Forward-thinking business owners understand that effective document management is critical to maintaining efficient operations, boosting productivity, and decreasing costs. In today’s digital age, there are tech-driven options that help optimize document workflow by streamlining file organization, collaboration, and other tasks.
In this guide, we’ll explore key strategies and best practices to help you unlock the full potential of your organization’s document management workflow and reap the benefits this transformation can offer your organization.
Understanding Document Management Workflow
Document management workflow refers to the process by which documents are created, reviewed, approved, stored, and eventually archived or disposed of within an organization. It systematically manages documents throughout their lifecycle, ensuring they are correctly organized, accessible, and secure. The critical components of a document management system typically include:
Document creation
This is the initial stage where documents are authored or generated. It may involve using various software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, or specialized document creation tools.
Document review
Once documents are created, they often undergo a review process by various stakeholders such as subject matter experts, managers, or legal advisors. The review is completed to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with organizational standards or regulations.
Document approval
After the review process, documents typically require approval before being finalized or distributed. Approval workflows can involve designated individuals or authorities who have the authority to sign off on the document.
Document distribution
The next step after approval is to distribute the document to relevant stakeholders or store it in a central repository where authorized users can access it. Distribution methods may vary depending on the nature of the document and the organization’s workflow, ranging from paper document hand delivery, email attachments, and cloud-based sharing platforms.
Document storage and organization
Documents need to be stored in a structured and organized manner to allow for fast and easy retrieval. Document management systems often use storage solutions such as filing cabinets for paper or electronic document repositories that facilitate categorization, tagging, and version control.
Document retrieval
When documents need to be retrieved, digital document management systems typically provide search functionality and access controls to ensure that users can find the documents they need while maintaining security and privacy.
Document security
Protecting sensitive or confidential information is crucial in document management workflows. This component involves implementing access controls, encryption, and other security measures to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, or alteration of documents.
Document archiving and retention
Archiving involves transferring documents no longer needed to long-term storage where they can be retained for historical or legal purposes. In contrast, disposal involves securely deleting or destroying old documents.
Digitizing your document management workflows makes each component easier to manage individually while helping integrate them into one seamless whole.
The importance of optimizing document management workflow
Optimizing your document management system (DMS) with a digital solution gives your company access to a vast number of cost-effective benefits that contribute to reaching your organizational goals, including:
Increased efficiency
Optimizing document management workflows streamlines processes, reducing manual tasks and the time spent searching for and handling documents. Optimizing efficiency also leads to faster completion of tasks and projects.
Cost savings
Organizations can achieve significant cost savings by reducing paper usage, storage space, and manual labor associated with document management. Automation of document workflows can also lower operational costs by minimizing errors and speeding up processes.
Enhanced collaboration
Centralized document management systems facilitate smooth, real-time collaboration among stakeholders, allowing for easier sharing, editing, and reviewing of documents while improving teamwork and productivity.
Elevated security
Implementing secure, cloud-based document management systems protects sensitive information against unauthorized access, loss, or theft. Features such as access controls, encryption, and audit trails help maintain data integrity and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Better compliance
Document management workflows can be designed to ensure compliance with industry regulations, standards, and internal policies. Automated tracking and reporting functionalities help organizations demonstrate compliance during audits.
Faster strategic decision-making
Access to relevant documents and information promptly enables quicker decision-making. Optimized workflows allow key stakeholders to retrieve necessary documents promptly, leading to more informed decisions based on real-time data.
More flexible scalability
Unlike filing cabinets, digital document management systems can scale to accommodate growing volumes of documents and adapt to changing business needs. Cloud-based solutions offer flexibility and accessibility, allowing employees to review, edit, and approve documents from anywhere, at any time.
Improved customer service
Faster access to cloud-based, customer-related documents allows for quicker response times to inquiries and requests, improving overall customer satisfaction and loyalty and potentially leading to more and bigger sales in the future.
Reduced environmental impact
Adopting a digital document management system reduces reliance on paper and printing, leading to a lower environmental footprint through reduced paper usage, energy consumption, and waste generation. These factors also help cut operational costs.
Data insights
Document management systems often include analytics capabilities that provide insights into document usage, workflow efficiency, and other metrics. These insights can inform process improvements and strategic decision-making.
Step-by-Step Guide to Optimizing Your Document Workflows
Digitizing your document management workflow can greatly enhance efficiency, boost productivity, and foster cost savings in any organization. Getting started is easy by following these steps:
Assessment and planning
Start by examining your current document management process to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and pain points and determine where improvements can be made. Based on your findings, you can define specific goals for optimizing your document management workflow. Your goals could include reducing processing time, improving document accuracy, enhancing security, or reducing costs.
Implement the right document management system (DMS)
Once you’ve set your goals, you can choose a workflow solution that aligns with your objectives and organizational needs. Look for features such as document scanning, version control, OCR (Optical Character Recognition), search functionality, and integration capabilities.
Ensure your solution can integrate with your existing CRM (Customer Relationship Management) or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software to streamline processes and improve data consistency.
Provide system training to your teams
Teach employees how to use the document management system effectively and provide ongoing support and resources to address any questions or issues that may arise.
