Use a document management system to declutter your content

In new hybrid work environment we now live in, "content clutter" caused by rapidly growing volumes of data and documents is a common barrier to efficiency and effective collaboration. Solving this problem is perhaps biggest challenge facing modern business.

According to analytics firm IDC, amount of data generated between 2020 and 2024 will exceed that of last 30 years. If you don't start strategizing to deal with this growth, when will you start?

How much time do you spend searching for information? We usually run a task and save it locally on our computer. Older communication methods such as USB sticks have proven to be insecure and are no longer widely used. But employees in many companies still upload files for collaboration through file sharing, sending links by email when they invite colleagues to review their work. Team members then share their suggestions through comments, email feedback, and instant messaging—everyone can see task at hand, but does everyone understand it? Do we know exactly where to find our documents when we need them? Are these files in our mailboxes or in mailboxes of colleagues?

Think about how time-consuming and frustrating it can be to find right information in your inbox. Microsoft Outlook and other email programs are not designed to handle daily volume of email. They are meant for communication, not for organized storage, security, or quick retrieval. If you find it difficult to find information you receive in emails, you can take a big step forward in improving your information flow by implementing email management features provided by DocuWare.

Email Management allows you to save body of an email and its attachments as separate documents, index each document, place them in correct folder in a document management system, and integrate attachments into a business process. In addition, you can share archived emails and attachments with authorized team members to improve collaboration.

No matter which department you belong to, you cannot work in isolation. Your work includes working with colleagues, clients, suppliers or customers, everyone has their own way of working. Access to information in a way that is convenient for everyone is difficult without digitization. Coordinating with digital tools is essential to moving your work and projects forward.

Get rid of document disorganizationMany companies lose control of business-critical documents due to lack of a centralized secure repository or consistent software solutions. You have probably come across companies that are very organized and have their own naming conventions in their document directories. This kind of filing is suitable for them, but without an intelligent document management system, businesses lose control of their corporate content, which is intellectual capital of every business (intellectual capital refers to economic value of a company's two intangible assets: Organizational capital and human capital.) basis.

With document management solutions, you can take advantage of ability to link documents that belong to same business process by creating common data fields. Version control ensures that documents retain their original integrity, so you don't have to worry about managing multiple paper copies or multiple electronic copies being edited offline by different people.

Additionally, poorly managed, undigitized documents and data resulted in what DocuWare says was a mess of content. We know that this situation directly impacts your ability to collaborate effectively on projects, increases your security risks, and ultimately limits your ability to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Consolidation is a strategic advantageYour document management solution will touch every system in your enterprise. To prevent content clutter, you need a system that can collect, identify, classify, distribute, and archive documents in most, if not all, information systems.

Your document management system must be effectively integrated with your technology stack so that it can communicate information to other business software and collect and manage data from third-party applications. Essentially, your document management system will adapt to your environment and make it easier to manage your company's files and databases, giving more control to data-intensive teams.

DocuWare is purpose-built to work in your IT ecosystem. Integrating with 500 different applications such as email, team portals, CRM, ERP, HR systems, standalone software, etc., our success speaks for itself. DocuWare also integrates with business-critical equipment such as scanners and all-in-ones, making it easy to convert paper documents to digital.

Real World Document ManagementWe recently helped Chichester College Group roll out DocuWare by changing some long-standing, outdated paper processes, improving compliance frequency, increasing storage capacity, and encouraging new ways of thinking that more environmentally friendly. The solution has been deployed to busy HR departments, handling personal files and making it possible to search for employee data as quickly as it is to retrieve it. "At your fingertips, that's how I describe employee data now. Being able to drag and drop documents from Outlook into [document] tray is a real game-changer," says Sarah Barrett, group human resources program coordinator.

This is just one example of how DocuWare customers are automating and improving processes, enhancing collaboration, and eliminating dependence on tedious and costly paper-based processes.