If you’ve clicked on this article, you’re probably in the process of researching document management solutions. If you’ve done any research at all, you know that there are many options available. To further complicate the matter, many document management systems are excellent in quality. So, how do you choose the best one for your company?

The right choice for your company depends on the areas you want to improve. The first thing you need to do is assess your own needs. Take into account the areas where you can streamline efficiency. Don’t forget to assess all of the areas where your processes run smoothly. You want to choose a system that will help you fix current problems without sacrificing areas where you’re satisfied with productivity.

Once you’ve assessed your current protocol, you’ll have a comprehensive list of the areas your document management solution should help you streamline. 

Things to Consider When Choosing Your Document Management Solution

Your business is unique. You have specific things to consider when it comes to documentation. There might be compliance issues that need to be met.

Make sure that your document management software can be customized to fit your specific business needs. 

Here are some of the top things to consider when researching your solution:

• Document Capture Capabilities. Depending on your business model, you likely have documentation flooding your system from a myriad of places. This might include email, fax, paper, text, and items through your web portal. If you need to capture documentation and have it seamlessly integrated into your system, it’s important to look for a solution that offers robust document capture software. 
• Real-Time Information. Your system needs to allow employees to access the most recent activity on any account or file so that your client services run as efficiently as possible. The document management system you choose should allow for immediate access to updated information.
• Customizable Workflow. Your system should allow you to set up a custom workflow to better organize business processes. This way, employees always follow the same protocol toward completion and no steps are ever missed in the process.
• Customizable Permissions. If you work with sensitive information, your document management solution should allow you to set security permission for staff so that information is only available to the staff who needs to work with certain data. 
• Time-Stamped Revisions. Revisions to any documentation should be easy to track. Your software should allow you to access the history of any document, revert to prior revisions, and see who in your organization made changes.
• Robust Reporting. Your document management solution should include accurate and efficient reporting so that you’ll be able to assess current issues and long-term productivity.
• Security and Data Loss Prevention. Your system should include security features to protect the company and client data, as well as a comprehensive plan for data loss prevention and retrieval in case of an emergency.

Your documentation is the backbone of your business. When deciding on the right vendor to help you achieve the best document management solution, customer service and employee training should be a high priority. Many choices are user friendly, but it helps your staff to integrate the new system if there are ample resources to aid them in mastering the new software.