Data and documents are crucial for any business. As a business grows, so does the number of documents and data they need to store. For most companies, managing documents can be time-consuming and challenging, especially if they have numerous employees who produce documents and data. If you are in such a situation, you need a document management process.
What is Document Management?
It is the practice of storing, tracking and managing documents. This process allows businesses to go paperless, which is becoming increasingly common as they try to minimize their impact on the environment. It also makes it easier to track document creation, versions and expiration.
The process requires a system that establishes document management practices and technology that makes everything easier. For example, many businesses have embraced cloud-based storage alongside software to simplify this process.
Set Goals and Objectives
Like other business processes, document management should always start with setting goals and objectives. Missing this crucial step means the business does not have anything to aim for, how to measure progress, and how to see whether the implementations it puts in place are working.
Start by asking yourself what you want to achieve with this process. Do you want to ensure better collaboration? Make it easier for employees to find specific files or versions? Do you want to save time?
It is perfectly fine to set multiple goals and objectives. The most important thing is having processes to measure whether the business and its employees are working towards them and how well they are doing.
Regardless of the goals and objectives, they should be specific and relevant to the business. A pharmacy, for example, would have different document management goals and objectives than a home service business.
Digitize Your Documents
As mentioned earlier, embracing technology is a great way to manage documents. Because you can find technology that helps with this, it is best to digitize your documents first. You should digitize as many documents as possible to streamline your data and document management processes.
This process entails converting physical documents into their digital versions using options like scanning and PDF conversions. Businesses should also store files in the formats they work with the most to make things much easier for their employees. For example, converting PDF to Word ensures a business stores documents in a format that is easier to edit. Converting a file online has become much easier due to tools like Small PDF that help businesses do so without leaving their information.
It is also best to digitize documents as close as possible to the point of their creation. Doing so eliminates or reduces manual typing while also ensuring better data quality.
Pick a Solution that Provides Search and Share Features
Document management also requires that it is easy for employees to find the files they need quickly. Doing so is much more difficult when businesses have numerous documents in large piles or silos. However, the right document management software helps them find the document they need in a few seconds.
They can find what they need using the document’s name, tags, or content. Businesses can also ensure only people who are authorized to do so can retrieve or read specific files. This is especially useful in businesses that provide server access to all employees but do not want certain people to see certain files.
Lastly, employees should be able to share files securely. This is the basis for positive collaboration and is crucial for remote teams and those who work in distributed locations.
Create Consistent Folder and Naming Structures
Many companies do not have consistent file and folder naming conventions. In such cases, every employee names folders and files however they like and create folders however they feel suits them best.
While this can be a convenient option if the business only has a few employees, it becomes problematic when you have numerous people with access to the same file repository. The names and structures one person uses can confuse another and add unnecessary friction.
Instead of doing things this way, businesses should create naming conventions and folder structures that every employee should adhere to. Such a system makes storing and finding files as well as collaboration easier. It also saves a lot of time because all employees will know how to find the files and folders they need instead of guessing.
Track Document Versions
Many businesses do not track file versions through a file’s lifecycle. Files are created and destroyed all the time, but they undergo revisions, edits, and changes between these two stages. Once several people are working on a file, it can be difficult to know the latest version and who has made specific changes.
Sometimes employees edit files, but their team leader or management ends up preferring a previous version. In such cases, an employee would have to remember all the changes they made to the file if they did not have a versioning system.
Businesses can make things much easier on themselves and their employee by implementing a document management system that has version control. In addition to tracking edits and who made them, it can also track file location changes so employees always know where a file or document they need is.
Provide File Previews
Many businesses require employees to download a file to see its content. While this can work for powerful devices and small files, it is not the best option in less-than-ideal conditions. File previews help employees see a file’s or document’s contents before downloading it. This way, they quickly know if they have the right file.
It can also be incredibly helpful for files that need approval from multiple people. Instead of all of them downloading the file and then reading it to approve, they can preview it quickly and take the necessary actions.
Do Not Send Crucial Documents Through Email
Sending important documents through email is something no business should be doing in the modern age. The main problem with this is that it trains employees to view attached documents as safe because they are coming from someone they trust.
However, there are many instances where malicious actors have hijacked emails and used them for phishing attacks. An employee thinks the email came from a colleague, but it instead came from a malicious actor, and they end up infecting every device on the network.
The other issue is finding specific files. The employee has to remember who sent the file, the email’s subject or the file’s name. This is not always possible when people send and receive numerous documents in a workday.
Uploading it to the document management server and providing the file’s name avoids both of these issues. Employees with the right credentials can access the file and not have to worry about its sender or contents.
Businesses now collect and create numerous files and documents during a workday. As their number increases, businesses can have a hard time managing them all. Establishing a file management process that leverages the right technology can be useful in getting your files under control. It is also a good idea to involve everyone so they understand the importance of such a system and why they should use it instead of doing things any other way.
