Document management, content management, automated workflow, workflow automation, AI, and so on. You may be unsure of what these phrases actually mean, what their processes entail, and how exactly they have anything to do with your organization.
Fortunately, while the processes may sound complex, at their core their functionality is quite basic. We consider ourselves the experts in automation, and we’ll be sharing a high level overview of what they mean for your organization.
Document Management/Content Management/Records Management…what’s the difference?
To a degree, these all represent the same thing for your organization. At its core, they all function as a virtual filing cabinet, just far more organized (and it takes up much less space). To some degree, records management refers more to what exactly you’re putting into the system. Important personnel files, or those that are regulated by a third party organization such as HIPAA, have certain rules for where and how long they must be stored. Utilizing a records management system not only keeps your documents organized, it keeps your organization compliant, which is incredibly beneficial in the case of an audit.
Your physical documents get scanned into your server and sorted by whatever works best for your organization. For example, if you’re sorting purchase orders you can group them by client, order number, or other key pieces of information. If you’re organizing employee records, you can maintain every piece of information for an employee from hiring to retiring.
“But I already have a records management system, it’s called a filing cabinet”
Filing cabinets work just fine. But if you’re keeping every important document for your organization, you’re going to need more than one filing cabinet. In fact, you may need multiple rooms of them which will take up more space in your office and quickly become a literal elephant in the room.
A major issue with filing cabinets is that many organizations don’t have a backup plan in case of an emergency such as a fire or flood. Unless you have duplicates of your records stored offsite (aka more space), it’s likely you may lose all of them. Of course, you don’t want to think about the idea of a major event happening in your office, but emergencies do happen and being prepared can lessen the damage.
Individuals also tend to not notice the amount of time they waste searching for and retrieving files. Sure 15 or 20 minutes here and there may not seem like a lot, but it quickly adds up. Spending between 15-20 minutes a day searching for files adds up to over 543 hours a year, or more than 67 DAYS worth. 67 days that could be spent doing plenty of other, more beneficial, activities for your organization.
So, yes, a filing cabinet gets the job done, but is it really the best option for your organization?
There’s a better way
Fortunately, you aren’t chained to the filing cabinet forever. By upgrading your organization to a fully digital records management system like DocStar ECM, you can upload and retrieve your important records from anywhere at any time from any device. You decide what storage is best for your organization, either on your server or in our secure cloud, and you can seamlessly share, update, and organize your important documents.
Updating your records management system doesn’t have to be difficult, and we can help make the process easier.
Curious how your organization could benefit from a digital records management system? Give us a call at (888) 934-4443 or visit our site at piftechnologies.com.
