Posts

Document Management Systems: The Filing Cabinet of the Future

Do you remember when businesses first began to use email? It revolutionized how we communicated and conducted business. Workers and customers no longer had to wait days for a response to questions or comments. Employees could share information in seconds, even copy others into an email thread. Spam and junk filters added extra security, ensuring that suspicious emails or unnecessary notices were cleaned out of the inbox.

Businesses have been using email for decades to send and receive notes and documents, but they’re likely using outdated technology to store them. If you’re storing your documents on a single computer drive — or worse, a filing cabinet — you may want to consider a document management system for your company.

Here are some benefits to using a document management system to store, track and manage your regular documents.

Storage

Digitally-archived documents are more visible and easily accessible than files lounging in manila envelopes in filing cabinets, said John McGill, solutions engineer at Infomax. Searching for a document by keywords or dates is much easier electronically in a document management system than leafing through papers. Additionally, if one paper document is damaged or destroyed, your business could lose priceless information for good. Digitally archiving documents through remote storage and automatic backup ensures that disaster won’t destroy them.

Security

Consider how easy it would be to lose a document in the dregs of a filing cabinet or how difficult it would be to keep track of a document multiple people take out of a file. Even if employees store their documents on their individual computers, those files could be destroyed or compromised if a computer is damaged or hacked or if a computer file is deleted.

“If two people work in the same office, only one of us can see the document at the same time in a paper world,” John said. “There also could be documents in an office that not everybody should see. There’s nothing stopping from me from going to that filing cabinet and looking at it.”

With a document management system, you can set permissions so only some employees are able to view documents. The system can also track who checks out or edits a piece.

Forms solutions

Businesses that work directly with customers may benefit from digital forms solutions that allow clients or customers to fill submit forms. The system will then convert forms and input data directly into the company’s management program. The document management system cuts down on clutter and archives forms for future reference.

Digital workflow

Not only do document management systems provide necessary storage and security, they also allow employees an easy system to keep track of tasks. Documents can be edited by different employees and departments. They system will notify another user when the file is ready for their input.

To learn more about our document management system and how it can work for your office, contact us today at 1-800-727-4629.

Scanning Documents to Save Time and Money

If you work in a paper-centric office, there’s no doubt you’re familiar with the struggle associated with accessing the information you need to do your job. Files stored in paper form residing in old fashioned file folders within disorganized filing cabinets present big problems when it comes time to access data on demand. Finding a piece of paper in this less-than-ideal storage system can prove to be vexing, if not completely fruitless.

Thankfully, there is a better, more efficient way to store your documents. It all starts with scanning your paper documents via document imaging and converting them to digital files. This revolutionary method of storage will eliminate paper clutter in your office, benefitting your business immensely. How so? Let’s start with saving your company both time and money.

Save time through instant archiving and retrieval of files and documents
Time equals money in business, and storing files in paper form is costing you a bundle. How much time is spent in your office manually filing documents or searching for them after the fact? However much time it adds up to, scanning your documents and storing them electronically makes it possible to accomplish these tasks in a fraction of the time. This surplus in available time can instead be used for more important, value-adding tasks. Additionally, being able to retrieve documents in an instant will positively impact productivity, collaboration, and customer service within your company.

Save money by reducing overhead expenses
Printing documents to paper costs money, from the paper being printed on to the consumables used to print with. Storing documents in paper form takes up more space than doing so electronically, which also adds to your overhead. By scanning your documents and converting them to digital form, you’ll eliminate these printing costs from your budget. You’ll also eliminate filing expenses, as well as the need for additional space to store paper documents, which can be costly. You can downsize to a smaller, less expensive office, or use that newly available space for something that generates revenue.

The benefits provided by scanning documents and storing them digitally make it easy to understand why so many organizations have moved away from storing them in paper form. Contact Infomax Office Systems to get started.

Are You Missing Out on Scanning Savings?

Scanning has been around for quite some time, but many businesses refuse to incorporate a document imaging solution. There are several assumptions made about the world of scanning, many of which are outdated and misleading. There is a good chance that your business is missing out on drastic savings, simply because you are unaware of all of the benefits document scanning can bring to your business.

Here are some facts about how your business can be boosted by incorporating a document imaging solution.

  • Saving your workflow: Maximizing your day-to-day operations so that your business’s workflow is optimized is one of the chief benefits of a document imaging solution. In fact, your workflow can actually improve by 30%. Imagine if all areas of your business could be boosted by such a high percentage. Optimized workflows save time and money, so embrace a scanning solution sooner than later.
  • Saving time: In addition to improved workflows, document scanning also saves time when it comes to finding your documents. Scanning software makes indexing all documents easy, which then makes finding those documents later on a breeze. Instead of sorting through filing cabinets or stacks of paper, you can find exactly what you’re looking for in a matter of seconds.
  • Saving paper: Businesses need paper, at least for now. Exactly how much paper depends on the size of the company and their specific needs. However, by incorporating a document imaging solution, you can drastically reduce the need for paper, which saves on storage costs and reduces your carbon footprint. In the United States alone, there are 4 trillion paper documents, and that number grows by 22% each year. Utilizing double-sided printing, and incorporating certain paperless functionalities, can help you not add to that pile.

To learn more about the myriad ways that a document imaging solution can benefit your business, contact us today.