ll always know whether or not you are working on the most up-to-date version. Similarly, you can read through and work on older copies of a document, in case you need to find something that didn’t make it into later versions.
3. Forced to Merge Documents Manually
According to the Harris Interactive survey, 56% of knowledge workers have to manually merge the different versions of their documents. They often lose a lot of time cross-referencing between these versions while looking for changes that were made in one copy but not the other. In contrast, a good document management system will let you avoid this issue entirely, since they automatically merge versions of a document.
4. Loss of Productivity
As noted above, 4 out of every 5 knowledge workers lose time because of document versioning problems. However, nearly three-quarters of employees lose time when simply looking for files. The fact of the matter is that bad document management systems severely damage your team’s productivity. Using a top-of-the-line system, on the other hand, can save your staff time.
5. Employee Frustration
A bad document management solution can do more than just hurt your staff’s productivity. It can also create widespread job dissatisfaction and tension at the workplace. In some cases, employees have become so frustrated with their document management systems that they’ve started to yell at their computers. Many workers think that working with a bad document management system is more frustrating than locking their keys in their cars, and a majority of them have said that they would rather work on a weekend than deal with these systems.
Difficult Problems, Easy Solutions
With the right document management system, you can avoid these exhausting difficulties. A quality solution can simplify the way that your staff handles documents, which in turn can create a better workplace environment. By letting you rely on digital documents instead of physical ones, these systems can cut costs as well as boost productivity. Talk to a trusted IT partner about the best way to upgrade your document management system.
