How Digital Document Management Improves Organization

Are you planning to abandon a paper-based setup? We highly recommend you do as going digital can help automate your processes, enhance office efficiency, and improve the security of your information. However, proper execution is needed to successfully transition. This is where a digital document management system (DMS) comes in: it tracks, stores, and manages documents digitally in one centralized location. This type of managed print system has become increasingly popular—and for good reason. In this blog, we’ll walk you through how digital document management systems can improve the organization of your business in meaningful ways. Let’s get started!

Collects Metadata for Easy Retrieval

Metadata is information you don’t see in a document, such as the creator’s identity, department or role within an organization, and the date of document creation. A digital document management system uses metadata to classify, organize, and understand files, making sorting and searching easier. It automatically indexes all data based on your criteria to create unique document tags. Document retrieval becomes faster with metadata indexing because DMS forms direct and related paths leading to the files needed. Here’s an example of how this might play out:

1. You make your paper documents digital using optical character recognition (OCR),
2. The DMS then collects all metadata from electronic documents in the repository
3. Once complete, the system then indexes documents based on chosen criteria (i.e. customer name, employee name, etc.)
4. The system categorizes all documents and labels them with the newly created tags
5. Searching using these tags allows for instant retrieval

As such, many document management systems improve digital retrieval by ensuring all data is labelled with proper metadata tags and stored in unique folders. They also offer a search feature so you can use keywords or full text to get all the files needed.

Enhances Data Accuracy

Document management software stores data automatically in its repository, but not before validating files to ensure all inputs are correct relative to the standards set by your organization. This prevents inconsistencies and incorrect decisions by ensuring all information within your digital storage is accurate.

This document management solution executes various types of data validation checks to guarantee everything entered aligns with your criteria. These include: Type of Data ValidationPurposeRange CheckVerifies that the data falls within an acceptable numerical rangeFormat CheckEnsures all data follows the correct format (i.e. a phone number, email, etc.)Consistency CheckConfirms what has been entered is consistent with related dataUniqueness CheckCheck that all data has not been entered more than oncePresence CheckEnsures all fields have items and have not been left blankLength CheckVerifies if data meets an appropriate number of charactersPattern CheckEstablishes that all entered data follows a required pattern Referential CheckEnsures that all data references other data correctlyUnique CheckA check to ensure data within a dataset is unique (i.e. usernames, passwords)Combination CheckVerifies that combination data is valid, such as start and end datesDependency CheckConfirms that certain data fields depend on others where applicable

Offers an Accessible Centralized Repository

Digital document management puts all your files in on centralized repository, making it much easier to stay organized and implement new processes.Locking down all your files in one digital place also heightens document security by allowing you to limit employee access and control data availability. Additionally, this storage is virtually accessible from any location—anyone who has access can retrieve files from various mobile devices (i.e. laptop, smartphone, tablet). If your organization relies on multiple devices—or even worse, scattered papers—then it’s time to switch to a cloud-based document management system!

Audits Document Life Cycle

Tracking the document life cycle is critical in data organization. There’s value in knowing who has had access to a given document, when, and what edits they made. This is another way in which digital document management systems improve organization. They track electronic documents and any activity that has occurred on them, from creation to archive or destruction. It audits operations history, including editing, reading, downloading, and more. The best document management software ensures you know where your pages are going, who has had access, and what they did with that access. For collaborative companies or those handling sensitive information, being able to track all document activity can be absolutely critical.

Integr8 the Best Digital Document Management System Into Your Operations

The time is now to invest in the best document management system possible. Going fully digital and centralized is the key to improving data organization, which, by extension, will help you and your team do better business. Integr8 is Canada’s leading managed print services provider. We’re dedicated to smoothening your business processes with our document management solutions. Let’s work together to bring your business into the future with digital document management. Contact us today for more details!