Additionally, consider developing clear guidelines and policies outlining how documents should be created, stored, accessed, and managed within your organization and ensure that all employees are trained on these policies.
Scanning and digitization of documents
Set best practices for digitizing paper documents. For example, establish consistent naming conventions for your documents to make them easily searchable and identifiable. Include relevant information such as date, project name, or department to maintain data quality and integrity.
You should also create a logical folder structure that organizes documents into categories and subcategories based on their type, department, or project to make it easier for users to navigate and locate documents efficiently.
Establish clear document management policies
Set permissions and access controls to ensure that sensitive documents are only accessible to authorized individuals to help maintain security and confidentiality. Implement security measures such as user authentication, role-based permissions, and encryption of sensitive documents.
Also, implementing version control will help track changes made to documents over time. This will ensure that users are constantly working with the most up-to-date version of a document and reduce the risk of errors or conflicting edits.
Finally, keep track of who accesses, edits, and shares documents within your organization and regularly audit access logs to detect unauthorized activities.
Automate workflow processes
Utilize scanning technology or digital forms to automate document capture and indexing. This step will reduce manual data entry and ensure that information is captured accurately and efficiently, saving money and time when documents need to be reviewed, edited, approved, or retrieved for audit.
You can also set up automated backups of your document repository to prevent data loss in the event of hardware failure, cyber attacks, or other disasters.
Regularly review to drive continuous improvement
Document management workflows should be regularly reviewed and updated to adapt to changing business needs, technological advancements, and regulatory requirements.
It’s also essential to continuously monitor the performance of your document management workflow and gather feedback from users to identify areas for potential improvement. Implement changes as needed to optimize efficiency and productivity further.
Common Document Workflow Management Pitfalls to Avoid
When implementing a new document management system, we’ve discovered that there are three common pitfalls that every business owner should avoid, as follows:
Overlooking the importance of user experience
Document management systems should be intuitive and user friendly. Neglecting the user experience can result in resistance to adoption and decreased productivity. Solicit user feedback and incorporate their needs into the design and implementation process.
Failing to update and maintain the DMS regularly
Document management workflows should be regularly monitored and evaluated for performance, compliance, and user satisfaction. Continuously identify areas for improvement and update the system with refinements that optimize efficiency and effectiveness over time.
Underestimating the importance of compliance and security
Inadequate security measures and non-compliance with regulations can lead to data breaches, legal liabilities, and reputational damage. Ensure document management workflows adhere to relevant industry standards and regulations.
Document scanning solutions in action: 3 case studies
The best way to illustrate how impactful document scanning solutions can be for virtually any organization is through examining real-world case studies where Ash Conversions International implemented our transformative document management technology.
A unique document management solution for healthcare
A multi-site Ontario Community Hospital’s Emergency Department used hardcopy patient records, which became highly labour-intensive to manage. The department handled more than 50,000 visits per year, and ER physicians required access to previous ER charts every time a patient came into Emergency, regardless of the severity or reason for the visit.
We installed a digital documents management solution to improve the accessibility of previous ER records and have current charts available in real time. Updated charts are scanned and digitized once completed and signed off by the healthcare team. Read more about this document management solution.
Customized document scanning solutions for retail
A well-known Canadian retail chain is the leader in its sector, operating hundreds of stores and employing thousands nationwide. It also operates a robust online business through its website. However, the company struggled to file and access delivery documents promptly due to misfiled and lost documents. Additionally, the retail store locations were in the dark concerning inbound shipments, making them unprepared to receive and efficiently process daily deliveries.
ACI proposed and implemented a solution to scan and index thousands of inbound and outbound delivery documents daily, making them available for instant retrieval through FileManager™, our Cloud Document Management platform. We also make early-morning pre-shipment document pickups from the retailer’s distribution centre for swift document conversion, better preparing stores and carriers for their respective inbound shipments. Learn more about our customized retail document management solution.
Document management for the metalworking industry
A prominent Canadian steel fabricator specializing in the automotive sector used hand-written work orders containing critical production information (e.g., specifications, instructions, etc.) for each new job. The work order travelled with the job as it progressed through the various stages of production, during which many personnel referred to, handled, and made document entries. When the job was completed, the document was manually filed as a reference for repeat or similar jobs in the future. This manual process led to misplaced or misfiled documents, causing severe production interruptions, delays, and errors.
The ACI team customized a solution that used barcode technology to solve the above challenges. The solution included scanning, indexing, and subsequent online retrieval of their work orders, which resulted in several benefits for this customer. See the complete list of benefits from this solution.
Partner with ACI for a better document management solution
ACI understands how advanced technologies can help companies stay competitive by cutting costs, improving processes, and increasing their bottom line.
For over 40 years, ACI has helped companies transform their daily operations with efficient, cost-effective document scanning and Business Process Automation (BPA) solutions. We tailor our solutions to your needs and deliver them with a customer service experience unparalleled in our industry.
Click the button below to learn how ACI’s document scanning automation solutions and services can cut your document management system costs and help make your business more efficient and profitable today!
