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How Document Management can benefit remote workers
Document management systems (or DMSs for short) are more relevant than ever due to the pandemic. Communication is an obstacle faced by remote workers worldwide, and DMSs bridge the gaps that siloed employees create.
This article takes a top level view of DMSs and explains what they are, who they are for, why they’re beneficial, and finally how they benefit remote workers.
What is a document management system?
A document management system is a software application that helps organizations manage and archive electronic documents. DMSs can be used to store and manage a wide range of document types, including text, images, and data. DMSs can also be used to create, manage, and search for documents across a network. DMSs can also be used to manage the distribution, storage, and retrieval of documents, as well as to secure documents and prevent users from accessing them without using the proper security credentials.
Who should use a document management system?
Most businesses should have a document management system in place. Even if you’re not currently doing business with outside parties, you will eventually need to send something via the mail or courier service at some point down the road. It could be an invoice, agreement contract or even just a letter thanking someone for their business.
Having a document management system in place will help you stay organized and ultimately save time. You’ll no longer be digging through your files to find the right documents, or worse yet printing it out at home just to end up filing it away for safekeeping again because nobody ever uses them (you know who we are talking about—we’ve been there too.)
What are the benefits of using a DMS?
Traditionally, organizations have used document management systems to store and manage electronic documents such as scanned paper copies or other forms of digital files. Electronic file storage allows businesses to not only save money on space by eliminating the need for physical filing cabinets, but also enables sharing information with others in a secure manner.
DMSs make it easier for organizations to search and find documents. With a document management system, users can quickly locate the files they need without having to rely on paper copies of records or filing cabinets filled with random folders containing information that is difficult if not impossible to retrieve at any given time.
DMSs also make it possible for organizations to manage and track the distribution of information. By using document management software, users can create policies that specify when a file is considered “final” or ready for public release. Once this final version has been created by an authoring system like Microsoft Word, the document management software can then be used to distribute that file, along with any associated metadata or labels.
Manual document capture also becomes a thing of the past with a properly implemented DMS; without it you would have to waste time sending the document to the right place and person, which is even more time-consuming when dealing with scanned paper-to-PDF documents. A properly implemented DMS will not only automate document capture but will also convert scanned text into digital text via optical character recognition and allow for full-text search.
How a document management system benefits remote workers
There are a number of benefits to using document management software for remote workers. A relatively inexpensive setup can help you get started with the basics, and there’s no need for everyone in your business to use it at all times — one person could be designated as a ‘document controller,’ who would upload and send documents as necessary, or you could make it everyone’s responsibility depending upon your organizational structure or ethos.
Some of the advantages of remote workers using a DMS include:
Easier collaboration
A DMS serves as a central hub for all the documents your team needs to access. This makes it easier and more efficient than sending files back and forth via email or using an online file-sharing service like Dropbox, which offers little to track who’s using which documents and when.
Smoother communication
When you use a document management system, all the files are in one place — whether that’s on your computer or an online platform like Google Drive. This makes it easier for everyone to find what they need whenever it’s needed instead of having to search through a dozen different folders.
Robust security
Documents stored in the cloud are much less likely to be lost or compromised than a physical file sitting on your desk, and can also have extra layers of security that you might not get with other platforms.
For example, when you upload documents into Google Drive they’re automatically encrypted — and you can also set permissions so that only certain team members have access to them.
This is useful if you’re sending sensitive information via email, or allowing employees to work from home who do not necessarily need the same level of security as those working in your office building each day.
Remember that data breaches may not always be a result of malicious activity; a careless employee might leak sensitive data by accident. A properly implemented DMS will not only make this less likely to happen but will allow you to keep on top of just who has access to what.
Trackability
Ever found yourself involuntarily playing a game of ‘document scavenger hunt’? If you’ve ever found yourself playing this ‘game’, you’ve probably done the rounds of pinging chat messages and email around the office finding who has access to or permission for a specific file, or whether the file exists at all. Not fun, is it?
With a properly implemented DMS, people don’t need to try and remember where the document was saved or ask someone else — it will be there whenever they want to access it from anywhere with an internet connection. Storing a copy of your important contracts on paper could prove difficult if you need to refer back to them, but in a DMS they will always be available.
Final Thoughts
Document management systems have become an essential tool in the modern workplace, and you’ll no doubt find them invaluable when working with remote teams. If you’re not already managing documents electronically, it might be time to give a DMS system some serious consideration.
If this article hasn’t convinced you enough already, a proper DMS will not only save you time and money, it will safeguard your business against the loss of time and money via potential security breaches.